Ask HN: Potential employer is asking about 'education', I'm a college drop-out
I thought this was a bit strange, but I've applied for a position with a large and amazing software company. I don't normally put anything on my resume for education, as I dropped out of University after two years, and I don't think anybody has ever asked. My work experience has always spoken for itself.<p>Any suggestions on how to handle this? I'm thinking about adding a section that says I've been continuously learning through my work experiences and other opportunities.<p>what has worked for you in the past? or what would you think would work?
11 comments
[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 35.9 ms ] threadIf someone won't hire you for lack of a sheepskin, their loss; plenty of companies have no such aversion in the current environment.
Run, run for your life, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, among many, are also drop outs.
If it is the former, I wouldn't think too much about it. People probably use standard forms for these purposes. If it is the latter, just tell him that you did school for some years and decided your time could be better spent outside school.
Thanks for your help.
P.S: For future reference, the best thing to do in this case it to mention as part of educational experience maybe the relevant courses you have taken and the amount of time spent at school. (If you need mention it at all).
For example, Jobs does not belong in the group of dropouts that Gates and Zuckerberg do. In the latter case, both were great students enrolled in one of the best schools in the country and dropped out once they had a reason to drop out (potentially huge idea.)
Just be honest.
List your high school.
List the number of hours completed and the university.
Some people will make an issue of it.
Some won't.
Good luck.
As far as responding to their question, just be confident and direct. "I left university because of X, and I do not plan to complete my degree at the time/until I do Y/whatever". The reason you give will be a lot better than the possible reasons they might think up, so do not worry about it. There are many legit reasons for dropping out, including that it just was not for you, all they want to know is that you did not drop out because a personal flaw that may make you a bad employee. If you dodge the question, give a fishy response, or make too many excuses, it may seem like you have something to hide, and they will start speculating.
One last thing, do not put too much weight on this question. While I personally do not want to work for a company that has a strong degree bias either way (I left my last company, which I otherwise loved, on a sad note because of this), I do not think that this is that a definitive indicator that a company looks down on people without degrees. I have found that sometimes either someone who is not that technical and who's opinion is not that important (HR person or recruiter) is asking because they do not know better and are just compiling information for a higher up who did not specifically ask about your education, or sometimes an interviewer will ask it because they want to know how you will respond (whether you will be silly and apologize, or be confident in your skills, what's your view on education, etc). It is one of those questions where you can just say "No, I did not graduate" and it is not a big deal and you move on, or you can start to sweat, give a long winded excuse, and make your interviewer worry. If they do have a degree bias and do not hire your for that reason, well, then you dodged a bullet.
THe things I am trying to hire for are not offerred as a university degree anyway. Maybe this is not true of where you are applying, maybe it is true. ALways tell the truth and don't be afraid of the choices you made. Own them if possible.