L
@webzter said: I'm convinced that 90% of getting a job is getting past HR to actually meet with the hiring manager. Anything one can do through their network to land a job would help. Once you get in front of a hiring manager, then experience, personality, and willingness to learn would all be more important factors (generally) than where / if you went to college... there are exceptions, of course, but then you might not want to work for someone that values an alma mater over relevant experience.I definitely concur with that statement. All of my jobs were the result of networking, some were new positions created specifically for me. I've had a good portion of unsolicited job offers that way as well. Anything that you can do to bypass HR will help tremendously. Degrees aren't always required but they do help in a lot of situations. The benefit of a degree (beyond just the piece of paper) is that they provide concrete proof of ambition and follow through as well as provide a foundation for continued education. That is a lot harder to prove if you just walk in and show a couple of personal projects. If you don't have a degree you need to emphasize your other experiences either through open-source projects, volunteer work, etc that demonstrate your willingness and capability to succeed.