No Degree Required

Last year during a guest lecture at The New School I said that while I think having a great college on your resume is important, as a designer it’s the work that matters most.

During the question and answer session, a teacher raised his hand and said, “I’m skeptical. I find it hard to believe that you would actually hire a designer who didn’t have a college degree of some sort.”

So, I told him and the rest of the audience a true story…

Several years ago I interviewed a designer who had a terrific portfolio. At some point during the interview, his education came up. It was pretty obvious from some other facts that he hadn’t attended university. Finally, after being pressed, he admitted that he didn’t go to college at all, but figured I wouldn’t interview him if he didn’t have a degree.

First, I told him that if he was going to lie, make the lie plausible. Don’t put one of the best design schools on your resume when it’s so easy to verify.

Next, I asked him how he’d come to be a designer in the first place. He told me that living and working in New York, he saw terrific, inspiring design all around, and he figured he could do it as well. So he learned the software, read a lot of books, exposed himself to a lot of great work, and started designing things himself. At first, it was small stuff, but over time he built quite a nice portfolio.

At this point I said, “That is a far more interesting story to me, far more compelling, and tells me far more about your character and your desire to be a designer than what school you went to. This isn’t rocket science or surgery; a design education can happen outside the classroom.”

Of course, he asked if I’d still consider him for the job. I told him that was impossible; I can hire someone without a college degree, but I can’t hire someone who would misrepresent himself so blatantly during an interview.

After telling this story, the teacher again piped up. “So, you’re saying you’d actually hire a designer without a college degree? Seriously?”

I said, “There are things that you can teach your students in a more structured environment, and perhaps at a more accelerated pace, than they can learn on their own. But you should never underestimate the power of a self-motivated learner. And, yes, I would have hired that designer that day, if he hadn’t lied to me.”

Education is great, but nothing compares to a curious mind.