My experience is identical. I’ve worked for people with no degree, and, outside of my friend group, I have no idea of the formal credentials of most of my peers.
I’ve hired folks at all levels. Degrees are one data point among many when I decide to interview a candidate, rarely discussed when making a hiring decision, and _never_ a factor when making a promotion decision.
If considering formal education to unlock promotion, I would strongly suggest speaking with one or two people with recent, direct experience in the promotion process at your institution. Get familiar with the functional reality of the process (it’s usually more subjective than advertised), ask how credentials are used (they usually aren’t), then go from there.
I will say that I have required education as evidence of commitment when considering applicants who were looking to change careers (that is, I see you have had success in your current role, but go get a cert to demonstrate basic aptitude and show me you are serious about doing this). This was only relevant for the most junior, entry level positions.
As an aside, I’m currently pursuing a teaching credential through WGU, but I have zero expectation that it will provide additional income (quite the reverse!) Rather, I’m pursuing the credential as a forcing function to engage with topics outside of my professional experience, and to provide access to opportunities that are actually formally, legally gated by credentials (teaching in public school in California).
I’ve hired folks at all levels. Degrees are one data point among many when I decide to interview a candidate, rarely discussed when making a hiring decision, and _never_ a factor when making a promotion decision.
If considering formal education to unlock promotion, I would strongly suggest speaking with one or two people with recent, direct experience in the promotion process at your institution. Get familiar with the functional reality of the process (it’s usually more subjective than advertised), ask how credentials are used (they usually aren’t), then go from there.
I will say that I have required education as evidence of commitment when considering applicants who were looking to change careers (that is, I see you have had success in your current role, but go get a cert to demonstrate basic aptitude and show me you are serious about doing this). This was only relevant for the most junior, entry level positions.
As an aside, I’m currently pursuing a teaching credential through WGU, but I have zero expectation that it will provide additional income (quite the reverse!) Rather, I’m pursuing the credential as a forcing function to engage with topics outside of my professional experience, and to provide access to opportunities that are actually formally, legally gated by credentials (teaching in public school in California).