Need a degree to land that job?

Some job seekers harbor a secret that prevents them from applying for work they know they could do. Or they worry that if this fact comes to light in a job interview, it will explode and cause them to be led unceremoniously to the door.

These are people who went to college but never got a degree.

People who have had “some college” are far from rare. After six years, more than 40 percent of those who started at a four-year institution have not finished, according to data from the Education Department.

Some may have decided that college wasn’t right for them; some will take longer than six years to finish. But for many others, life intervenes, said Jacqueline E. King, assistant vice president for policy analysis at the American Council on Education, which represents degree-granting institutions. They may have decided to start a family, or had to care for a sick relative, or took on more responsibility at work.
Then more life happens, and as the years go by, that piece of paper with the calligraphy, gold seal and signatures of bigwigs becomes ever more elusive.

Owning that paper may seem especially important when the unemployment rate is high. Many employers are now reflexively listing a bachelor’s degree as a requirement; it’s an easy way to help whittle down hundreds of applications into a manageable pile.

Some people wear their lack of a degree as if it’s a scarlet letter, she said. Just about the first words out of their mouths at an interview are, “I don’t have a B.A., but ... ,” she said.

Many are open to the idea of finishing the degree, but “it’s really hard to go to work full time and go to school full time and have a life.”

Freedom Bible College & Seminary is reaching out to students who never finished degree requirements, creating flexible programs that can be particularly helpful to those who have just a few credits left. If you are unemployed and unable to find new work, this could be an excellent time to go back to school. Money may be an issue, of course. But FBCS offers easy payment plans.

If you have only a few credits to go, why let them dog you for the rest of your life? FBCS even has plans that will even accept secular credits toward a Christian degree.

Amid all the practical considerations, don’t forget that you might learn something, too. When people return to school later in life, Ms. King said, they are often pleasantly surprised at how much they actually enjoy the learning process.