Idea
by KSwedberg
(Minnesota)
There is a way to get experience without needing a degree. It's to join the event planning club at your university! All you need to do is sign up for at least one class (or up to half time if you want to be the President) and attend a few meetings in order to join.
These clubs have decent sized budgets and plan all the major events around campus. There is an adviser, then the President, Vice President, Secretary, Reporter, Board Members, General members, etc. This will provide you with A LOT of experience plus the added benefits of being able to say you actually hosted events.
Also, once you are accepted into the club, job opportunities will present themselves. There is usually student employees who are the event coordinators for the college. The pay is horrible, but the experience is great!
Right now I've only been in my universities club for one semester and I already received the event coordinating job on campus plus three other event related jobs with great references/experiences.