You Can Put Your College Credits to Use (Even If You Didn't Graduate)

Going to college and getting a degree used to be a pretty common goal. For a long time, a bachelor's degree of some sort was seen as a necessary precursor to a good career and financial stability. In recent years, though, that's begun to change--between the steep cost of earning that degree, the current confusing mess in the student loan world, and a perceived lack of return on the investment, a lot of folks are thinking twice about going to college.

That helps explain the 40 million or so people who have attended some college but not earned a degree. These folks have college credits (sometimes a lot of college credits), but they never completed a degree program at their school for one reason or another. If that's you, those college credits might seem useless--but they're not. You paid and worked for those credits, so you might as well get something out of them. Here's how you can get something out of those incomplete college credits.

Finish up your degree, even if it's been awhile

The most obvious thing to do is to go back and finish that degree, especially if you earned your credits relatively recently and you're pretty close--but people have gone back to school after decades and finished degrees, so the time factor isn't crucial. Going back to your original program will be the easiest way to finish your degree, but you can also transfer your credits somewhere else. There's also no time limit, really, so you can proceed at your own pace--take a single course every semester, for example, and keep working while you do. These days there are also a lot of options for online college programs offering asynchronous classes you can work on from home on your own schedule.

How to get retroactive credentialing

If you don't have the time, resources, or desire to actually finish that degree, your credits may still get you something via what's known as retroactive credentialing or reverse transfer. This involves auditing the credits you've earned and mapping them onto some sort of a credential--a two-year associate of arts degree, for example. This practice, which is gaining support in state governments and academic circles around the country, acknowledges a basic fact about college credits: You did the work, and if you did enough work to qualify for a credential of some sort, you should get one. Many states have joined the Project Win-Win and Credit When It's Due programs, which aim to streamline this process and make it easier for former students to reverse transfer their credits and get a credential.

Pad your resume with relevant college coursework

If you're not interested (or able) to finish your degree or seek an alternative credential with your college credits, they can still be valuable to your career. While many employers still prefer or require a degree, a lot of businesses are increasingly open to hiring people with alternative experience. If you have college credits that hit specific sweet spots in a job listing, you can (and should) explicitly list them on your resume and/or application.

One way to do this is to bring the "education" section of your resume from the bottom to a more prominent position. Then, break out the specific courses and credits earned that are applicable to the position you're trying for. It's better to be specific here; no one is impressed that you have 150 credits and no degree, but having 12 very specific credits in courses that taught relevant skills demonstrates knowledge. If you completed projects for some of your courses, you can list those, too. Many employers will be willing to see those credits as experience and training that will make you a more attractive candidate for the job. In the actual application for the job, look for opportunities to highlight these credits and projects as well.

Just because you didn't complete the requirements for a degree doesn't mean you didn't learn valuable skills and absorb priceless knowledge. Whether it's an alternative degree or a resume boost to get your application noticed, those incomplete credits are still worth something.