Tesla boss looks for abilities, not degrees

In a recent tweet Elan Musk, head of Tesla, said something that you may find shocking:

That, in looking to hire people to be on his Artificial Intelligence work team, he doesn’t

care what degree you have or even if you graduated from high school! How can that

be? You’d think he’d want only PhDs or at least master’s degrees to work in this brainy

field. But, do you know what he values more highly than degrees? Exceptional ability,

the ability to code, and a record of exceptional achievement.

Okay. Let’s interpret what his words might mean for you. This means you need to

demonstrate what you’re capable of doing–maybe with a degree, or maybe with a great

track record in some kind of creative work. There’s nothing wrong with a solid degree or

certificate to make you highly employable in the 21 st century. But keep in mind that, at

least according to Musk and others in high tech, no matter your education, knowing how

to analyze a problem and how to design a solution from start to finish is golden. So, no

matter how far you go in school, be sure to develop a set of skills and look for

opportunities to compile a portfolio of exceptional achievements that show creativity,

leadership, and perseverance. And then submit your application to Tesla!