As any seasoned media professional knows only too well, often the best and most career-defining lessons have been learned in the field (be that newsroom, TV studio or boardroom) and not in a university library.

But thanks to the advent of blogs and social media, and the subsequent changing face of digital media, those starting out have been able to side-step conventional routes and take control of their own career paths without going down the well-trodden path of undertaking a university degree, followed by work experience or an internship, before securing their first job.

And it seems employers are taking note. According to a recent Gartner report on the future of work trends, the “paper ceiling” is crumbling and degrees are no longer the number one must-have. Instead, employers are looking beyond qualifications and focusing on skill-based hiring instead.