Could I lose my job?

Question

So… hope this all makes sense but.. I currently hold a title in HR/talent acquisition. When I applied for this position, it stated that a degree was required, but I took a long shot, applied anyway, not expecting to hear back. And was pleasantly surprised to move forward in about 4 different interviews and a selection day.. which took an entire day of meeting with different panels. I finally got a job offer, accepted and completed onboarding. No one ever stopped to mention the degree. During onboarding, it asked me for my hs diploma and degree and I uploaded my diploma only and kept it moving. Well, long story short, I have years of experience in my field, and my coworker had none. We started within 2 weeks of each other and they started us at the same salary. Today, she asked me if I hold a bachelors, and I was like no, why? And Shes like because i swore it was a requirement. And then Shes like well they’re gonna have to pay me more money. I told her that I’m sure we both started with entry level salary for different reasons. Me for not having a degree and her for not having ANY experience. Now, I feel thrown off like she’s going to mention me not having a degree in order to justify a raise, but.. could I get fired or get in trouble for not having it? I did notice that I’m the only one on the team without my degree, though I was in school when I started the job, I have since stopped. I make a 55k salary now, which is pretty decent for not having a degree. But now i feel worried. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

They already know you don't have a degree, and they hired you anyway. So you're good.

Answer

Did they do a background check? If so your educational history would be part of that.  They also hired you knowing you didn't have one so you're probably fine.

Answer

They know you don’t have a degree. Many jobs take experience in place of a degree as a base requirement. The only time I’ve seen it become an issue is that at a certain point, you can’t keep getting promotions without the degree. In my field, that cap is typically a masters or PhD.

Answer

I feel they in good faith thought you had a degree. That's why they asked you to upload it during onboarding. Again in good faith they might not have checked what you uploaded. If it was required they could fire you, yes.

Answer

I’d start at least one online class so if you are asked, you can say “I’m currently in school and working towards a degree.” 
But yes, they can fire you. My last boss was fired because the job required a bachelors degree but she had like 20 years experience so they hired her giving her  years to complete the degree requirement. She only took a few courses and quit and they eventually let her go.

Answer

most likely your coworker read “preferred” not “required”. sometimes experience is enough for companies to hire you not bc you completed 4 years of education. 
i wouldn’t stress it. if it was a requirement, you would’ve had been hired to begin with. you coworker is just salty lmao

Answer

I will also say i did know someone who got hired for a position that required a masters degree and they found out she didnt hv it months into the job. How that happened…, not sure. But they tried to put her into another position that didnt require it. It was strange because i think it was group therapy related or something which u wouldve thought theyd check for credentials.

Answer

they can fire you for anything. so the answer is yes.
however, they already know you don’t hold a degree and it’s really none of your coworkers business. i would be speaking w leadership about her behavior cause this shit is inappropriate af.

Answer

Yes you very well could be fired for lying. It happened to someone my husband worked with. However, you need to determine if the degree was required or preferred. If it was preferred than it wouldn't matter. But if someone found out and was like oh my God I completely forgot to get a copy of your diploma... Do you have that? And you say no.. You could get in trouble or fired. They may not care or they may care a whole lot

Answer

I mean i would think they would know. You usually have to put it on application or resume if required. I even had to submit a transcript once. Whoever hired you… thats there job. Also sometimes a certain amount of years of experience can replace degree requirements.

Could I lose my job?

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