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Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Old Apr 22nd 2014, 2:31 pm
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Default Moving to Boston with no Degree?

My wife has been offered a relocation package from her company which will involve us moving to Boston MA. I have 14 years IT Channel Sales and Management experience and now having looked into similar roles in Boston, MA most, if not all employers hiring require you to have a Degree, which i don't have. So can anyone tell me what my chances will be (once I get my working permit) of landing a similar role to the one I do here in the UK without having a degree?
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Old Apr 22nd 2014, 3:59 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

It's not impossible to find a decent job in the US without a degree, but it is difficult. You will need to demonstrate equivalent work experience. Also, be aware of the ATS (applicant tracking system), which uses keywords to filter out 'unsuitable' candidates.

I would suggest networking (LinkedIn) to make contact with hiring managers or specifically targeting firms that will recognise experience in lieu of a degree. Smaller firms tend to be more flexible with this, particularly startups. Good luck!
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Old Apr 22nd 2014, 4:30 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Originally Posted by Stuart Beeby
My wife has been offered a relocation package from her company which will involve us moving to Boston MA. I have 14 years IT Channel Sales and Management experience and now having looked into similar roles in Boston, MA most, if not all employers hiring require you to have a Degree, which i don't have. So can anyone tell me what my chances will be (once I get my working permit) of landing a similar role to the one I do here in the UK without having a degree?
I was recently job-hunting, in NYC, and whilst I do have a degree, it's not remotely related to my line of work (history vs software development). I have 20+ years experience and so lack of a formal qualification was not an issue. A lot depends on demand in the industry/area and there's a lot of demand for my kind of skills in NYC right now. I suspect that IT sales in Boston will be seeing a lot of demand too.
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Old Apr 22nd 2014, 9:37 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

You may not get the exact job you think you deserve first time, but if it's in a good company they will appreciate someone who brings the right approach and works hard. Make sure you bring in some written references which highlight your abilities.
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Old Apr 22nd 2014, 10:26 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

I've no degree, was able to demonstrate equivalent work experience and still haven't been able to get into the field of work I was in back in the UK. It seems to me without a degree you're shafted, but then I live in a relatively rural area, you may have a lot more luck in a city.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 4:43 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Also, closer you get to 50, less interest will be shown.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 4:50 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Originally Posted by hotscot
Also, closer you get to 50, less interest will be shown.
I'm 47 and I was fielding three offers two weeks after being laid off.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 4:56 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Originally Posted by rpjs
I'm 47 and I was fielding three offers two weeks after being laid off.
Yes, but it all depends.

Generally when you approach 50 it's more difficult to be hired.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 7:25 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Originally Posted by Stuart Beeby
My wife has been offered a relocation package from her company which will involve us moving to Boston MA. I have 14 years IT Channel Sales and Management experience and now having looked into similar roles in Boston, MA most, if not all employers hiring require you to have a Degree, which i don't have. So can anyone tell me what my chances will be (once I get my working permit) of landing a similar role to the one I do here in the UK without having a degree?
You may be able to have your work experience count towards a degree. This is a good article
http://www.geteducated.com/life-expe...-degree-a-scam

The requirement for a degree here seems the norm, however, given that requirement, I occasionally wonder how many of my colleagues genuinely have a degree. I suspect some of them just put they have a degree on their job application form. In all my time here, I've never been asked to prove I hold my degrees or other certifications I earned. In June I have 108 hours of training to attend, 9 consecutive 12 hour days. It would save me $7,000 and 9 grueling days to simply claim I have the certification already. I'm not going to do that, but I wonder how many people I may be competing against in the future will just make the claim . . .
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Old Apr 28th 2014, 5:02 pm
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Default Re: Moving to Boston with no Degree?

Without a degree, it'll be really hard here.

Best be is taking something a bit shit on and building up a local network of connections.

Sure, you could land a great job off the bat, but generally it's tough even if you are connected. Lot of jobs, but a lot of bods, who also have the connections here.

Plenty of places out in the burbs too though, Natick/Burlington/Waltham/Lexington and the likes.

Thing is, there's plenty of networking events here. Adobe have a meet up group, there's also Autodesk with their products, Wacom have an event up in Salem, NH which isn't far.

Microsoft in the NERD building, do regular meet ups, there's Made in MA, Tech Thursday, Mass Innovation Nights, IBM do a drinks night, there's a Unity night, game devs have a monthly meet up and even the Brit Consulate host events now and again.
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