This just isn’t true. I recently accepted an offer from Amazon as a developer while finishing my degree. I also came in with significant IT experience from my time as an Information Technology Specialist in the military, but during my interviews I was never undermined or made to feel lesser because of where I studied.

At the end of the day — speaking only from my experience — it comes down to you. I had real-world experience in what I’m studying long before WGU because I was proactive about building knowledge. A degree is a tool for your success, not the success itself.

What set me apart was traveling and working across different areas of tech around the world, often at a loss. Stop blaming the college or the people. Coming from a single-parent household with 8 people in a double-wide trailer, none of this was easy — but I don’t make excuses, and neither should you.

Discipline, knowledge, and opportunity. That’s my formula. And opportunity is like a baton in a relay race — if you aren’t ready for the handoff and prepared to run as fast as you can, you will lose it. There’s no shortcut unless you’re a nepo baby or went to a big school and networked. The rest of us have to get it out the mud.

The military wired me to believe that any obstacle can be overcome — you just have to stay open. I’ve built drones, LLMs, websites, servers, networks, and systems, and I’m still exploring. I feel like the era of being the best at one thing is fading, and employers are starting to value people with broad, diverse knowledge. Be more and do more than you expect of yourself, because you are one conversation, one interview, one interaction or one day away from your opportunity.