Though not unheard of, it is unusual to see someone rise through the ranks of an organization of any kind, especially on a managerial level, without at least some formal college training. Where a high school diploma used to be enough to secure at least an entry level position and allow a person to work his or her up through the organization by hard work alone, that is just simply not the case any longer. Earning some type of college degree prepares you not only for specific subject skills, but also equips you with communications and decision-making skills that are appropriate to the professional world, no matter what the field is. Even self-employed business owners might find it tough to succeed without some type of business training. Very few people have the innate ability to understand the components of business and make them work profitably.
In a field such as medicine, you rarely, if ever, see people with successful careers on any level of employment that do not have some type of college degree. Many positions require a bachelor's degree or higher to even be considered, along with several years of practical training as well as licensing. There are, however, careers in the medical field out there that do not require years and years of education and training. Positions such as laboratory technicians, respiratory therapists, and some nursing jobs are available to those who hold a 2-year, or associate's, degree in the appropriate subject area. These types of jobs also require practical training, but not nearly as much as more advanced positions. The advantage of positions like these is that they offer stability and good pay, often with regular working hours. Higher-level medical positions, such as those of surgeons, general physicians, and psychiatrists, require highly intensive long-term training that goes beyond undergraduate studies. These positions also carry a very high liability, as well as intense stress levels.
Law is another field that largely requires individuals with some type of college degree for employment consideration. For practicing attorneys, they are required to have a professional law degree that takes several years to complete past a bachelor's degree, as well as appropriate licensing. Certain positions in the legal profession, such as paralegal and legal secretary positions, usually require only an associate's degree for employment consideration. These positions are not to be taken for granted, though. They are highly valuable jobs that require a great deal of skill and knowledge of the discipline of the law.
For fields such as business, marketing, or advertising, there is usually a minimum requirement of a bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject area for a job applicant. These fields can be highly specialized, and earning the appropriate type of college degree shows that you possess the certain knowledge base required to handle the certain rigors that are a part of the world of business. Often, the jobs that are awarded to young applicants with a degree are entry-level positions that involve a certain amount of on the job corporate training. This training is an investment of an organization that benefits the employee in that it provides eventual opportunities for advancement into higher-level (including management) positions.
Whether or not you have a college degree can affect your professional livelihood. It can determine the type of job you are capable of getting, the pay that you receive, and the opportunities you have to advance in an organization. The type of college degree you have often reflects (to potential employers) how hard you have worked, the level of knowledge that you potentially possess, and the time an organization would have to spend training you. Many organizations go by the assumption that a college-educated individual will require little training, will learn faster, and be more diligent in a position. That is why it is important to consider getting some type of college degree in order to have a stable and satisfying career.
