When you ask a baby boomer what it was like working in their generation, they would tell you a good degree guarantees a spot for you in the employment sector. Millennials carried this ideology and pursued even higher degrees than the previous generation. As a result, you have one of the most educated generations yet ironically the most unemployed. So, where did they go wrong? Or is it that the world has since evolved from wanting just degrees to something more? If you’re preparing for the employment sector, what is it that you need to prepare for?
Degrees and skills are two sides of the same coin. To ensure you have a substantial standing in the employment sector, you need to have both. However, what takes precedence? The business sector is all about providing services to consumers while keeping up with their demands. It also needs you to be creative, innovative, and full of fresh ideas. So here’s what you need to know about the importance of securing a job or having skills to work in the business sector:
Why Do I Need A Degree?
Education helps you prepare yourself for the corporate world. It gives you the knowledge and insight that you can’t come up with on your own. When you go for a degree, you gain experience in studying the business sector. You also expose yourself to talented people who have left a mark in the business sector. Here’s why you need a degree:
1. It Authenticates You
When you’re applying for a job, the only connection between you and your employer is your CV. On your CV, the top section is always about your education. In the age of digitalization, education has no barriers and enables you with plenty of eLearning opportunities. Go for an online MBA no GMAT required to make sure your education portion shines. Employers want to know that you have the knowledge and the work requirement to join their company.
2. It Gives You Confidence
When you know what you’re talking about, it gives you confidence. Having a degree helps you harbor this confidence since you have the fundamentals to answer all your employers’ questions. As you work in a company, the knowledge you gained from your degree will help you complete tasks. You will have an easier time identifying what the company needs and where the company lacks. It would also help you keep up with every discussion in meetings. You have substantial knowledge to contribute to them.
3. You Can Accelerate Your Career Faster
Degrees help you breeze through training. Since you already have the basics under your belt. So all that you need to do is ensure you put in the necessary hours, contribute to making a large profit margin. You will reach managerial positions in no time. Career stagnancy and staying stuck in the same place indefinitely can take a toll on you mentally and physically.
4. Credentials Give You Social Respect
The more reputable company you work in, the more people want to work with you. Clients want to know about the person who will be handling their work. Suppose you’re an investment company. Before anything, clients want to know what education you hold. It makes it easier for them to trust you and your skills. That is how society operates. The more impressive your degrees, such as a master’s with a side course with highly prestigious institutes, the more your consumers want to work with you.
How Important Are Skills?
Skills and degrees are synonymous. People with skills don’t necessarily have degrees. So how does having a good skill set distinguish you?
1. Skills Make You Stand Out
Schools cannot teach innovation, creativity, and eloquence. It is something you pick up on your own. Skills come from the environments you expose yourself to. It could be your interest in the business sector that made you pick up these skills. Employers like employees who bring charisma and charm to the workplace. After all, a business works best if consumers are impressed. No matter how many degrees you hold, if you can’t entice your consumer. They won’t feel the inclination to work with you.
2. Skills Show Your Character
Unlike a degree, you cannot measure skills. They can only be seen and observed by the work you put out. Sure, many degree holders can claim that they can reshape a company, but only someone with skills can do that. So whether you went to college or not, that doesn’t matter. What matters is how well you can carry out tasks with a hint of personal touch.
3. Skills Help You Achieve Success
It doesn’t matter whether you topped your university class or have many degrees. What matters is how you know how to utilize the knowledge you have. Without the proper skills such as work ethic, planning, insightfulness, you will never get a company to the next level. So while your degree may help you get shortlisted to work for a company, it won’t take long to find your replacement if you can’t bring anything to the table.
4. Your Skills Make You Independent
You don’t need to have a degree to start your business. One of the essential benefits skills give you is the power to be independent. It means you can start at any time to make a name for yourself. You will know how to research, find the right investors, when you should launch your business and how to make your product unique. You can then leverage your skills to create a diverse group of employees to reach the pinnacle of success.
5. Skills Are Better To Pick
To get a degree, you need to go to school. However, with skills, this concept doesn’t apply. Sure, you may pick up some skills at your school, but your actual learning starts outside an educational institute. Since skills don’t necessarily follow any set curriculum, you can start anywhere and practice your craft.
Suppose you want to try your hand at investing in stocks. All it takes is observing how stock exchanges perform their tasks, what factors they are mindful of and how they know where to invest. Schools cannot provide this knowledge. You can even learn about businesses better by talking to leading experts or learning from small businesses. Watching them conduct day-to-day activities will help you understand what it takes to run a business. Businesses are not idealistic environments. They are fast-paced and function on your adaptability. So unless you can keep up, you will struggle.
Wrap Up
Skills and degrees are both necessary. However, you can tell while skills may make you stand out, your degree is essential to make it easier for employers to shortlist you. Today’s economy is competitive, so it is better to use every tool and resource you have to flourish. So, start by earning a degree and from there work on your skill. With a bit of hard work, you can achieve anything. So if you want an answer, you are nothing without your degree, and your skills polish your degree. When you both, you are the dream candidate for every company.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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