College Degrees --> Overrated

[Speedy]

I personally hold the belief that college degrees are overrated and that employers give not necessarily an unjust weight but simply too much weight to them. I understand that it can provide knowledge of the job and partly show one's intelligence but at the same time I believe both experience and the actual ability to do the job should be valued more.

For example, look at 2 men applying for a position:

Jim --> 15 years experience, HS diploma
John -> 5 years experience, college degree

Within the business world, the likely hire would be John even though Jim has more experience. Logic, experience and the ability to learn quickly and do the job should hold more value IMO. I'm not demeaning anyone with a college education and I will not argue it HELPS land jobs because of its "prestige" but again, I feel there's an unnecessary weight attached with degrees.

Thoughts?

[Husker_OS]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Gotta have one in my field now. Otherwise, you can't get the experience via internships.

[Gibbz]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I think people need to view college as more of a self-improvement educational experience. I'm not in college just to score a job.


I get what you're saying, though.

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I don't know. Basically a college degree is to our generation what a high school diploma was to our parents' generation. That's not going to change going forward; if anything, the trend will continue and graduate degrees will be to our kids' generation what a college degree is today.

I do agree with you more generally, though. I hate little societal power games like this.

[Cebby]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I don't know. Basically a college degree is to our generation what a high school diploma was to our parents' generation. That's not going to change going forward; if anything, the trend will continue and graduate degrees will be to our kids' generation what a college degree is today.

This is more or less the case.

The vast majority of people with higher education are more capable than the vast majority of people without higher education within the field that their education governs. This includes trade schools as well.

If this wasn't the case then employers wouldn't care about college degrees.

It mostly depends on what you are going into. My work experience is in politics in DC which requires (for any person under 30 or so) interning which requires being in college or having a degree.

For a sales job I can see experience beating out an undergrad degree from a lesser school.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Well to me, in my experience things are different now. Now actual work experience trumps a BS degree anyday. Companies don't care if you got a degree if you don't have the work experience in that field to go with it.

That is why you see so many early 20s people with BS degrees now working at Walmart or Apple Bee's. Yeah they graduated with a BS degree but they didn't have the work experience to go with it.

Where as a guy who never went to college but yet have 15 years experience will always get hired 1st.

[USF11]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I personally hold the belief that college degrees are overrated and that employers give not necessarily an unjust weight but simply too much weight to them. I understand that it can provide knowledge of the job and partly show one's intelligence but at the same time I believe both experience and the actual ability to do the job should be valued more.

For example, look at 2 men applying for a position:

Jim --> 15 years experience, HS diploma
John -> 5 years experience, college degree

Within the business world, the likely hire would be John even though Jim has more experience. Logic, experience and the ability to learn quickly and do the job should hold more value IMO. I'm not demeaning anyone with a college education and I will not argue it HELPS land jobs because of its "prestige" but again, I feel there's an unnecessary weight attached with degrees.

Thoughts?

The problem is there is no way to even be considered for an entry-level position at any top business without a degree anymore.

I agree experience trumps everything.
BUT
Theres no way to get start getting experience anymore without a degree.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Speedy, the reason that John gets hired instead of Jim is because he's cheaper, most likely. I beat out one of my friends who has much more experience in the field because I was right out of college. I was 20k+ cheaper than my friend was. (He found a job and it's doing well, so it ends happier than I made it sound).

That being said, there are fields in which degrees matter a ton. Then there are some that don't matter at all.

[NYJets]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

The problem is there is no way to even be considered for an entry-level position at any top business without a degree anymore.

I agree experience trumps everything.
BUT
Theres no way to get start getting experience anymore without a degree.

Yea, it's more that just having a degree is not enough, not that you don't need one.

[mgoblue]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I agree that people with 15 years experience (but no degree) shouldn't be shafted, but I personally wouldn't want to be that guy.

Especially if you're in a situation where it's 15 years experience vs. 10 and a degree (which is more likely of a case). Jobs are way more likely to hire the guy with a degree because it's shown his ability to learn, make it through college, and just deal with that general environment.

IMO a college degree just proves you can learn and are a bright person. Then you get a job and learn what to actually do at work.

Yeah, people with degrees like psychology aren't gonna find many normal jobs in that field, but that's on them. A lot of those liberal arts degrees are just made so people can go to law, med, or grad school.

We're no longer in the era where someone can get a job on the line at Ford and work there 40-50 years, moving up. While you do learn on the job, there is a requirement of base skills (calculus, etc) in a lot of fields that isn't really realistic to learn on the fly.

[deaduck]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I don't use my degree in the field I got it in....but it does reflect an education experience that many employers value.

Having 15 years in given craft can actually be a handicap in an evolving job enviorment if the worker hasn't continued his education or adapted to change well at all.

[rubisco43]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

all in all it's true. businesses value experience more than a degree. however the TYPES of jobs you'll get with a high school diploma is much less paying much more blue collar than what you can get with a college degree. your ceiling is much higher with a college degree than a high school one.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Blue collar jobs don't equal low paying. Don't be fooled.

[mgoblue]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Blue collar jobs don't equal low paying. Don't be fooled.

Nah, but even as an auto mechanic you need to get certified and keep advancing in that respect...In jobs like that you can have tons of industry certifications and that's better than a degree.

Either way you need to advance yourself over time otherwise you just appear stagnant to employers.

You also don't get the "work at a company for life" type of thing anymore...my Uncle worked at Ford as his first job until retirement, moving up into management, etc. You don't see that type of stuff nowadays...there's a bigger gap between blue collar and management, where you don't advance up there as much now.

[superjames1992]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I do think college is overrated in some cases. Of course, in some fields you literally have to get a college degree or you wouldn't know what you were doing. The bad thing about so many people going to college is that it means that it devalues the value of a college degree.