Welcome back to the Stay Relevant advice column, where we answer readers’ burning questions about their careers and how thrive in a fast-changing workplace.
Candace Moody, a career coach and writer with more than 30 years of experience, offers insight into what’s bothering you and what might be keeping you stuck.
Send your questions to candace@candacemoody.com
Dear Stay Relevant:
I’m a professional in my mid-thirties, and I know I have at least 25-30 years of working ahead of me. Frankly, that feels a bit scary – trying to predict trends that I can stay on top of to stay relevant. My company isn’t very good about encouraging professional development, so I’m thinking I’ll have to figure it out for myself.
The other day, I got into a discussion with a friend in another field who said that credentials are meaningless. They claimed that experience and talent are what matters, and I should focus on ways to demonstrate mine. But credentials feel like a safer way to prove I have skills.
What do you think?
Stuck Between an MBA and a Hard Place
Dear Stuck:
I have had this discussion from friends of mine, as well, and both sides have merit.
On the one hand, having a degree, certification, or credential gets you opportunities you might not have a shot at without them. I happen to think that screening people out for not having a specific credential (except in the cases where licensing is required) is just easier for most recruiters, not more effective.
The other issue with degrees such as a business undergrad degree or an MBA is that when everybody has one, they lose their value in the marketplace. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a study based on a survey of more than 600 corporate recruiters by the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit association of 228 business schools, shows the starting median salary for Master of Business Administration degree holders this year is projected to fall to $120,000, from $125,000 in 2025.
Demand for the degree is also dropping. According to the same article, “this year, over a third of employers surveyed said they planned to hire more M.B.A.s than last year. In 2025, only 13% of employers surveyed ended up hiring more M.B.A.s than they had the prior year.”
In Stay Relevant, Chris and I talk about the idea of knowledge versus learning. Certifications are proof that you have knowledge. You’ve studied and passed exams. Some people rely on that factor more than others when they make hiring decisions (both professional and personal.)
But holding a degree or certification doesn’t guarantee that someone has the ability to apply their knowledge to new situations or challenges they’ve not faced before, or that they have the talent to innovate. In other words, to learn in the real world.
My personal bias is to lean toward demonstrated skills in addition to certifications or degrees. I have an MBA, and everything I learned in classrooms was based on theory. If I had started a job in a new company right after graduation, I’d still have to learn everything about my job starting from scratch.
Finding the right balance for your industry and your career might mean getting a degree or certification and building a portfolio of projects you can use to demonstrate your talent and skills. That could look like consulting or gigs on the side, or volunteering to take on projects at your current company. If you do either, be sure to document your processes, the details of the problem you solved, and the details of your solution, along with lessons learned.
In the end, every hiring manager wants to find someone who can do things, solve problems, and continue learning throughout their career. That’s how you stay relevant for the next 30 years.
Best Wishes – Candace
