If you know me or read my previous post about education you know I don't have a bachelor's degree and somehow managed to stay employed in India. Not having a degree or dropping out of college is still a taboo and mostly associated with incompetence in lots of Indian IT companies.

I somehow managed to get a job and stay in the job for 10 years. But there are lot of instances where I felt discriminated due to my educational status in multiple places. I've heard the light fade from recruiter's voice and also have seen people's face light up in surprise when they learn that I don't have a degree.

Finally I managed to get a BCA degree from the University of Madras through distance education. I passed out on 2018 and cleared my arrears in 2020, but just got my degree certificates today after multiple visits. I thought it wouldn't make any difference to me, but I do feel very happy after getting this degree. Now I'm not limited to pursue a lot of other education, post graduation, etc.

It is interesting that I did not feel this happiness when I actually passed the degree 4 years ago. The actual process of getting a degree is done but getting a paper from the university acknowledging that is what made me happy. A good chance to ponder about the philosophy of human feelings, but I take a pass here.

As much as I'm happy, this is not going to make any significant difference in my future job prospects. Indian companies still differentiate between a full time degree, distance education, and online programme. Most job descriptions mandate a 15 years of full-time education as a requirement. The companies that would hire me now would hire me even without this degree. So nothing's lost and nothing has gained.

Nevertheless, I feel this is a personal improvement and I am thinking of pursuing further education either in computer science or in corporate or criminal law. It is just a thought now, let's see where it takes me.