Aunt helps nephew get a job at her company, hires him without knowing he never got his college degree: 'Could this potentially hurt my aunt and her status at work?'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Feb 27, 2026 12:00 PM EST

Will the company find out eventually? 

If you are a habitual liar, your lies will come back to bite you eventually. If you lie to your friends and family to avoid hurting their feelings, you can't continue doing that indefinitely without it really hurting them when the truth finally comes out. Most people are more hurt by the fact that you feel the need to lie to them than they would've been if you had just told them the truth. And yet people keep lying because they don't know how to stop. Those are some of the hardest people to have close relationships with, because you never quite know if they actually mean what they say. 

Some lies never come back to bite you in the end. If you go on a first date that's going poorly, and leave early by telling your date, "My roommate just texted me, and she needs me to come home right away," they're probably not going to call you out on that being a blatant lie. They might feel frustrated and resentful of your lie, but it's not like that lie is going to haunt you the rest of your life. But if you lie to your employer about not having two other secret remote jobs, that will most certainly weigh on you. There's also a pretty good chance that at least one, if not all of your bosses, will find out about that eventually. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • Man wearing glasses sits at desk in office
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The job seeker in this story fears he might lose out on a job opportunity if he is caught in a lie. He doesn't have a degree, but his resume strongly implies he does. His aunt, who got him the job, also thinks he graduated, and he's nervous he'll hurt her if he takes the job and gets caught.

  • I just received my dream job offer, but accepting it could potentially expose a huge lie I have been living and hurt multiple people close to me.

    Hi guys, I (25m) don't post very often so sorry if this gets jumbled up. I guess I'll start simple by letting everyone here know that since I was legit 13 years old I have had 1 career choice in mind and my entire family and extended family was aware of this.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • I beleive i have the makings of a great professional in this role and would thrive in a spot like this.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • So does my family. So months ago, back in October, a very close relative of mine reffered me to the company they work out without my knowledge because shthey are in the field I want to break into.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • I interviewwd for them at first and a it was bleh? I didn't hear anything for months and my only communication with the company was through my aunt.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • A job center employee pinning job vacancies on employment noticeboard
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Fast forward to today and I have an offer letter infront of me and everone in my life is so happy and estatic for me my parents legit started crying.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • The issue is they all think I have my degree when I do not. I transferred university's during co id and barley any of my credits transfferred.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • A group of people sitting in chairs in front of a projector screen
    via Andrej Lišakov (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I guess the details don't matter really but I was suddenly more then 100k in the hole to loans.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • So i stopped doing classes and started working to pay of the student debt. Heres where i need advice.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • They never once asked me for a degree or proof during my application. My resume may be considered misleading because i have the dates listed i attended school and also the degree i was pursuing but i never listed an actual degree.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • I have also worked previously at companies that require a bachelors but they never checked. How do i proceed?
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • Do i go through with this offer knowing they will do a background check and this will come to light?
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • Could this potentially hurt my aunt and her status at work? And most importantly what do i say to my parents, family, and friends if i do decide to pursue something else, how could i even begin to tell them why i would turn away this opportunity?
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • botwwanderer Tell them you are still working on the degree, and then follow through on that. Sign up for evening or online courses so you can work and finish your degree at the same time. Be ready to talk about how soon you might be able to finish and deadlines they might have on that.
    via u/botwwanderer
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply I think this is the best idea i've heard. And i personally thought this earlier. I don't know if they would accept that or continue the hiring process but I want the degree just need the funds for both degree and debt.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • Titanium Tryton Ever heard the saying "Fake it till you make it"? There's truth to that saying. My advice, unless it is a requirement that is a must (like if you don't have it you could go to prison for lying about it) then just go with it. Companies lie about so many aspects of jobs and rug pull applicants, it's almost becoming the norm to hyperbolize/lie about qualifications to get you applications looked at.
    via u/TitaniumTryton
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply This was my thought process at first all those months ago. The part thats bothering me is this lie getting caught and then my Aunt getting flak for it and also my immediate family finding out.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • bluedawne- Your spelling will give you away soon enough no matter what you decide to do.
    via u/bluedawne-
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply Very insightful and helpful thank you.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • sadprisongf I would talk to your aunt about this, I'm sure she will be able to give you the correct advice. She Will know if they will check, etc.
    via u/sadprisongf
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply I should have been more clear, they will be asking for educational background information. I will be talking to her tomorrow though see what she says.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • MarigoldMouna Okay, I am so sorry, but, you attended University and your post is riddled with bad punctuation and spelling errors. I ...just feel like my years in elementary school were wasted learning any of that if it doesn't matter at all because I could still attend University without even capitalizing "I" when referring to myself
    via u/MarigoldMouna
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply First time poster here and when i went to post It didn't let me see what i was typing so i was typing blind lol. Tried to fix it when I went back through. Def could have done better.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • birdnerd1991 I guess it depends on the career- some jobs prefer/'require' a degree, but you can still manage it if you're a hard worker. Other jobs that are more sensitive, like in the health, medicine, or government field, are required degrees because of who you come into contact with. If this job has anything to do with law, medicine, or teaching- it's time to talk to the auntie and potentially face some harsh music. I hope everything works out where you can manage it- and that you're able to
    via u/birdnerd1991
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply Thank you for your words, it feels like an impossible decision right now but i appreciate what you're saying. It's basically a Pharma Sales role. So i know sales is usually pretty iffy on the requirements but the Pharma side if it may make it stricter.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • birdnerd1991 Oof, yeah. I have a friend in pharma and they will definitely press charges if they ever run a background check (IF you pass the hiring without getting caught), and it turns out that you lied. And it would be jail time, ugly fines and jail time, because it messes with dr s and HIPPA violations (at least in the USA). :( I'm so sorry- there might be a chance they can take you on as you dive back in to the degree, but I don't know if it's worth the risk of keeping it hidden and trying
    via u/birdnerd1991
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply Din. I will look more into it but will try to avoid doing something illegal. Thanks man!
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • InvisibleBlueRobot I'd keep it up. 1. But I might suggest looking at what it would take to finish the degree. How many classes / credits. 2. See if WGU or a low costs online adult degree program will allow you to slam it out quickly and cheaply and legitimately have it on your resume.
    via u/InvisibleBlueRobot
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply I have been, talked with an advisory from WGU last semester. With the credits I do have (a-lot) I believe they said it would still be a year minimum. This Job would like an answer by Friday lol. But i get what your saying and that is my plan. Just need the funds to pay of debt and pay for school simultaneously.
    via u/Available_Contract_6
  • Bhanumayi Have you seen the TV show Suits?
    via u/Bhanumayi
  • Available_Contract_6 Original Poster's Reply Lol no but I'm familiar with Mike Ross. I don't think I have the abilities he does Imao.
    via u/Available_Contract_6

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

degree job lying hiring aunt family dropout student debt company nephew
Scroll Down For The Next Article