If the job requires it, they'll probably check. If the job doesn't require it but the hiring manager has a bias towards college graduates (hint: they all do) then it works.
I'm a software developer and only my first job ever cared for my degree. My current employer actually never saw my degree/diploma or anything. I just said I had it.
Now, if you'd work at a bank/in finance or have a degree in a more regulated industry, they'll probably check.
If their field is anything like mine once you’ve had a couple different jobs in the field on your resume they don’t really care about your degree. That first job sure did care, though.
Agreed. My first job out of college wanted my degree and transcript. When I got a new job the next year they didn't care about either. But some companies also just care more than others about education. I personally wouldn't lie on my resume about something like having a degree. I'd be worried that I'd lose a position because the company tried to verify the degree or another alumni worked there and they ask questions about the college I didn't go to. But it could also get you into an interview you wouldn't have been able to be in without a fake degree so it could be a good thing to do too. I guess just follow your heart.
I put my university, the years I attended, and my major and minor focus of study.
It's not a lie, and if pressed, I always tell the truth. It's become a non issue as my professional experience has mounted and now my resume and references speak for itself.
But, unless I'm asked directly...
Nobody needs to know I dropped out first semester of my senior year due to a crippling drug addiction. Or as I phrase it, a period in my life where I needed to tend to a family medical emergency.