06/01/2026
For years, people were told to choose the ârightâ college major because it would determine their career options long term.
The problem is that the hiring market has changed significantly over the last 20 years.
According to research from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute, employers have increasingly moved toward skills-based hiring and have been removing degree requirements across many occupations.
In fact, a majority of U.S. job postings no longer list a formal education requirement.
This is one of the reasons I spend so much time teaching social workers how to identify transferable experience.
Many professionals are still making career decisions based on an older version of the job market where degrees carried more weight than demonstrated experience and skills.
Your degree still matters.
But for many roles, employers are also evaluating your ability to solve problems, manage projects, navigate systems, communicate effectively, and produce results.
Thatâs why Iâve seen clinical, school, and medical social workers successfully pivot into research, policy, philanthropy, corporate work, and consulting.
If youâre trying to understand what else you may qualify for beyond traditional roles, grab my free e-course through the link in my bio and macroandpaid.com