- James Thompson dropped out of high school at 17 before also leaving a polytechnic course.
- He slowly worked his way up in his tech career by leveraging his network and developing his expertise.
- In 2023, he was recruited for a role at Google despite his unorthodox educational background.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with James Thompson, a 40-year-old strategic partner development manager at Google from London. It's been edited for length and clarity.
In 2023, after over two decades of working in the tech and telecommunications industry, I landed a job at Google as a strategic partner manager.
I never thought I'd be even considered for a role there because my tech career didn't begin with a traditional background.
I dropped out of high school and polytechnic
I dropped out of high school at age 17. I was born in the UK but lived in New Zealand at the time, and to me, school was solely a place to find out where everyone was hanging out on the weekend.
I started a computer science course at a polytechnic because I'd always been interested in computers, especially hardware. I quickly realized the focus was on programming, and I remember looking at endless flowcharts and thinking, "There's no way I can do this for the rest of my life." I didn't want to be in a classroom setting and just wanted to start earning money, so I dropped out after less than six months.
I drifted for about a year, unsure of what to do. In 2002, when I was 18, a good friend got a job working for a mobile phone retailer in my local shopping mall. I spent a lot of time hanging out around the store, waiting for my friend to finish work, and I got to know the area manager.
The manager offered me a job in the retailer's kiosk selling prepaid cellular credits and basic mobile phones. This was my first experience with leveraging my network to land a job.
I realized I had a passion for the tech industry
I spent a lot of time reading articles online about mobile data, email, and web browsing, building my industry knowledge far beyond what was needed for my job.
I discovered I had a passion for what these devices could do for people with the rise of mobile data. I showed customers all of the available features, like getting email on their phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants).
I started carving out a niche as the go-to guy for helping businesses connect their devices to the internet and understand the opportunities it presented.
My connections and built-up experience helped offset my unorthodox background
In 2005, when I was 21, I decided to move back to the UK. Thanks to a referral from a mutual colleague, I landed a job at an independent telecoms company. My ability to speak technical language helped build the employer's confidence in my abilities despite my lack of a traditional background.
I stayed at the company for eight years, starting as a business development manager and eventually becoming a sales director.
In 2014, a former colleague who had moved to Vodafone approached me about an opportunity to manage large global customers with complex data and connectivity requirements, far beyond anything I'd experienced previously.
A bachelor's degree was usually a minimum requirement, and I was nervous I'd fall at the first hurdle. Thankfully, I never had to explain to the interviewers why I dropped out of school, as it was never brought up. I think that my attitude, the power of my network, and my on-the-ground experience helped me land the role.
I was promoted twice at Vodafone, eventually becoming a global account manager, managing one of their largest customers: Cisco.
After six years, I applied for a partnership role at British Telecom managing their largest alliance with Cisco. I was able to position myself as the best candidate using endorsements from ex-colleagues and letting my experience do the rest.
I never thought I'd have the chance to work at Google
In 2023, after three years working on British Telecom's Cisco partnership, I was approached on LinkedIn by a recruiter from Google to apply for a role heading up one of their strategic partnerships.
This blew my mind. I'd worked in and around Big Tech for much of my career, but because of my lack of educational and professional qualifications and how competitive the applicant pool is, I never thought I'd have a chance at a role there.
I'd read about Google's intense hiring process and was nervous that my nontraditional background might hurt my chances of landing the role. For the first time in my career, there was no network introduction or recommendation for me to leverage; I had to stand on my own two feet.
I researched and prepared for the interview. It was a tough process, but the fact that I didn't have a degree or formal training never came up. Instead, it seemed that the interviewers again valued my competence and abilities learned through practical experience over my lack of a degree.
I've been at Google for just over a year now and my experience has been amazing so far. There are so many opportunities, especially with the growth in AI, that make me very excited about my future here.
I never imagined I'd do as well financially as I have. Society places so much weight on going to university if you want to be successful, but it's by no means a guarantee of success or the only route to take.
I'm still slightly embarrassed when my colleagues talk about what they studied in university. I'm also often surprised at the positive and amazed reaction from people when they find out I didn't graduate — and even more so when they hear that I started out my career selling prepaid cellular credits in a kiosk in a shopping mall.
Here are my three tips for anyone with a nontraditional path considering getting into Big Tech
1. Leverage your network, no matter how small you think it is.
All of my roles, except my current one at Google, came by using my network — from simply hanging out with my friend at the mall, using contacts from colleagues, or connecting with old acquaintances.
Recruitment is hard. That's why most businesses have referral programs in place; they understand the power of people's networks. Use yours.
2. Be open to opportunities by asking questions about what people do.
Being interested and enthusiastic makes people remember you and can open doors. I've never been a believer in random luck; I believe you make your own luck by being open to opportunities.
I was inquisitive when I was seeking all of my roles, portraying a real interest in the role and area I was hopeful of getting into. When interviewing for my role at British Telecom, for which I had the least amount of relevant experience, I asked probing questions about challenges I might face, top priorities for the business, and how I could affect those in the role. This led me to have conversations with them during the interview as if I were already in the role.
3. Keep pushing yourself to learn and develop your skills.
I feel more fulfilled when I'm in a difficult situation and have to learn my way out of it. That continuous learning mindset started when I was in that mall kiosk, reading about the new and exciting developments in technology and then applying that knowledge to customers, and it's stayed with me ever since.
At Vodafone, I had to learn about the world of data centers, fiber, and IoT to sell the products and services. I went beyond the training material provided and reached out to subject matter experts, engineers, and service managers to gain deeper insights and translated this knowledge into anecdotes and proof points when dealing with customers.
Doing this can get you noticed and lead to new and unexpected paths, both internally and externally. This helped me get spotted by Google and led me to where I am today.
If you took an unconventional educational path and would like to share your story, email Jane Zhang at [email protected].