Here's Why You Really Don’t Need a Degree to Be Successful

Ok, this is quite a bold statement, and one which may be controversial for some. But let me tell you why I believe this, and you may well find yourself feeling the same way.

In a time of rising graduate unemployment and huge student debts, the idea of attending university simply for the purpose of obtaining a degree is fast becoming obsolete. Now I’m not saying that no one should ever go to university. That would be silly. After all, if I want to hire a lawyer to represent me, have a surgeon operate on my heart, or have an architect draw me some blueprints for a building, I would want those people to have the best degree possible in their given field.

However the vast majority of young people who go to university are not doing so because they need a degree in a technical field. They are doing so because they have been brainwashed by society to believe that they need a degree in something, anything, to be accepted and valued. I’m going to let you in on a little secret here. Almost all employers in the South Africa hire people based on their experience. Once you have gotten over the hurdle of getting your first job, your academic qualifications almost immediately become irrelevant. This is a fact. If you are good at what you do and you are good with people, you will excel.

It gets better. As an entrepreneur, YOU call the shots. As long as you have a good idea that you are passionate about, and have the confidence to put it into action, it doesn’t really matter whether you even sat your exams. Because the only ability you really need is the ability to sell your idea. To make other people believe in what you are selling and doing. Whether those people are customers, potential investors, employees, suppliers or anyone else, the only thing that you really need to be good at is bringing them on board with your idea. As your idea grows you will simply hire others to take care of all the technical stuff. This would be the case regardless of your educational background. Because as an entrepreneur it’s not your job to be a technician.

Your job is to steer the ship.

Here's Why You Really Don’t Need a Degree to Be Successful

Sandile Shabangu

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