No degree - no barrier to success

In my last blog, we talked about how tomorrow’s leaders in tech are achieving success without following a traditional career path. Increasingly, people are coming into tech from non-technical backgrounds and often have a completely different educational path outside of technology, and many times without a traditional university degree.?

To explore this topic further, I recently sat down with George Davies, an account executive here at VMware, to talk about his career path. George never went to university but jumped right into the workforce as a customer service advisor at Dyson before moving up the ranks to become a senior sales manager. He joined us at VMware less than a year ago, where he is already making a positive impact, and we’re excited to see what more he’ll accomplish.

Throughout our conversation, I was struck by George’s positive attitude and his focus on making the most of opportunities. George also mentioned the importance of nurturing a growth mindset, which I can strongly relate to and is something we spoke about earlier in the year at our annual NEMEA sales kick-off.

Melinda: George, you’re a great example of the many varied ways people are entering our industry. So, tell me about yourself and the earlier stages of your career?

George: I achieved good GCSE and A-level grades at school but was never someone who wanted to go to university, so I guess I’ve always been a bit of an outlier. I didn’t know where I wanted my career to go. Having finished my A-levels, I took a summer job at a stately home near where I live. After that, I ended up working on the grounds team for about nine months, which involved toiling across the winter months in cold, wet conditions and getting up very, very early. I felt no sense of direction, so one day I went on the Indeed website and fired off my CV to 15 to 20 organisations for literally every job you can imagine. One job I applied for was as a customer service advisor at Dyson.

I was fortunate to land the job because it primarily involved dealing with customers who had bought a Dyson product – be it a vacuum cleaner, a fan, or a purifier – and had some issues with it. It was about talking to customers about their needs and positioning products, so there was a sales element to it that I really thrived on and enjoyed. I did that for about 15 months, and as luck would have it, there was a person I did my training with that moved into a sales role. The manager who was recruiting was heavily into people development, and although I didn’t get a job the first time I tried, I did on the second – there’s a lesson in itself! I became an internal sales executive for Dyson Professional, which is the B2B arm of the business. After doing nine months in this position, I was then promoted to become a trainee business development executive, which was my first external sales role.

Melinda: I love this story! A lot to take away there – first of all, not giving up after the first try, but also it shows that not having a degree is not an impediment to getting started in a career. While formal qualifications can sometimes be helpful, the real-world experience and skills you can gain in problem-solving, customer support, communication, and overcoming obstacles are very valuable across many industries. Finally, this part of your story highlights how valuable it is to have a training program combined with leaders who care about developing people, and it is great that you had that support as well. So, I’d love to hear more about how you moved from that first job with Dyson to be with VMware today. What happened after you became a trainee business development executive?

George: Well, six months later, Dyson moved me to London, and I spent a year as a key account manager for the London region. I then secured a 12-month secondment as a national account manager to cover for a colleague on maternity leave. Off the back of this, I was promoted to the role that I held at Dyson before I left to join VMware, which was as a partner development manager looking after the UK and Ireland. In that role, I had full responsibility for the commercial terms, trading negotiations and joint business and marketing plans with all of our key customers.?

So that’s my career pre-VMware in a nutshell. I use the word fortune quite a bit because there were a lot of people who played a big part in my career as mentors or line managers. I was also lucky to work for a company that was aggressive in its growth strategy, which led to all kinds of opportunities.

Melinda: It sounds like you had a combination of great opportunities to jump in and take on additional responsibility and also some great mentors. I can definitely relate and owe a lot of what I have learned in my own career from the mentorship and coaching from former managers and leaders. You also talked about the importance of “luck” and taking advantage of being in the right place at the right time. There are aspects of luck to these things, but it’s also about how you use luck and how you take on new opportunities when they’re presented, and it sounds like you did that. What do you think?

George: That’s a fair observation. It’s true that being in the right place at the right time counts. But you also have to get yourself there. So when the opportunity for maternity cover comes up for a more senior role, you’re considered for that position because you’re succeeding in your current one.?

But going back to education, I haven’t come across any educational discrimination at all at any point in my career. In fact, I remember having a conversation with an old boss of mine and asking him if I would be held back without a degree. And he told me that I was already in a job that required a degree.

Melinda: I agree with your point about education, George. A lack of formal education should not disqualify you from a position. There are many paths, and real-world experience, curiosity, being eager, and willing to learn from your colleagues as you go through your career is just, if not, more important. What's your view on that?

George: I agree totally – I’ve always been big on professional development. And the opportunities I’ve taken in my career history have given me the chance to learn and pick up new skills. So it’s incredibly important to me.

Melinda: Being in an environment that celebrates learning new skills as part of its culture is crucial, which is why we put such an emphasis on it at VMware. I know in my own experience, I’ve found some of the most rewarding roles have been the ones where I was initially way outside of my comfort zone. It sounds like early in your career you might have had some of that too?

George: You just reminded me of something I talked about in my final interview with VMware. I said that I was uncomfortable being comfortable. I don’t like not being challenged; it doesn’t sit well with me at all. I need my brain to be working, and when it gets to a point where things are too easy, it sets off alarm bells.

During the same interview, I was also asked to demonstrate some examples of a growth mindset, which I know is something that VMware lives by. So I mentioned that going for a job in an entirely different industry, selling new products was a good example of a growth mindset.

Melinda: A growth mindset is critical today, but there are some other things that got you to where you are today. What else do you think you bring to a new opportunity or challenge that has helped you in your career and that others might learn from?

George: One of the personality traits that I’ve got is that I’m fearless. And that links back to not being afraid of doing something. I’ve been at VMware for less than a year, and my colleagues have already commented on my approach and how I’m prepared to jump in at the deep end. It sounds really cliché, but I also try to do my best at everything; I don’t do things half-heartedly.?

There are two learnings that come out of this for me. First, you should be brave and push yourself out of your comfort zone. And second, it’s important to build a business case for yourself and capitalise on any opportunity.

Melinda: So now that you are at VMware – what made you decide to join and what do you think now that you are here?

George: VMware is a hugely ambitious organisation, and no challenge is too big. But I also want to make an impact. The main product I was selling at Dyson was a hand dryer, which for some people can be really important, but at the end of the day is just a simple device. I feel that technology is the fundamental pillar for almost every business worldwide nowadays - that was a prime reason for me joining VMware.

One of the things I’ve noticed since I joined VMware is that we’re seen as consultative, and customers really want our advice and to benefit from our experience. I feel that the impact we can make on their businesses is vast. Fundamentally, I wanted to go out and sell something that makes a real difference in ensuring organisations are leaders in their industry and stay ahead of the competition, and I’ve found that at VMware.

Melinda: Thank you, George, it has been great to spend time with you and learn more about your career and how you got to VMware! That’s been really insightful. Your story illustrates that there are valuable skills and competencies that people can bring to their jobs that lie outside the world of formal education, and there are many paths to get where you want to go. You’ve also talked about the important role of taking advantage of opportunities when they are presented to you and “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” - but also how being fearless, curious, and a hard worker have all played in your success. I think at the start of our conversation, you underplayed the role you played in riding your own good fortune, which I think is crucial to success. You talked about the value of riding your good fortune but also showed what can happen when you really step up to the plate.

You also talked a lot about developing a growth mindset, which is something that is close to my heart. We need to constantly challenge ourselves as we go through our careers, otherwise, we won’t bring out the best in ourselves and others.

Thank you for your time today George. I really look forward to seeing what you will do at VMware!