The inflation of degrees

You are considering changing careers, but a voice inside you holds you back: ‘I don’t have the qualifications’, ‘I don’t have the necessary experience’, ‘I’ll never be able to convince a recruiter’. These phrases, repeated silently, end up shaping a damaged self-image. However, this doubt is not a reflection of a real shortcoming. It is the product of a system: what sociologists call degree inflation.

The inflation of qualifications: a mechanism that raises requirements without reason.

Randall Collins, an American sociologist, has highlighted a subtle but fundamental phenomenon in modern societies: the higher the average level of education, the more employers demand it. Even when the skills required have not changed. This constant escalation transforms what was supposed to guarantee access to employment — qualifications — into yet another barrier. And this phenomenon is particularly pronounced in France, where the symbolic value of qualifications remains stronger than elsewhere, even in professions where experience should take precedence.

What you are feeling is not a personal weakness. It is a reaction to a dominant mindset that values standardised career paths more than real-world experience. You are not incompetent. You are being judged on criteria that say nothing about what you already know how to do.

When your skills are never recognised, you end up believing that they don’t matter.

This doubt is not merely intellectual. It is personal. It arises when you have learned on the job, exercised responsibilities without title, taken invisible initiatives. And when you have never been recognised for them. Over time, the lack of validation becomes an internalised disqualification.

Julie, a former cashier who became a care assistant, says: ‘I learned on the job. But since I don’t have a degree, I feel like I have to prove myself three times over… and sometimes I don’t even dare to apply.’

Marc, who is self-taught in IT, also shares his experience: ‘I know how to do it. I’ve done it before. But every time I read “bachelor’s degree required”, I close the page. It’s as if a voice inside me is saying, “don’t even think about it”.’

What you know how to do exists. But it is not written anywhere. So you start to believe that it is worthless. That is what the prevailing norm tells you, not what you are.

It is not you who needs to change, it is the way people see you.

The prevailing logic would have it that everyone should prove their worth through certifications, labels and standardised pathways. But this logic is running out of steam. More and more companies are realising that competence is not always academic. It can be experiential, self-taught, built up through action.

Changing careers does not mean being recognised by yesterday’s criteria. It means claiming what you have learned in other ways. And showing what it is worth. And seeking out places — human or professional — that are capable of recognising it.

What standard criteria fail to reveal, your spontaneous actions, desires, or mannerisms may. These often subtle characteristics can pave the way for a new career path. This is precisely what an aptitude test assesses: what you enjoy doing, even without formal qualifications, can become a catalyst for career change.

Three practical ways to add value to what you know how to do:

• Make a list of what you really know how to do, even if it is not written down anywhere.

• Ask someone who knows you well to tell you what they admire about the way you work.

• Identify a skill you have acquired without a formal qualification. Give it a name. Explain how you learned it.

What you know how to do exists. It just has never been valued by the right people. But that perception is changing. And the more you show what you know how to do differently, the more the framework opens up to other paths. You are no less valuable. You have just grown outside the box.

👉 Not sure where to start? Take our aptitude test to get your thoughts flowing on what gives you the most pleasure at work.