Listener supported WNYC Studios.

We're going to continue our special series on stars now.

That's workers who are skilled through alternative routes, stars, meaning no four-year

college degree.

And today, we're opening the phones to hear from some of you with a specific

kind of star story to tell. You know, nearly half of all working Americans don't have a four-year

college degree, but many of you are thriving in good, stable jobs and not just in the trades

like plumbing and carpentry, which is what a lot of people might think of,

but also in fields like finance and IT and sales, marketing, insurance, project management,

jobs you might associate with a college diploma,

but that some people have gotten through other pathways, alternative routes,

community college, military service, boot camps, certifications, on-the-job training.

The data tells us these stars make up a huge part of our workforce in white collar jobs,

but they're often overlooked. We touched on this earlier in the week, but now we'll just explicitly

invite a few more such stories with no guest, just you on the phones.

Here's the invitation.

If you have built a white collar career without a bachelor's degree, how did you do it?

What helped you get your foot in the door?

What helped you advance and stay in?

212-433 WNYC, 212-433 W-N-YC,

212-433-9-6-9-2.

Again, if you've built a white-collar career

...