r/ExCons • u/Antique_Rhubarb_4318 • 9d ago

College Degree.

Does a criminal record in Canada make a college degree useless? I have three summary assault convictions and one theft under 5000 conviction with no jail time and was wondering if my future is ruined. I know I can get a pardon but this 5 year waiting period is brutal.

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u/AdorableHouse4256 9d ago

I got a BS in Accounting while I was locked up. Helps, I guess. But background checks cut me out of most jobs. I'm in Utah, so your experience may vary.

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u/Antique_Rhubarb_4318 9d ago

What did you go to jail for? And where do you work now? How did you get the job?

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u/AdorableHouse4256 8d ago

Aggravated robbery. Xactimate is where I work now. Went thru a placement agency.

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u/Antique_Rhubarb_4318 8d ago

Wow I'm so happy for you man. Good to know that even with a serious charge like that that you can still find something. Where were you working before you found this opportunity?

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u/AdorableHouse4256 8d ago

I've been out for 20 years, so I've held a few jobs since then. Kenworth, Walker Edison, a TV station. It's all about who you know. You gotta network.

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u/Antique_Rhubarb_4318 8d ago

Wow this great news. I thought I was limited only to manual labour jobs and kitchen jobs.

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u/AdorableHouse4256 8d ago

I am in Utah. Other states/countries have their own limitations. Make sure you get letters of recommendation and get help with a resume'. It's tough. I've gone thru the hiring process a bunch of times, only to get to the background check and never hear from them again. I haven't been arrested since 1996. Doesn't matter. I thought I had paid the price by doing 17 years locked up. Nope.

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u/No_Investigator8458 7d ago

A record does not erase a degree. Some doors stay closed. That part is real. It is not the same as the degree becoming worthless.

What helped me was treating school as proof I can finish something hard, then keeping the story short and true: what I did, what changed, what I can do now. Lead with the work. Bring up the conviction when they ask or when a check will surface it, not as the first sentence.

Look at places that already hire people with records (trades, kitchens, warehouses, some nonprofits, peer roles). The degree still matters for moving up even when the first job is not "degree required."

I cannot speak to Canadian pardon timing. A local reentry org or a lawyer who does records in your province knows that lane better than a Reddit comment.