Work Experience Degree

The Mission of Work Experience Degree Granting Programs

What is the point of a work experience degree?

Once upon a time college diplomas were a normal requirement for jobs. Oh, sure, for certain types of jobs that actually required enormous amounts of study, like being a doctor or a lawyer–but other than that, college degrees were primarily intended for the personal enrichment of those who could afford them. Somewhere along the line that changed.

It used to be that you got into a company on the ground floor, and worked your way up. Promotions within the company were the primary means of building the ranks. It was a good system. Promotions were based on tried and tested competence, talent, and experience. Even outside hiring was based on the person’s proven performance at previous jobs. Not so anymore.

Now it’s all about degrees and diplomas. A 22 year old with a bachelor’s can come out of nowhere and become the supervisor for someone who’s been making sales for 15 years. But there is a way to combat this, and it doesn’t have to mean putting your career on pause to sit in a classroom: getting a work experience degree. Your work experience degree is awarded based on your actual work experience. It’s a way of leveling the playing field–if companies are going to ignore hard work in favor of diplomas, then turn your hard work into a diploma, so they can’t ignore it.

What Qualifies You for a Work Experience Degree?

The short answer is work experience, of course. The colleges that grant these diplomas basically assess your prior, hands-on experience, to determine if it can be considered equal to the learning someone with a degree has. If you’ve been working and learning day in and day out for four years–no summer break for you, either–you certainly qualify.