No Degree? No Problem!

Thought you had to get an expensive degree to make it in your chosen career? Think again: these women are proof you can carve your own path regardless 

- Sarah Browning-De Villiers

‘I finished matric in 2002 and decided to get a degree under my belt – that’s what we’re taught to do, right? So I enrolled for a PR course at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). But by the start of my third year, my heart just wasn’t in it. I wanted to start my own business and I didn’t feel my studies were helping me achieve this goal.

‘After dropping out of CPUT, I didn’t have any issues getting work: I hustled my way into work experience, networking wherever I could. Since my business is focused on styling and producing content for clients, its success depends on becoming known in the industry, as well as growing my portfolio. That’s not something you need a degree for – just exposure and hard work!

‘I made sure that the work experience I got was with key industry people so I could build a name for myself and make the right connections. I’ve since produced, styled and cast campaigns for Inglot and La Senza.

‘Not having a degree has had zero impact on my career prospects. If anything, getting stuck into work while my peers were studying put me a step ahead. I’ve had some people judge the fact that I don’t have a degree – but they shut up when they see the quality of my work.

‘The key is to not be scared of hard work or of taking a risk and possibly failing. Experience, passion and a hunger for success will make you stand out, not a qualification.

‘People tend to use a degree as a measure of intelligence, but it’s not. Plenty of intelligent people don’t study for a number of reasons: funds, time, or because their dream job isn’t taught at an institution. As the well-known quote goes, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”’