People and Culture Shared Interest Group

A four-year degree takes time and money. A certification takes months and costs a fraction. But who does each one actually convince?

Recruiters seem to trust the degree as proof you'll stick with something long-term. Employers, often care more about the certification if it means you can start delivering on day one. Even friends and family carry their own bias, a degree still gets the "settled" nod, while a certification sometimes gets treated as a shortcut.

So who's right? Does it come down to the industry, or is one just outdated and the other overhyped?

Would love to hear from people on different sides of this, hiring managers, recent grads, or anyone who picked one path over the other.

Hi Tusti,

Irrespective of a degree or a certification, your career will be primarily built on what interests you the most. A Certification like CMA or any certification for that matter is going to give you credibility among employers, While your experience of going to college, getting a degree has to do more with the skills that you develop, connections you make & how you pick a direction for your career. I genuinely believe that any certification or any degree should only be pursued if it interests you & inspires you to build a career in that field - not to convince a recruiter, employer or family because eventually when you work on something that interests and inspires you, you'll find a way to make it work with everyone. So there is no "right" side to this. A degree & certification each have their own ways of working & it's different for everyone :)

 I completely agree with Yukta. In the long-term, your interest or performance determine what you do. Degrees or certifications don't mean much in later stages of the career.

However, the checklist of certifications/degrees does matter when you are entering the workforce or in early career stages where these certifications show progress or meet the eligibility requirements for a job.

As far as what people think, as we all know, they will never be satisfied :)

Hi Yukta
Yes you are right. As long as a person pursues a degree or a certification to their interest, there will always be a space to grow and thrive! And someone said that whatever you learn is never a waste so yes, learning with interest is best as it will always keep the excitement alive!