No Degree, No Problem: How I Started
No degree, no problem: six primary schools, dyslexia and a broken window in my first week. How I started window cleaning in Melbourne in 1999.
I went to six primary schools, I struggled through school with dyslexia, and I never went to university. I have been cleaning windows since 1999, and I now run two businesses. When people ask me about the best jobs without a degree, this is the only story I can honestly tell: how I started.
TL;DR
- For years, I held on to beliefs other people told me about who I was.
- In 1999 in Melbourne, I used two weeks of annual leave to try window cleaning. I broke a window in the first week, and I stayed.
- After three or four months and my own work van, I realized my hands could get me somewhere books never would.
- You do not need a degree. You do need to keep investing in yourself.
What school did to how I saw myself
I did not really see myself for many years. I held on to too many beliefs that other people told me about who and how I was.
Not having a degree made me realize I needed to educate myself. To question my beliefs, question my thoughts, challenge my skills, and level up, and level up, and level up.
Going to so many schools and struggling through them, I found the simplicity of window cleaning, and good pay with an open door. It became my way to grow and to find a position in life where I was needed and could actually excel.
Melbourne, 1999: how it started
I do not remember my very first window. I do remember how I got there.
I was working as an auto electrician, and I had really had enough of that industry. There was never an ending. I was not progressing. My work colleagues were not inspired, and I was a go-getter who wanted more money and more freedom.
I remember sitting in a pub, drinking a beer with some window cleaners, hearing about their day and the money they earned. It sat with me. So when my two weeks of annual leave came around, I approached a window cleaning company. They put me on for two weeks as a test, to see if I could do it and if I liked it.
I accepted the challenge. I realized this was something I could do, and I actually liked it.
In the first week, I broke a window. That was a lesson learned the hard way: do not clean a broken or cracked window. Everyone found it funny, because it can happen. Knock on wood, I have not broken one in many years.
When my hands got me somewhere books never would
After about three or four months, I got my own work van as an employed staff member. That was when I really started to notice my hands. I could turn these hand movements into money.
I read slowly, and comprehending topics in books takes me a long time. Here, that was not what mattered. What mattered was customer satisfaction, my appearance and a professional finish on the window.
I started to realize this window cleaning was something interesting. The tools are so minimal, and the change you can create is so big.
What I say now to someone who thinks no degree means no future
I say that is a load of BS. You do not need a degree to achieve anything you want to do in the world.
Investing in yourself is what matters, and so is allowing yourself to unlearn and relearn. I am doing the same thing now, 27 years later. There is no degree in it, though there is a degree of difficulty. As you level up with each year, each window, each customer and each invoice, you stack your learning, and your income potential grows with it.
I am in the university of life. Having smarter people around me, mentors and peers, a mastermind, a tribe of like-minded and inspired people, that is how you can excel without a degree.
Where to start
Read my story and what this job has given me. Then start free with the Manifesto, and find out if your hands like this work as much as mine did.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you be successful without a degree?
Yes. I do not have one, and I have been doing this for 27 years, with two businesses in a second country. What matters is investing in yourself, and being willing to unlearn and relearn.
How did you start window cleaning?
In Melbourne in 1999. I was an auto electrician who had had enough, and I used two weeks of annual leave to try it with a window cleaning company. I liked it and I stayed.
Does dyslexia hold you back as a window cleaner?
Not on the job. I read slowly, but what matters is customer satisfaction, your appearance and a professional finish on the window.
What was your first lesson as a window cleaner?
Do not clean a broken or cracked window. I broke one in my first week and learned that the hard way.
About the author
Justin Orloff is a professional window cleaner since 1999, based in Vienna, Austria. He created the world's first AR-powered window cleaning training program at orloffs.com.
Cleaning Since 1999, Digitally Made Accessible: My industry insights are 100% human-driven. Because I live with dyslexia, I use AI tools to ensure my master experience since 1999 is polished and readable. To my Editorial Policy
Was this article written by AI?
Yes. AI helps me polish and format my writing because I'm dyslexic. The experience, techniques, and opinions are entirely my own. Full details in my Editorial Policy.