Diplomas – Are They Still Necessary for a Successful Career?

Are you finishing school and your parents are urging you to apply to a university or college without delay because a successful career is impossible without higher education? If that situation sounds familiar, there’s good news for both you and your loved ones. Experts believe that in today’s job market, a diploma is necessary only for specific professions where academic knowledge is essential.

“If your dream is to become a doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, or pilot, then it’s unlikely you’ll be able to climb the career ladder without higher education. However, if you envision your future in other fields, the most important thing is being able to perform work-related tasks and having a strong desire to learn and grow,” says Evelina Latyšovič, Head of Business Operations at the Lithuanian division of the global HR solutions company ManpowerGroup.

She notes that in the past, employers had higher education requirements because the job market favored them. Today, things have changed – according to ManpowerGroup data, 71% of global employers struggle to find the right talent.

“Employers searching for new specialists are increasingly dropping requirements for a university or college degree,” Latyšovič observes.

In Lithuania, a diploma is usually not essential for professionals working in HR, marketing, communications, and similar humanities or social science fields. Globally, the market is even more liberal – even in manufacturing, non-clinical healthcare, IT, education, and finance sectors, a diploma is often considered a bonus rather than a necessity.

“Employers now prioritize filling positions quickly and evaluating a candidate’s skills over whether they have a diploma. Diplomas lying in drawers or hanging on walls, unfortunately, don’t complete tasks,” adds Latyšovič.

Giedrė Bielskytė, Head of HR at LW Group (a global trade and logistics solutions company), agrees: while the company does require employees to have at least a secondary education, it focuses more on candidates’ competencies and motivation to learn and grow.

“There are no other multimodal freight companies in Lithuania, so we understand we’ll need to ‘grow’ many of our specialists internally. The most important thing is for future employees to be passionate and motivated to grow with us. We are open to candidates with diplomas in fields unrelated to the positions they’re applying for, and we hire students as assistants or for similar roles,” Bielskytė explains.

Mindaugas Liaudanskas, CEO of investment management firm Capitalica Asset Management, says climbing the career ladder depends more on knowledge and experience than on having a diploma. “A diploma only proves that a person has successfully completed a learning and effort-intensive phase.”

“We expect both theoretical and practical knowledge from potential and current employees in their specific field. For career growth, communication skills, socialization, and understanding human behavior are crucial. After all, all businesses are built in teams. Effective communication helps career development,” Liaudanskas emphasizes.

Learning for Life

Still, there are professions where higher education is non-negotiable. One such profession is law.

“To pursue a successful legal career in Lithuania, a Master’s degree in law is essential. It’s not just a formality – it’s often a deepening of knowledge in a specialized area like commercial, labor, or criminal law. It also shows a person’s motivation and desire to specialize,” says Jolanta Diaukštienė, HR Manager at the law firm COBALT.

She adds that to become a lawyer, it’s not enough to have a Master’s degree – passing the bar exam is also required: “That’s another crucial ‘diploma’ or certification that grants the right to represent clients in court and work independently.”

Still, according to Diaukštienė, diplomas alone aren’t enough for a successful legal career – ongoing development of both professional and personal skills is a must.

“Critical thinking, data analysis, strong communication, responsibility, reliability, learning ability, and adaptability to changing legal systems – these are just a few of the qualities needed for a successful legal career,” she explains.

Winning by Seeking Talent, Not Degrees

In the U.S., 62% of workers don’t have a higher education degree. Yet one in five of them earns about $70,000 per year – more than their degree-holding counterparts, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

“Employers who focus on talent instead of diplomas win in the market. They find the right employees faster, who often have more practical skills that can be immediately applied at work,” says Latyšovič.

She adds that some hiring managers still assume that people with degrees have better general competencies, like clearer verbal and written communication, time management, and task completion skills.

“But that mindset isn’t always accurate. These skills can also be developed in lower-skilled jobs, training, volunteering, or other activities. Every case is individual, and we always recommend that employers evaluate a candidate’s skills and experience, not just the presence or absence of a diploma,” Latyšovič notes.

Transferable Skills and Career Shifts

Another reason why diplomas are becoming less relevant in certain fields is the increasing trend of people switching career paths and transferring their existing skills.

“Can someone who worked for years as an engineer become a successful HR recruiter? Absolutely. Skill transfer to a different field is common abroad and is becoming more accepted in Lithuania. For example, an engineer transitioning to recruitment could thrive by specializing in recruiting for engineering roles – their domain-specific knowledge would be highly valued,” says Latyšovič.

There are also more and more professions in Lithuania for which higher education institutions don’t yet offer training. One example is e-commerce: “Specialists like Amazon account managers or Shopify (Liquid/Ruby) developers often don’t need a diploma – they gain specific skills on their own and successfully compete in the job market.”