For decades, we probably all heard similar messages from our parents and teachers as we trudged through high school: You have to go to college so you can get a good job. We wrote long-form essays and took out loans, and for many years it was true that college seemed to be the key to a job that paid a living wage without sacrificing heath or safety. But times are changing, and college is no longer the silver bullet it seemed to be a decade ago. College enrollment in the U.S. peaked in 2010, but has steadily declined ever since, with many people delaying college or foregoing it altogether. At the same time, companies have become more aware of opportunities for bias (especially when it comes to hiring someone just because you share an alma mater) and more focused on skills-based hiring: focusing on whether a candidate can demonstrate the skills necessary to do the job, not just if they have a piece of paper that says they can.
Today, college isn’t the silver bullet it once was, which could actually be a good sign: Instead of accruing debt in the name of getting a diploma, candidates can get a much higher return on investment by focusing on things that build real-world skills without the big price tag. But like with most industries, all college-alternatives are not created equal, and if you’re trying to break in to a new job or a new industry, you’ll want to invest your time where it really counts.
Opt for certifications over short online courses
I love a quick little LinkedIn Learning course as much as the next person, but adding a completed 30-minute class to your resume isn’t going to go very far. One of the great things about online courses like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy is their ability to give quick introductions to topics, or offer targeted education in one specific area. They can be good resources as you begin building a new skill, but it’s not compelling to read on a resume that someone has completed a one-hour “Intro to Branding” class.
Instead, if you’re looking for something that will add credibility to your resume, go for industry-vetted certifications. They’re going to be harder or more time-consuming to get, but that’s part of why they’ll shine more on your resume. Most people have the discipline to watch a video for 30 minutes, but not everyone is willing to devote the time necessary to get that certification or invest those learning hours.
Every industry is different, and I won’t pretend to know ALL the relevant certifications for every job function, but here a few ideas to get the wheels turning:
For aspiring IT professionals, the CompTIA A+ certificate is well-regarded, and the Google IT Support Professional Certificate is also a good option for beginners.Hubspot Academy has tons of certifications for marketing and sales professionals.Salesforce also has a robust training program called Trailhead for people in marketing, sales, or people who just want to specialize in working with Salesforce.Build a project or volunteer your skills for free
I know this feels counterintuitive—obviously we don’t want to be doing work for free, and hopefully we won’t need to for long. But if you’re trying to show off new skills or break into a new industry, one of the best ways to show that you actually have the skills they’re looking for is by putting them into practice in some sort of real-world application. I once interviewed a designer who didn’t have the years of experience we were hoping for, but had a great story about reaching out to a small app she liked and offering to help them redesign their website. She didn’t get paid, but thanks to that experience, she was able to tell me relevant stories about collaborating and facing challenges as a designer, and proved to me that she had the skills.
We shouldn’t all start DMing Spotify and asking if they need any free help with their business, but finding and creating opportunities for yourself can go a long way. Perhaps you have a church or community center in your neighborhood that could use your help running their Instagram account or streamlining their process, or you might offer to help your uncle design a new logo or update the website for his company.
If you don’t have organizations or uncles you feel excited about reaching out to, you can also start doing things all on your own. Grab a friend or go it alone, and see what you can put together that will show off that you would make a great engineer/marketer/designer/salesperson/inventor. Not only will you be able to practice and stay sharp in your skillset, but it will also feel much more gratifying to create something and focus on a project rather than mindlessly applying to jobs all day long. Whether it’s a game, an app, an event, a mural, or something yet un-invented, being able to show that you actually created something (and successfully speaking to exactly how you did it) can be just as valuable as a piece of paper that says you understand how to do it in theory.
If you’re considering a tech bootcamp, do your research
There’s certainly no scarcity of tech bootcamps out there these days: You can go to a bootcamp for coding, for cybersecurity, for design, for AI, for data science, and probably for plenty of other topics that I haven’t even heard of yet. Bootcamps tend to be an attractive option because they’re usually cheaper and shorter than a two- or four-year degree, and they usually make promises about your ability to get a job quickly afterwards.
Like most college alternatives, all bootcamps are not created equal. In fact, they often vary wildly in quality, price, and industry reputation. If you’re considering a bootcamp, be sure to do a lot of research before putting down that deposit. Ask hard questions of your admissions counselor/salesperson: Can you sit in on a class? Can they share the data about graduation rates and job placement rates? Can you talk to current students? Seek out alumni and ask for their perspectives: Was it worth the money? Do they have a job post-graduation? How supportive (and qualified) were the instructors? Look up employees at the companies you’re excited about and see what bootcamps they went to, if any. If you’re feeling brave, message managers or leaders there to ask their opinions about which bootcamps they like to hire out of, and which ones they don’t like.
Like a college degree, a bootcamp graduation alone is usually still not enough to prove your skills in your new field, it’s still not a silver bullet. Bootcamps can give you a leg up if it’s a fit for your personality and you’ve done all the research, but with so many people graduating from bootcamps every day, you’ll probably still want to do at least one of the other things on this list to stand out.
Aim for internships, apprenticeships, and co-ops
There’s no replacement for actual experience working in your field, but if you’re trying to break into a new field or if you’re on the more junior side, it can be hard to secure that first gig. Internships, apprenticeships and co-ops are awesome for two reasons: They’re designed specifically for people with limited experience, and they usually act as a launchpad into your first “real” role. You get more support than you would in a traditional job, but you also get hands-on experience and the opportunity to make mistakes, face challenges, and actually learn the ins and outs of your industry. Some internships turn into full-time job offers, and even when they don’t, they still make you a much more compelling candidate since you’ll be able to share real-world stories from your experience.
When companies open more junior roles, they also often look for people coming out of programs like these because it feels less risky than hiring someone “fresh” out of a course or a bootcamp. You’ve already proven that you can work in a team, and you likely already know the basics of the job even if you haven’t gotten the chance to do everything yet. Some companies have programs or stand-alone apprenticeship/internships offerings, or you can try a program like Year Up or Multiverse that blend bootcamps with internships.
Blog (or vlog, or post) about your education journey
One of the best ways to ingrain new knowledge is by teaching it to someone else, and blogging about what you’re learning serves a similar purpose. Yes, it will probably help you deepen your knowledge, but it can also help you catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers who are looking for candidates. By sharing your journey and the specifics of what you’re learning, you demonstrate that you’re actually taking in the information and building new skills. Putting out content can also help show off your personality a bit, and better contextualize who you are amongst a sea of other potential candidates. Similar to the topic of certifications, it’s more time-consuming to learn and post rather than just learn, but that can be what sets you apart from other folks on the same journey. Posting once a week will require you to invest a bit of time and planning, but it can help give you credibility and make you more memorable in the eyes of an interviewer.
Posting online regularly or engaging with an audience isn’t for everyone, but if you find a method that works for you it can be a great tool to build your personal brand and prove your expertise (or at the very least, your willingness to be a beginner and share your learnings).
