The Path I Took and the Women We Overlook
A personal reflection on work, worth, and the women whose paths don’t fit the mold
When I was a young adult, I wanted what most people want: a stable job that would allow me to grow and provide for my family. I tried college right after high school, but it wasn’t the right fit for me. So I did what many people do: I entered the workforce, ready to learn anything I could.
What I learned quickly was that “good-paying” jobs were largely reserved for people with college degrees. At the time, minimum wage in Michigan was $5.15 an hour. I worked in factories, gas stations, retail, customer service—wherever I could—but it never felt like enough. My husband and I struggled as the cost of living continued to rise faster than our wages ever could.
Eventually, I swallowed my pride and went back to school.
About five months after enrolling, I landed a job with good pay, benefits, and a five-day workweek. I was thrilled, but also confused. I was told the offer was because of my education, even though I had only been in school for a few months and hadn’t learned anything related to my major yet. And still, that was enough to tear through the paper ceiling.
That experience stuck with me. It bothered me that simply signing up for classes could set me apart from other women—women who may have had more hands-on experience, but not the credential to back it up. I remember telling friends and family how wild it was that an established organization would prioritize a degree over actual skills for a job that involved making phone calls and updating records.
As my career progressed, I saw this pattern again and again. At one company, there was an unspoken rule: if you wanted to move beyond a Team Leader role, you had to have a degree—or at least be actively pursuing one. It didn’t matter if you were already doing the work, mentoring others, or demonstrating readiness for the next level. No degree meant no advancement.
The logic never made sense to me. You’re telling capable employees to take on $40,000 in debt for a chance at a $5,000 raise? Eventually, the requirement was removed, but the mindset behind it didn’t disappear—and I’d wager it still persists in many workplaces.
In 2022, I joined Opportunity@Work, an organization focused on rewiring the labor market by shifting attention to an often-overlooked talent pool: STARs—workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes rather than a bachelor’s degree.
And that’s when it clicked.
I was a STAR—until societal pressure pushed me back to school. And once I started paying attention, I realized I was surrounded by STARs.
What makes STARs, especially women STARs, so powerful is how transferable their skills are. Imagine hiring for a senior associate in a call center. A woman with a high school diploma, who has been out of the workforce for five years caring for her children, applies. Some might see a resume gap. I see time management, de-escalation, prioritization, patience, and leadership. I see someone who has been doing complex, meaningful work every day—just not in a role our systems traditionally value.
Women STARs make up nearly half of all women in the workforce. And yet, if a woman STAR is hired into a high-skilled role, she is often paid less than someone with a bachelor’s degree but little relevant experience. So not only are women pushing through a glass ceiling—they’re navigating a paper ceiling too.
This isn’t an argument against higher education. A bachelor’s degree can be an incredible path! But it’s not the only path.
Women build resilience, adaptability, and leadership through lived experiences every single day. It’s time our labor market recognizes that and stops treating degrees as a stand-in for talent. This work starts with awareness: noticing where our definitions of “qualified” may be narrower than the talent in front of us. The opportunity isn’t just to rethink hiring practices—it’s to rethink how we define potential.
