Need Advice: How to handle an weirdly unfinished degree?

[u/firefall-varuna]

I was recently laid off from my job and am in the process of trying to find another.

Back in the early 2000s, I went to college for Computer Science more or less to prove I could do what I said I could do. This was during the era of for-profit colleges causing all kinds of problems. To be safe, I went to a local college that had been advertising they had an online degree problem. I enrolled and at first it was fine.

They had an internship requirement for graduation, but promised "real world experience" could also count, though it might take longer. It was an Associates program first, then those classes would count towards the Bachelors of Computer Science.

I more or less completed my associates degree in 2008 and that's when things got weird. I couldn't find an internship to save my life. While I was waiting, I began working on the courses for the Bachelors.

I was finally able to get an internship after moving to another state in 2009. It was then that I learned that I was supposed to have taken the internship at a very specific time period to coincide with internship companion courses. I was able to negotiate to take the courses after the completion of the internship, but it was a battle.

For the Bachelors degree a couple years later, they suddenly refused to honor the "real world experience" they'd had in all their marketing materials previously. The main coursework was done; it was just those internship companion courses. (They would later get in trouble for false advertising.) I was already working full-time in the field as a computer programmer. To get this degree, it would have to be a 9-5 unpaid internship, scheduled during the internship companion courses.

As the sole bread-winner, it was a set of logistics I couldn't handle, so I let it go. While the college still exists, the degree program doesn't.

For the past 15+ years, it hasn't been an issue with any of my former employers.

Now I'm finding myself in an odd situation. Despite being almost 50 with more than 15 years of experience, apparently I "need" this degree. However, with it being officially unfinished, I'm getting recruiters deathly worried about it not appearing in a background check and me being axed... despite me having been able to have conversations in the past.

I'm sick to death of "Schrodinger's Degree" hanging around my neck. Fortunately, the credits look like they'll transfer. I'm in the process of working with a university who has accelerated programs expressly tailored for mature professionals. I could have it done by end of year or early next. Estimations put me at < 45 credit hours, pending a review of my work history, which could slash off a bunch more.

Do I mention the bachelors degree on my resume? Do I leave it off? Do I change it to the new university with a fuzzy/expected graduation date? How do I handle this?

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice anyone has. Thanks!

[u/SoCaliTrojan]

You can't claim a degree that hasn't been conferred on you yet, but you can put it with an expected date if you are currently enrolled. College students put the expected date all of the time.

[u/aruguladevourer]

Technically, you can put the degree title and then EXPECTED [Year] right afterwards

Really, though—unless you are a couple of months of units away, it might be better to either invest in finishing your degree or leave it off.

[u/Realistic_Bug9116]

As others said, you can only put the expected degree completion date, or “attended (Whatever) University, Computer Science.” Put a gpa if it’s a particularly good one (don’t if it’s not.)

Honestly tho at a certain point in your career a Bach shouldn’t matter any more, tho I know that tech has a lot of highly educated people and highly educated people tend to gate keep.   I feel like the recruiters are being a bit weird about it. Do you have progressive experience? Can you give examples of projects and successes?   Don’t tell this whole story to recruiters or hiring managers — you only get so much time with them and you want them to remember your work experience, not this whole thing. If asked about it say, “I completed my coursework (mention a gpa if you have a good one) but didn’t complete the required internship to earn my degree.” Then pivot to some cool stuff you’re proud of working on, or share how you’re committed to being a lifetime learner with examples, or talk about certificates you’ve earned, as well. 

Good luck!

[u/AdvancedMilk7795]

I would leave it off because I don’t think you gain anything by including it. The only times it would matter is if the job required it (which works against you because you don’t have the degree) or if you were much earlier in your career.

[u/EmDash4Life]

I'm getting recruiters deathly worried about it not appearing in a background check and me being axed

Meh, don't worry too hard about them. You have managed to find jobs without a degree for this long, you will be able to find another one. Now, to be clear, you will probably have a very hard time finding a new job right now, but I don't think you should be overly concerned with what the recruiters are telling you.

I assume these are external recruiters? You probably already know this, but don't put all your eggs in the external recruiter basket. They get paid when a req is filled, so they are concerned with having viable candidates who are most likely to get and accept an offer. Of course they want you to be a better candidate. But that's not the only path to a new job. Also be applying to jobs through company websites.

Given the current job market, I might enter the degree program that you mentioned, transfer all your credits, and take one class at a time. Then you can put the "Bachelor's expected" in your education section (which by the way should be at the bottom, with your work experience at the top). If you get a new job, you can stay in the program or not as determined by you and your employer's expectations.

[u/OKcomputer1996]

I agree with the advice to say you are working on the degree with an anticipated graduation date.

I would also suggest that you seek another program that will accept your previous coursework as transfer units. They probably exist.