Along these same lines, the real issue for many hiring managers is plausible defensibility should something go wrong. Let's say you turn out to the be that employee who leaves the company on bad terms 6 months from now and sabotages something on your way out; even "just not working out" is bad enough. There are large costs associated with hiring and firing someone, so if a person doesn't "work out" the manager who hired them has to have some ability to defend themself against the natural questions that come up if you don't "even" have a degree. You may have the skills needed for the job, and may perform brilliantly in your element, but if your manager gets grilled for hiring you for some reason, s/he doesn't want the additional question of "Why did you hire someone for this position who didn't *even* have a degree!" (Not that it's a valid, even-handed criticism, but then neither are many managers who do the grilling..) Nate