Tell me more ×
Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I dropped out of college half way through my final year due to personal reasons. I have 6 modules to repeat but unfortunately I cant afford to go back and finish them for at least another year.

Im wondering if i put this down on my resume will it pass the HR filter?

Bachelor of Science in Computing in Software Development
2007 - present
share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

As mentioned in other answers about CV - don't lie. It will come back and bite you.

Be honest about the fact that you haven't completed your degree - you don't have to give all the details - and that you are going to finish and when.

I assume that you want a job that will earn you enough money so you can go back and complete your degree. You need to tell a prospective employer this. They may even allow you to carry on working for them part time while you are back at college, but you won't know if you don't ask.

share|improve this answer
1  
+1 And they will eventually check what you put in your CV. I once typed the wrong date in one of the reference, and I got back the vetting service asking my why I lied. – user2567 Oct 23 '10 at 14:01
1  
+1, in my experience any good recuitment consult or HR person are like sharks with blood in the water. They will pick up any weakness and head straight for it. Its better to be honest practice your response so its second nature. If you come over as professional, open and honest they will be more likely to accept the reason and move on with the rest of your CV, rather than use it as a reason to bin it. – GrumpyMonkey Oct 30 '10 at 13:23
Good answer - I wanted to add my own experience which seems relevant. Prior to completing it, I listed my in-progress M.Sc. on my CV similarly to how the OP put it, with an additional in progress clearly marked next to it. In terms of HR, they essentially ignored it (in terms of proof and justifying salaries, etc), but the technical interviewers seemed to be interested, probably making it worthwhile to list on the CV. – Daniel B Oct 14 '11 at 7:50
up vote 5 down vote

As for your specific line in the resume, I would suggest this:

Bachelor of Science in Computing in Software Development
Expected completion date: Spring 2011

Here, you are being a little more clear. If you just say "Present", then you are being honest, but they may have no idea how fast you're working on it, or when you'll be done and can focus full-time on the job they hire you for. Adding your expected completion date will give HR a better idea of where you are in it. Rely on your other experience to carry you over this. If you're still worried, but feel your classes still make a difference, like for a programming jobs involving lots of webservices or something, try this:

Bachelor of Science in Computing in Software Development
Expected completion date: Spring 2011
Relevant Classes:
     Computer Networking
     Algorithms
     Software Testing

This shows your employer that you've taken more than just gen-ed classes and have made some headway into the parts that further your software development prowess, which is what they're looking for in a degree anyway.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

It's certainly better than nothing but it will depend on company policies whether they hire drop-outs.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.