College education?

[manning]

I heard someone, an executive, say:

You need a college education to get a job, but you don't need a college education to do a job".

 

[chisnpeke]

For a lot of jobs, a college education is just proof that you have some sort of work ethic. It's a sad and pathetic society we live in where a college degree is needed for jobs that could be had and learned by on the job training.

 

[autumnpalm]

I think that depends on the job.

For some, perhaps. But in professions like healthcare, law, engineering, architecture, psychology, medical research, and many others, there is a specific skill set required that cannot be obtained without a college education.

What line of work was this executive in?

 

[Acklander]

occasionally, I've run into someone without a degree that was able to work their way up, or start up on their own and become quite successful. But those people were truly spectacular people so lack of a college degree wasn't going to keep them down. So from my experience, I'll say a college degree is needed for those who aren't spectacular enough to do it without the degree

 

[WDWBarb]

I agree with that statement, at least in the business world. My education got me the interview and likely swayed my first boss (post-degree) into giving me the opportunity, but it's really never come up again. I do believe I learned a lot and I use my education daily, but experience is what made me good at my job. The education was just a nice foundation.

 

[chisnpeke]

I think that depends on the job.

For some, perhaps. But in professions like healthcare, law, engineering, architecture, psychology, medical research, and many others, there is a specific skill set required that cannot be obtained without a college education.

What line of work was this executive in?

I agree with the professions you listed needing a degree because of the skills necessary.

For a lot of people though business degrees and the like are pointless. If places just trained on the job without the degree necessary society would be easier for a lot of people. My father and grandfather were both very successful with just a high school diploma or equivalent. My grandfather started his own insurance business with an insurance license and the horror a high school degree.

 

[Swan4Me]

MY DH doesnt have a degree-he was in the Military instead.
He was passed up for promotions because the college grad always was the promoted one. Finally he was given the chance to be a Regional Salesman and has been the most successful one in his industry in our area for the last 20 years.

So yeah-the degree can open doors quicker

 

[autumnpalm]

I agree with the professions you listed needing a degree because of the skills necessary.

For a lot of people though business degrees and the like are pointless. If places just trained on the job without the degree necessary society would be easier for a lot of people. My father and grandfather were both very successful with just a high school diploma or equivalent. My grandfather started his own insurance business with an insurance license and the horror a high school degree.

I do agree with that. I have a family member who did not even graduate high school and went on to start his own company- he is now incredibly successful and making six figures a year. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that in a lot of business-related positions, the factors that are key to success cannot be taught in a classroom.

 

[goofy!]

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell are all college dropouts.

But in today's world for the average or even the above average person, having a college degree is about the same as having a high school diploma was a few decades ago in being a requirement for having doors opened for you.

No degree and unfortunately your resume is going to be put at the bottom of the pile.

 

[Kimberly]

I heard someone, an executive, say:

You need a college education to get a job, but you don't need a college education to do a job".

I'd say that they're pretty much accurate. Some exceptions, of course, but for the most part, especially in large businesses, it is entirely true. Just need to train someone to be a cog in the giant working machine.

 

[manning]

I think the exec was making the point that the requirement of a college degree is not necessarily needed to be successful. I have to agree. I've seen people who for some reason couldn't get a degree were more than capable to do a job and were passed up because they did not "have a degree". And some of those were doing the work and carrying the person assigned the job.

 

[luvmy3]

I agree with that statement for the most part.

 

[chisnpeke]

I think that depends on the job.

For some, perhaps. But in professions like healthcare, law, engineering, architecture, psychology, medical research, and many others, there is a specific skill set required that cannot be obtained without a college education.

What line of work was this executive in?

I agree with the professions you listed needing a degree because of the skills necessary.

For a lot of people though business degrees and the like are pointless. If places just trained on the job without the degree necessary society would be easier for a lot of people. My father and grandfather were both very successful with just a high school diploma or equivalent. My grandfather started his own insurance business with an insurance license and the horror EEK! a high school degree.

 

[Bonnie151]

Hmmm, I'm torn. On the one hand, DH was admitted to his company's IT graduate trainee scheme without a degree. He was able to apply because he already worked for the company and the degree requirement was waived for internal applicants. Out of the thousands who applied for 9 odd places, he was given one so his lack of a degree didn't hurt him. He's been promoted quite a few times and it's been based on work performance without taking educational qualifications into account. So no, you don't necessarily need a degree (although I accept that DH is probably one of a small minority in his field).

On the other hand, I left the same company (internal management consultant at FTSE 100 financial services company) to become self employed. I have an undergraduate degree, graduate degree and MBA. I wouldn't have obtained my first job there wthout a degree but once in the door, having various degrees didn't impact my promotions in the slightest. However, I've found my MBA invaluable when setting myself up as self-employed. I don't think I would have managed without the skills/information I learned on that course.

 

[Witch Mountain]

I agree with this statement 100%.

I've been unemployed for a while and applied for many jobs in which I met every qualification they wanted (and then some), but I didn't have a degree. Ironically, I just got a job that only requires a HS diploma, but they preferred a bachelor's degree-which I recently earned.

Do I need that education to do the job? Probably not.

 

[disneylovin24]

I heard someone, an executive, say:

You need a college education to get a job, but you don't need a college education to do a job".

Of course you can get jobs without a college degree but most well paying jobs require them. I think it all depends on the job when it comes to whether or not you need the degree to do it. Like a doctor obviously needs the college education and what you learn in college.

 

[shaylyn]

Dh was unemployeed for only 2 months in 2010. He has only a HS diploma but has 15 years experience in the computer industry.

He is now hiring for the Jr position at his new company (he's in the Senior position) and is interviewing people with Bachelors degrees as well as those who have no college degree!

He tried using that excuse, "They won't look at me because I don't have a college degree!" until he was not only hired, but had offers from several companies from which to choose from. It all came down to him working 8 hours a day on his resume and searching/applying for jobs. Once he did that (it did take him about 2 weeks to stop feeling sorry for himself after he was let go, lol) he found a job NO PROBLEM!

 

[FINFAN]

In general, other than the obvious doctor, lawyer etc., a 4 year degree gets thought of as the key that opens the door and then first in line for the elevator...as in moving up in the company. Those with a degree can get canned as easily as those who don't, but when the time comes for candidates to be thought of in the upper management type positions, they get first look- I worked for a company that basically put the resumes in 2 piles...degree, no degree. They would start with the degree pile. To them a degree showed you could go thru 4 years of being told what to do, had the organizational/ work independantly skills, showed commitment to an ultimate goal and also the social aspect of having been in social learning situations at college. It didn't matter what else was in their bio, the first detrmination was done on degree or not. Maybe not fair, but that's what that company did.
ETA: I was hired in the most mundane of positions when I started there, microphish copying ( a loooooong time ago) and they aked repeatedly about me finishin college, college refernce etc. So go figure?

 

[tvguy]

I coached Little League with a guy who taught High School. He coached the football team too, and did a lot of counseling of his students/players.
He said he stopped telling students they HAD to go to college to be successful after he attended a career fair at this school and learned that a couple of his former players, 2 years out of high school, were making $125,000 a year as sheet metal workers.

I know where I work, we require a Bachelors Degree, but since the economy tanked, we've been flooded with job applicants with Masters and PhD's, lots of work experience, but no qualificiations to do the work we need done.
One of our competitors have given up altogether on finding peopel qualified to do a job, they actually have hired a couple of folks still finishing their degrees and training them.....they'd rather "grow" their own than try and find a qualified applicant.

 

[dejr_8]

For a lot of jobs, a college education is just proof that you have some sort of work ethic. It's a sad and pathetic society we live in where a college degree is needed for jobs that could be had and learned by on the job training.

I'd say we are well down the path where a College Degree no longer even means that.