Hi, I’m Cate. I currently serve on the leadership team of a large Public company in South Africa. Prior to this, I held senior positions in advertising agencies both locally and globally and also ran my own consultancy.
I also do not have a degree.
For many of us applied research and self learning equally gathers substantial data earning us a Professional hustling Degree (PhD). Now I’m not saying that we should all skip the tertiary education stage. A degree is still a fundamental building block to success. However, if you have neither the time nor the means to get a tertiary education, I assure you all is not lost.
I landed my first corporate job at 19, fresh out of Matric and working as a waitress in Johannesburg. I happened to serve the CEO of a small marketing company and he offered me a job that very night. Looking back, I believe it was my confidence and attention to detail that impressed him. At this point, I was supposed to be on a ‘gap year’, trying to figure out who I was and where I wanted to study. Well, it’s safe to stay that I never did land up studying (in the traditional sense), however everything I know today has been learnt through 16 years of hard slog, experience (both good and bad) and a lot of self-teaching.
From my very first day at my very first job, I was always the hardest worker. I was first to arrive in the morning and last to leave at night. I was a bonified pain in the bum and asked my superiors question after question after question, leaving no stone unturned. I craved detail and understanding, anything that would help me complete my tasks to perfection and to advance my career. Soon, I had been promoted several times and elevated myself to one of the more senior positions in the company. I was 22 at this point.
No degree, three years of experience and not a single connection abroad, I decided I wanted to live and work in London. I had a small amount of savings and a large amount of faith and confidence. I spent hours researching where I wanted to live and where I wanted to work and then emailed a recruiter and told her why I was the right person for the job I had my eye on. I really wasn’t the right person, if I’m honest. I interviewed up against 12 other candidates who, I am sure had more experience and a better education than I did. But they didn’t have my grit. They hadn’t done the hours and hours of interview prep and put together a presentation that would eventually land me the job. I worked at that company in London for 4 years before returning home to South Africa and am proud to say that some of the marketing campaign templates I built in London in 2011, are still used today, ten years later.
Today I am 35. I have won a local award for marketing strategy, run my own business and now serve on the leadership team of a public company that I believe in with all of my heart and soul.
How did I get here? I believed in myself. I played to my strengths. I asked for help. I worked harder than the rest. I was and still am, addicted to upskilling myself.
The lesson? Don’t let anything stand in the way of achieving your dreams. An education is only one piece of a very big pie that makes a successful business person. Work hard, work smart. Believe in yourself. Learn. Pay attention to detail. Go the extra mile. Hustle. Take chances. Empower yourself. Do a short course. Watch a Ted Talk a day. Network. Read, read and then read some more.
