How to conquer your self doubt and build a career without having one
How I made my way through design with the ghost of my college degree sleeping right next to me.
Even in these mind- set revolutionary times, we often put ourselves in the position where we need to fulfill high expectations of what success looks like: big house, new car, traveling, being promoted to head or director in your early thirties, always being one step ahead just in case and many others. And to achieve that, we have been told that the first step is to get a college degree.
But what happens if you don’t have one? Can you still have the same opportunities? Or are you going to be left behind?
I have been happily working in the design field for 10 years now, and I often remember how it all started. Back in college, although I loved my career (Visual information design) and even though I was always on top of my class, I didn’t really like the teaching methodology or maybe I just wasn’t built for institutionalized education, probably a bit of both. So I decided to drop out of college and follow what my young gut was telling me: Start gaining real experience. So I went for it, as soon as I made that decision I started to panic a little. The fear of not having a degree started to settle in.
Will I be able to achieve the expectations? Will I be able to get where I wanted to be?
Suddenly I realized that I had all these questions, that far from helping me getting closer to my dream career, were holding me back. Therefore, I needed to build a strong character to keep going and remain true to my goals. In a few words, we need to grow some huge self confidence skills.
You don’t have a college degree? It’s not the end of the world, you just have to prove yourself.
I want to share with you ten lessons I learned while building my career without having a degree.
- No one cares as much as you do
When you start a new job, relax. Don’t waste time and energy wondering if people are judging you, doubting your work, or questioning your credentials. Not having a degree is something that you need to tell your way around, so it doesn’t sound that bad. They want to work with you for a reason: what you bring to the table. Embrace your situation and let the work speak for itself.
2. A degree does not define your work.
Of course it’s a big and commendable thing to have your degree (cheers if you have it, I’m proud of you), but even if you do, that does not define how you work, your value or how you approach problems. Experience isn’t replaceable and it’s the only thing that will get you to perfect your way of working and your actual work so stop thinking that you’re not good enough because you don’t have a piece of paper that says so. Go out there and start gaining all the experience that you can have, any job will give you some cool lessons for youth to grow on.
3. Everyone’s path is unique, enjoy yours.
Hey, take a chill pill and stop comparing yourself to others, in every sense: personal, familiar, economic, academic, etc. Focus on your stuff, on your dreams and passions, and start building from there. It’s cool to have people around you that inspire you, but don’t let that be an extra pressure that is not really adding in a positive way to your mental health. Remember that what might be happiness for others does not mean that should be yours as well. The idea of success, and happiness is different for everyone. Embrace and enjoy your path.
4. Good work it’s hard to let go.
We all know for a fact that practice makes the difference in everything. If you do one thing over and over again for 100 times I can assure you the 100 will be better than the first one. If you focus your energy in pushing your work a bit further every time, if you have discipline, if you are patient, if you keep doing your thing, you will get better at what you do, so choose one little thing, stick to it and make yourself undeniably good at it.
5. Use your negative thoughts to get better, don’t let them slow you down.
It’s normal to doubt ourselves, to have negative thoughts, especially when applying for a new job or when we feel the need to prove ourselves, but let those dark thoughts give you a boost to have an excellent interview, or to deliver an awesome talk. We need to stay away from the victim role and start taking responsibility. Turn your negative thoughts into positive actions that will take you where you want.
6. Observe everything.
The best way to learn is by watching. See how everyone else solves things, how they express themselves, how they manage chaos and see what can you apply to your own process, what it’s aligned with your values and principles, what makes sense to you. Everything counts, good examples and bad ones. Build a strong personal criteria and start applying it while working.
7. It’s never too late.
Yes, it’s true that a college degree does not define anything, but if you really want one, (maybe it’s a personal goal or you gave your word to someone special) it’s never too late. You can find many different options to get your degree, even online. So if you really want it, go for it.
8. Keep learning.
The fact that you don’t have a degree does not mean you can’t improve your craft, we have crazy access to really good and cheap content so get up and get started.
Take a course or workshop on something that might help you grow every once in a while or create the habit of reading at least one book per month. Procrastinating and excuses have never helped anyone get what they want.
9. Be your own best friend.
Everyone has insecurities, so don’t run away from them, get to know them. Be introspective, work on your inner side of things, get to know your flaws, accept them, work on them and get better. At this point everyone has rocks on their bag, so don’t feel bad because you have some too. The way people see us is a reflection of what’s going on inside, so if you want to project yourself as a confident, professional person, work on your inner self and it will show.
10. Be thankful.
At the end of the day be thankful for what you’ve built so far and for the things to come. Be thankful and be ready cause you’re about to bring it!
BONUS! Build some character.
Life is not as easy as we would like, there are good and bad moments and the fact that we get carried away sometimes by our feelings does not mean that we are not ¨strong¨ enough. How we take those moments and make the most out of them it’s what matters. So get out there willing to go through it all, the good, the bad, the worst, because what you will learn will give you a bullet proof armor to make it through anything.
About the Author
Mar Castellanos is a Lead Visual Designer at Wizeline.
