For decades, the formula for success seemed simple: go to university, get a degree, and land a good job. But in today’s world, it’s not so black and white. Employers and clients are less impressed by credentials and more focused on skills, initiative, and results. And news flash—no one in this economy is getting ahead just by getting a degree and landing a 9–5.

I don’t have a degree—and it hasn’t held me back; it’s propelled me forward. What shaped my career wasn’t formal education. It was internships, years of late nights juggling multiple jobs, saying “yes” to opportunities I wasn’t 100% ready for, and putting myself in situations that forced me to grow, fast.

The Early Start Advantage

Unpaid internships are controversial, but they were the launchpad for my career. By the time I finished my three-year diploma, I had multiple internships under my belt. That experience allowed me to skip the internship requirement in my program and jump straight into a full-time job. Meanwhile, some of my peers chose to extend their education—converting their diploma into a degree. While they were still studying, I was already working industry jobs, building a portfolio, and laying the foundation to bring on some of my first clients.

Momentum compounds. By the time my peers graduated or had one to two years in a traditional 9–5 under their belt, I had years of client-facing experience and the confidence to know I could deliver. Some of my best growth came from those “fake it till you make it” moments—saying yes before I was fully ready and figuring it out as I went.

The lesson here is that you’re ready, even if you don’t think you are. Apply for the job, even if you don’t meet every single requirement. Go after the client, even if you’ve never done it before. Put yourself out there. Send the email. Write the LinkedIn post. The only difference between you and the person doing what you want to do is that they already started. Confidence is key.

Degrees Don’t Guarantee Direction

Work experience has a way of clarifying your career path far faster than theory. I got paid to test-drive my career while others were still paying tuition for uncertainty. Don’t let anyone tell you that a degree is the key to success. If you’re not feeling it, get experience elsewhere. Do an internship, experiment with online courses, or just start building.

The quickest and easiest way to get started in marketing is to start building something on your own. Start an Instagram account and refine your strategy. Start writing and publish your own blog, or volunteer in a comms capacity for your favorite charity. It doesn’t have to be complicated; you just have to start.

No textbook taught me how to:

Negotiate contracts and rates.
Build resilience when a project failed.
Manage difficult clients and navigate workplace politics.

And let’s be real—the education system definitely didn’t teach me anything about entrepreneurship, or even something as basic as filing my taxes.

These lessons only come from experience. And often, it’s those street smarts that make the biggest difference in whether you sink or swim.

Real-world wins like landing a new client, paying my grocery bill with freelance income, or purchasing a house when my peers couldn’t boosted my confidence in a way grades never could. Over time, that confidence became my calling card. People trust doers, not just degree-holders. The lesson? Confidence compounds, and it comes from delivering, not a piece of paper.

Stand Your Ground: You Got This

Let’s be real: hustle culture has a bad rap. Everyone wants to graduate, get a 9–5, and start living the dream. While that would be nice, it’s not the reality. If you want to get ahead, you have to put in the work. And being an entrepreneur—whether that means running your own marketing agency or picking up a few freelance clients to cover expenses is one of the best ways to make it happen.

I bought a house on my own in my 20s that will be fully paid off in two years—but I’ve also spent a long time working 80-hour weeks. I go on two or three luxury vacations a year, but I work late and miss out on social gatherings when deadlines call. I eat out (a lot) and splurge on concert or hockey tickets for friends and family, but I take on an extra client or two to make it work.

If you want to live a life you love, you have to make sacrifices. Hustle culture gets a bad rap—but I wouldn’t be anywhere without it. I always tell anyone that asks that they can do exactly what I do, you just have to put in the work.

Is Hustle Culture key?

Let’s be real: hustle culture has a bad rap. Everyone wants to graduate, get a 9–5, and start living the dream. While that would be nice, it’s not the reality. If you want to get ahead, you have to put in the work. And being an entrepreneur—whether that means running your own marketing agency or picking up a few freelance clients to cover expenses is one of the best ways to make it happen.

I bought a house on my own in my 20s that will be fully paid off in two years—but I’ve also spent a long time working 80-hour weeks. I go on two or three luxury vacations a year, but I work late and miss out on social gatherings when deadlines call. I eat out (a lot) and splurge on concert or hockey tickets for friends and family, but I take on an extra client or two to make it work.

If you want to live a life you love, you have to make sacrifices. Hustle culture gets a bad rap—but I wouldn’t be anywhere without it. I always tell anyone that asks that they can do exactly what I do, you just have to put in the work.

The Payoff: Freedom & Options

Choosing experience over credentials has shaped my career in ways I never expected. While many of my peers were navigating student debt or waiting for the “right” role, I was able to build momentum earlier. That momentum gave me the flexibility to take risks, walk away from roles that weren’t the right fit, and start shaping the kind of career I actually wanted.

Here’s what that choice unlocked for me:

Financial stability earlier: Without the weight of student loans, I could reinvest in myself and take opportunities that might have felt too risky otherwise.
More control over my work: Building experience directly with clients gave me the leverage to choose projects and avoid situations that didn’t align with my goals.
Greater flexibility in life: From buying a home to traveling to splurging on friends and family, the foundation I built through this hustle created options I might not have had otherwise.

Experience often creates freedom faster than credentials. The earlier you step into the real world and start building; the sooner you create the leverage to shape your own path.

And here’s the part I wish more people understood: Freedom doesn’t come from a single big break—it’s built through small wins that stack over time. Every freelance project, every internship, every connection adds to your leverage.

I’m Not Anti Education- I’m Pro Learning

I want to be clear: I’m not anti-education, I’m pro-learning. The classroom is one way to grow, but it’s not the only way.

Some of my best education has come from outside traditional institutions. Courses, podcasts, mentors, communities, and even trial-and-error have all been part of my learning journey. And here’s the kicker: work experience actually taught me how to self-teach faster. Once you learn how to learn on your own, you can upskill at lightning speed.

The best skill I’ve ever developed is the ability to teach myself what I need, when I need it. That single ability has carried me further than any diploma ever could.

A degree may mark the end of formal education, but real growth comes from continuous learning. The people who thrive aren’t the ones who know the most on paper, they’re the ones who stay curious, keep adapting, and never stop teaching themselves.

Redefining Success

When I was in high school, university was presented as the only option. Guidance counsellors rarely mentioned college, trades, or work placements. If you didn’t choose university, you were dismissed.

I stumbled into a college program that gave me practical, money-making skills. That was enough to get started and the rest came from experience, persistence, and lifelong learning.

Eight years later, I’ve built a business I love, with financial freedom and professional growth I never thought possible back in high school. The takeaway? Degrees open some doors, but experience builds the confidence, resilience, and freedom to walk through them.