Can I get a high-paying career with a felony record?
Having a conviction often makes previous college degrees in fields like finance and accounting feel completely useless. The stress of passing background checks and disclosing past mistakes traps individuals in miserable jobs because they fear they cannot get hired elsewhere. This uncertainty leaves them questioning if earning a great living is even possible without starting their own business.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 91.6× more often in r/humanresources than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Pursuing trade work like electrical work through family connections
- 2Considering starting a business to bypass traditional hiring barriers
- 3Staying in a miserable job out of fear that the conviction makes finding new employment impossible.
- 4Disclosing the conviction proactively and immediately to prospective employers before background checks run.
- 5Asking a former employer for a written letter confirming the specific, non-performance-related basis of termination to keep in your back pocket.
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I got a DUI in 2023 and disclosed immediately, nothing happened. I was miserable in the job but felt like i couldn't leave because of the conviction.”source ↗
“What I’m struggling with now is figuring out what this means for my career.”source ↗
“Are there any HR professionals here who have a misdemeanor conviction, particularly a DUI, and were still able to continue working and growing in HR? How did you approach job searching, background checks, and discussing the conviction with prospective employers?”source ↗
“I know I made a serious mistake, but I’m trying to figure out how to move forward, learn from it, and not allow the worst decision of my life to define my entire career.”source ↗
“Unfortunately, about 10 years after that, I got a second DUI. Because of all the hoops I had to jump through, I revealed it to my boss, reluctantly.”source ↗
“I’ve been out of prison almost 2 months, and my outlook looks pretty bleak. It seems my original finance/accounting degree would now be useless.”source ↗
“My question here is this- is this most likely my best option? Or is there any scenario (besides owning a business) that I could make a great living in as a felon?”source ↗
“Will college be useless for me in terms of finding a high paying career?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 18Why are job boards full of impossible roles and ghost listings?
- 9Accounts receivable vs bank teller for a finance degree?
- 6Why can't I get a job as a generalist?
- 7How to become an emergency electrician or locksmith with no experience
- 4How do I find a job when my network is tapped out?
- 5What job title should I apply for with HR experience?