As I have mentioned before, most everyone I work with at my
job has a college degree. Many of my
co-workers have at least a bachelor’s degree, but there are some who have a
master’s and even a doctorate degree.
Me? I’m still working on
obtaining my associate’s degree.
Has this held me back at my job? I don’t think so. In fact, whenever we have trivia contests at
work, I usually win. However, I work
alongside some incredibly bright and, in most cases, younger people. Not having a degree weighs heavily on my
mind, even if it isn’t mentioned by anybody at work. I don’t go out of my way to tell anyone I don’t
have a degree, but I certainly don’t lie about it, either.
We have a lot of clients who visit us at the office, and one
of the most common, and dreaded, questions I hear is “so, where did you go to
school?” I literally cringe every time I’m
asked. I simply reply with the name of a
brick-and-mortar school I once attended.
I did not graduate because I had to leave school to support my family. I also didn’t have the funds to continue with
my education at that time. I’m not asked
“which school did you graduate from?” I’m
asked “where did you go to school?” I’m
answering their question honestly, but at the same time I know what they are
really implying. They want to know which
school gave me my degree, and I don’t have one.
After I complete my associate’s degree from Penn
Foster College,
will I proudly proclaim my alma mater when someone asks me where I went to
school? I’m really not sure. On the one hand, I’ll actually be able to
name a school which gave me a degree. On the other hand, I’ll be admitting I merely
have an associate’s degree. When it
comes to working in a professional environment, image is everything.
My employer is aware of my educational status because I do
not embellish my resume. I’m completely
honest and I clearly stated I was working toward a marketing degree from Penn
Foster College
(at the time it was called Education Direct).
Still, I usually remain silent when co-workers talk about where they
went to school and where they earned their degree.
Someday, I will be able to proudly proclaim an alma mater
for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
I can’t wait. It will be a great
day, indeed.