Editor’s note: Every week we ship an email newsletter featuring the region’s most exciting career opportunities. We’ve lovingly called it This Week in Jobs (aka TWIJ — “twidge” — here at Technical.ly HQ). Below is this week’s edition. Here’s the last one we published on the site; it’s meant to live in your inbox.
Sign up for the newsletter here.
A key part of growing up was being reminded over and over (and over and over and over) that you’d “never get a job if you don’t get a degree!”
And yes, a college degree is incredibly important in lots of cases. Do we want to find out our surgeon didn’t finish med school moments before they dive into our chest with a scalpel? Nope!
But considering it’s not totally implausible that your boss (or surgeon!) could be an actual robot one day, it’s safe to say the rules are changing. Not every employer is looking to check the boxes on a cookie cutter resume. In fact, your self-made chops and scrappy, driven attitude might be just what the doctor ordered for landing a tech career in 2019.
That said, we’re dedicating this edition of This Week in Jobs to job seekers sans degrees. And to get even fancier, we’re going to flip the script of our typical newsletter format and open with a Hot Tip! That’s right, we’re gettin’ wild.
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Hot Tip!
As promised a mere sentence ago, here are some wise, inspiring words from serial tech CEO Bob Moul. He’s currently serving as COO of Edmunds & Associates, Inc, an ERP software provider for local governments, though others in the mid-Atlantic will know him for leading cloud software company Boomi to a 2010 exit to Dell:
“I’ve been a hiring manager in tech for three decades and I can tell you honestly I don’t care about the lack of a college degree. I didn’t have one either.
Here’s what I actually look for:
- Work ethic and grit. You’re driven with a ton of heart. You’re gonna come in earlier, stay later and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
- Willingness to take feedback and learn quickly. You’re the type of person who gobbles up feedback and asks for more. You actually ask for the hard jobs because you know you will learn more and learn faster.
- The ability to work with others. You are confident but not arrogant. You have conviction in your own views, but are also open to hearing and building on the views of others. Most of what we do is a team sport. You’ve gotta be able to get along and work well with others.”
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“Degree not required” jobs:
Alright, folks. Pop open a bottle of champy* and get ready to celebrate, because here they are: a list of careers at some of the Mid-Atlantic’s best tech shops that have released the chains of needing a BS/BA!
*Oh, real quick, another hot tip! Wait until after you apply to start drinking.
- Linode is one of the first and largest open-source-focused cloud hosting providers that lives for Linux and lives in what used to be the home of “The Real World: Philadelphia.” Don’t worry, Linode did some glam renovations that rid the building of any residual drama. Here’s a few great roles that don’t require a degree:
- Also in Old City, lives Weblinc, a software company with a punk aesthetic and a core product called WorkArea, a proprietary software platform for ecommerce retailers to customize and manage their websites. Here’s a no-degree-required gig:
- Deacom lives out in the rolling hills of Chesterbrook, Pa., where employees build ERP Software. Deacom has been growing rapidly and looks for candidates with diverse skill sets and backgrounds, specifically keeping job requirements lean to attract eclectic, enthusiastic people — so don’t get caught up when it says “requirements: a degree in whatever.” They just want to see your passion for coding!
- Zivtech is a Center City-based, full-service web design and development agency using powerful open source software and cloud services. Cool fact: “Ziv” is the Hebrew term that translates to the light that comes from a candle. So here you have it, two career opps and something impressive to say in your interview!
- Baltimore’s Catalyte — a software engineering services firm that helps Fortune 1000 companies like Under Armor build and create digital products and services — offers a unique career track that uses predictive analytics to identify candidates with the aptitude to become software developers, regardless of their background. It doesn’t matter if your only experience is serving tea in a cat cafe, if you’ve got the passion and the aptitude to pass an initial two-hour online evaluation, Catalyte will train you for free (with the intention that you’ll turn into a full-time hire).
- Learn more about the Software Training Program
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News that’s kind of a big deal (a $600 deal)
If you’re still building up your technical skill sets, consider attending Thinkful, an online coding bootcamp for students of all backgrounds with an interest in tech. And thank your lucky stars if you’ve read down this far, because Thinkful is offering Technical.ly readers $600 off its courses! The bootcamp offers a range of courses, one-on-one mentorship with experts and career services that extend six months beyond program completion to help students land a job.
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Upcoming IRL career events
Technical.ly’s curated tech jobs fair NET/WORK is coming up soon! We build a no-pressure environment where employers and attendees can interact and get to know one another. Pant suits and ties are optional and conversations that dig deep are encouraged:
- NET/WORK Philly goes down Feb. 26 at The Fillmore Philadelphia. To RSVP, click here.
- NET/WORK Baltimore is happening March 14 at Thumel Business Center of the University of Baltimore. To RSVP, click here.
- NET/WORK Delaware will take place March 20 at CSC. To RSVP, click here.
- NET/WORK DC will happen on March 27 at Alley powered by Verizon. To RSVP, click here.
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COMING SOON: Icon Alert!
Get to know this lil’ guy, because you’ll find him on our jobs board in a couple weeks: 
He’s designed to help you identify degree-free roles, so you don’t have to cross your fingers and hold your breath as you read through each job link to see if it’s a fit. Also note that moving forward, we’ll continue to create and utilize handy little icons for other specialty roles to make the job hunt that much easier. Because we love you.
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The rest
We hope this special edition was helpful for anyone seeking a tech career without a degree. There are so many possibilities out there for you — and they’re only growing.
Keep in mind, you can catch up on all job openings at this link 24/7!
Happy job hunting, friends.
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