Strategic HR Solutions

Apple, Google, and 13 Other Companies No Longer Require Employees to have a College Degree

Weren’t you waiting for this?

College dropouts, the world is yours! Ever since childhood, we were all told how we need to attend school and college to get a ‘good job’. But the tables are turning. (finally..phew)

Glassdoor compiled a list of 15 companies that no longer require employees to have a college degree. In this ground-breaking list, tech outlets like Apple, Google and IBM are listed together with service industries like Starbucks and Chipotle.

Take a look at the whole list:

1. Google

2. Ernst and Young (EY)

3. Penguin Random House

4. Costco Wholesale

5. Whole Foods

6. Hilton

7. Publix

8. Apple

9. Starbucks

10. Nordstrom

11. Home Depot

12. IBM

13. Bank of America

14. Chipotle

15. Lowe’s

Those are 15 companies that no longer require a university degree for some of their top jobs.

This piece of news shouldn’t be news. Because way back in 2014, Laszlo Bock, the former head of human resources at Google had told New York Times, “When you look at people who don’t go to school and make their way in the world, those are exceptional human beings,”. Now in 2018, it’s simply more official and more laid down.

College is such a natural progression from school that we don’t think twice about how much of our time and resources go into it. The truth is the world moves at such a fast pace and college curriculums don’t stay on their feet to adapt to these changes. If ethical hacking, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technology is “the future”, why aren’t these terms being flung across inside the classrooms?

A successful career in technology should never and can’t ever start and end in college. The case rests: In 2017, IBM’s vice president of talent Joanna Daley told CNBC Make It that about 15 percent of her company’s U.S. hires don’t have a four-year degree. Instead of seeking standard requirements, IBM seeks candidates who have hands-on experience.

If you’re a young adult wondering which road to take, take the road less traveled. A college degree is definitely a safe bet. But all we’re asking is whether it’s worth it. Please note that we’re not against learning. The college has only been an unquestioned route for learning anything.

Today, if you’re wise enough, you can learn anything from the internet. Online courses are slowly taking the power away from the traditional lecture setting. You can explore and learn things with your own eyes and hands, without relying on an organization.

And during tough times, you can always remind yourself of this quote by Steve Jobs:

Until next time!