Credentials vs. Calling: Why My Path Never Needed Permission

For the Women Who Were Told Their Work “Didn’t Count”

For years, I struggled with imposter syndrome not because I wasn’t skilled, but because I didn’t have the credential that made other people comfortable.

I was a college dropout working in spaces dominated by degrees, titles, and systems that equated worth with paperwork.

And even with all I was doing, something in me still whispered:

“Maybe I’m not there yet.”

“Maybe this work isn’t real.”

“Maybe I don’t belong.”

Until I looked at my own life and realized the truth:

I ran a department in a law firm.

I launched my own business.

I worked as an administrator.

I organized community efforts that literally fed families and held neighborhoods together.

I built programs, systems, and opportunities.

And then came the moment that removed every doubt I had:

I became a teacher for the Upward Bound program, a position that required a Ph.D., and the director still hired me because she believed in my gift, my communication, and my ability to reach students.

That experience shifted something in me.

It reminded me that real leadership is recognized beyond credentials.

People who truly see your value don’t ask for paperwork they ask for presence.

But even with all those accomplishments, imposter syndrome lingered because of how others responded to my path.

There were people who believed the degree gave them superiority.

People who made subtle comments about “going back to school.”

People who viewed my brilliance as “luck,” “help,” or “timing.”

What I eventually learned was this:

A degree can validate education.

But only results validate leadership.

Calling will always outperform credentials.

Some people struggle when they see someone thriving without the traditional steps they were told were mandatory.

It challenges everything they believed about success.

And for a long time, I shrunk.

I quieted my wins.

I softened my story.

But when I finally believed in myself?

Everything changed.

I realized:

• I wasn’t an imposter.

• I wasn’t behind.

• My work wasn’t rehearsal.

• My journey wasn’t accidental.

It was proof that God chooses differently than the world does.

If you’ve been doubting your path, hear me:

You are not less because your journey wasn’t linear.

You are not unworthy because you learned through life instead of lecture halls.

You are not behind because your degree isn’t on a wall.

Some of us were shaped by resilience, brilliance, and divine timing not academia.

Your calling is not waiting on your credentials.

Your gifting is not on the school’s timeline.

Your anointing is not intimidated by requirements.

Thank you for reading.

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We’re building confidence, clarity, and calling without waiting for permission.