Hi David ----

Lie. No, seriously, my advice would be to bust your ass and become the best developer you can. I, too, am a college drop-out and it has rarely affected me professionally. We are fortunate that we are in a career field that values experience more than paper. If someone is giving you grief about not having the degree then you are dealing with the wrong someone. If you are extremely knowledgeable in your chosen profession, and have a good reputation then the lack of degree should pose no hindrance.

Good luck.


> I have been programming in various versions of FoxPro since 1994. I’m employed by a contract company that has me develop software for the Navy in Visual FoxPro 3 & 5. I also maintain and add too existing software written in Version 2.6. I like what I do very much. However, the point at hand is this, I was hired for a lesser salary based purely on my lack of a college degree.
> Recently, I wanted to test the waters and see what was available in my area for Visual FoxPro developers. An agency contacted me about an opportunity and I sent out my resume which included my last performance evaluation (which I’m proud to say was classified outstanding). At some point my agent contacted me and it was the same story all over again. I wanted to ask her if she would like to work for less money than a male counterpart and perform the same responsibilities. There is a parallel in discrimination here. I would be providing the same service for a company that would offer a higher salary to someone with a degree.
>I resent that my abilities are undermined because some employers like to use the educational system as a measuring stick to determine an employees worth over that of the verifiable prove of a hard earned and acquired skill.
>Does anyone agree with me?