Anyone can become successful outside the college walls; after all, most of what you go to read our hypotheses documented by someone who happened to come across it first, which is then passed down to upcoming generations as knowledge.

We can see how this has limited the thinking capacity of man, boxed them into a small field, leaving the world filled with problems.

Anyone can become successful with or without a college degree the most successful people on the face of the earth did not have a college degree.

1. Invest in yourself.

The best way to get started in life without getting a college degree is to invest in yourself, and one way to do this is to acquire soft skills that can be monetised.

Nowadays, things have become more accessible because technology has become more viable than ever; fields in IT such as Web developers, and Digital marketing, have become high in demand with attractive compensations attached to them.

The good news is that you don’t need a college degree to get started; just anyone with the right state of mind accompanied by dedicated self-tutoring and mentorship can kickstart a career in tech.

Another option available is content creation; we have seen various individuals who built a massive following on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram and can monetise them by creating content.

2. Try out careers that don’t require degrees.

When attempting to succeed without a college degree, you often get offers for menial jobs that require no qualification; sometimes, these jobs are often derogatory and offer you a small paycheck.

Are you seeking a high-paying job but don’t want to invest in a four-year or graduate degree? You don’t need to have a college degree to get a good job.

A new kind of job emphasises skills over education and work experience.

These jobs are known as middle-skill jobs because they do not necessarily require a four-year college degree (or an extensive work history).

Often, anyone can get the skills they need for the job through vocational training, a certificate program, an apprenticeship, or a two-year degree program.

Anyone can get started with this career and get paid well; all you need is to prove that you know the job.

3. Learn how to sell and negotiate.

Like I always tell people, the world is a marketplace, and it’s either you are sold to, or you sell to others.

Like a football pitch, there are two kinds of people, the spectator and the performers; one gets value, while the other gets entertained.

You have to decide where you want to be; those who become celebrated in life are sales-oriented and have been able to convince many people to buy from them.

Learning to be a good salesperson is essential because it improves your listening skills.

You become a much better communicator who is critical in all aspects of life. It’s not just about selling a product for your job or company.

When you’re in a sales role, every person you speak with will be different. So as you have those conversations, you’ll learn about your communication style and see where you need to improve and learn to communicate with various people.

Selling is a skill that everyone should learn; sales are everything; as said earlier, it’s either you are selling or sold to.

There are various ways to acquire skills in sales; it all starts with understanding human psychology and is accompanied by the use of technology such as social media, search engine optimisation and many more.

4. Expand your network.

Starting life without a degree causes so many things to happen to you, one of which involves the kind of connection you already have.

You did not go to school for one reason or the other; bear in mind that it will impact your existing network.

The secret to networking is not to attend a networking event and pass out as many business cards as possible.

It’s not meeting as many people as possible in hopes something will work out. Instead, you need to concentrate on the people you know will be able to make a difference in your career.

It would help if you built relationships with people in the same industry as you. Also, you don’t always have to gain something in a networking relationship.

In networking situations, people expect you to ask them for help. If you turn that around and offer some support, your networking partner will be grateful and want to return the favour.

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are tools that you can use to connect personally to different people in your industry.

5. Find a mentor.

To be successful in life, you need to link up with someone who has done what you intend to do now.

A mentor acts as an advisor and support person for someone less experienced.

Traditionally, the association is between an older team member and a younger one for career and business development.

When trying to figure things out on your own, you tend to make lots of mistakes, and without feedback, you become frustrated.

For that reason, having a mentor who’s both an objective third party and an advocate for your growth and development is crucial.

Mentorships can develop leadership skills such as listening, compassion and giving and receiving feedback. Participants develop these skills by using them in the relationship. These soft skills are essential for career success.

Without goals, a mentee has no direction and no plan to get where they want to go. A mentor helps keep them on track and responsible for reaching their goals. In addition, it provides the motivation needed for mentees to work at attaining their goals.

Along with developing leadership skills, having a mentor to advise and guide you can increase your confidence and help develop problem-solving skills.

6. Read, read and become well-read.

You have to figure out when you want to be successful; even after acquiring a college degree, you still have to figure out those things yourself.

There is no other way to figure out these things without becoming an addictive reader of books.

One of the most obvious benefits of reading every day is learning.

Since the beginning of civilisation, we have grown and developed mentally.

The importance of reading books is now more than ever since. But unfortunately, not everything is available in digitalised form.

If you are not convinced about why reading books is essential, this might interest you.

When you develop the habit of reading, you enhance your vocabulary. Reading any book can improve your speech to an impressive extent.

Having excellent command over the language is known to help many in their professional and academic life.

Moreover, with better vocabulary knowledge, you get to fill yourself with self-confidence when sitting in a group with a knowledgeable audience.

And unlike a YouTube video or podcast, books provide access to in-depth knowledge.

Success-driven books such as Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hills).

7. Leverage the power of the internet.

The internet holds a wealth of information and unending opportunities for everyone to access; you can be in an underdeveloped country and still have access to such opportunities.

The evolution of the internet was dramatic and continues to evolve, with more people spending more time on the internet every year.

Levering the internet for your business and career is no longer an inexpensive option to reach a highly targeted customer base but a necessity for businesses of all sizes and market niches.

With the combination of traditional marketing efforts with newer digital marketing options in the right way, any business optimises performance.

A website can also serve as a great marketing tool. It gives you a platform to showcase knowledge in your niche, allowing you to become an expert and an advantage over the competition.

A website will also allow you to educate your visitors on your products and services and build a reputation for your business.

8. Get a certification.

Certificate programs are short-term training programs that often take less time than a degree; you can earn some certificates in as little time as a couple of weeks or a month.

They also tend to cost less money; some even come for free. Certificate programs can help you develop the skills and experiences necessary for a particular job.

Certifications provide people with the proper knowledge and skills to land a job. As a result, employers increasingly demand professional accreditation and a degree from college graduates.

Also, more certified professionals with only a high school diploma are entering the job market and successfully filling the need for skilled labour in high-income industries like IT and other industries that require skilled labour.

Most certifications are in-depth and niche-specific. All of the attention is on one field, and so is what you learn; this makes certification more effective than getting an actual college degree.

Conclusion.

Somehow, most people had fallen for the conditioning that you cannot succeed without a university degree.

This has been proven wrong by the high level of successful people today, with the majority without a college degree. Generally speaking, many people who go to school are literate but not educated.

Both are two different things. Education means to train and to mould. If we are to take it a step further, it is the process of knowing yourself and your environment.

If everyone who went to school were educated, we would have fewer people in the global labour market today.

Finally, like I always say, it takes courage to conquer the world, you can't sit in your comfort zone and expect the world to bow at your feet.

You have to make moves too. I challenge you not to be discouraged and take the bull by the horn; success is yours for the taking.