College Degrees --> Overrated

[Speedy]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I realize that a degree helps one "get in the door" sort of speak. But aside from having a booksmart view of the field, what other advantage does it provide over someone who is applying for the same position that doesn't have a degree?

[Cebby]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I realize that a degree helps one "get in the door" sort of speak. But aside from having a booksmart view of the field, what other advantage does it provide over someone who is applying for the same position that doesn't have a degree?

Given that the majority of OS is in their 20s or younger, "getting in the door" is a much bigger deal than you're making it out to be.

For many if not most fields, a degree is now required to get in the door at all. Especially with the unemployment rate what it is, it's near impossible to start any career without a degree or trade school certification.

[GOBLUE_08]

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.

This is true to an extent, but I don't have a college degree and I work for the largest corporate property management firm in the world on one of it's highest profile accounts (One Bryant Park). I busted my *** for two years to get here but it just proves that you don't need college to make it in corporate America. Now if your going into a more specialized field then your absolutely gonna need that education, but there will always be a place for people who are willing to work hard even If you have to start from the bottom. There are far too many people who go to college just to party and bull@#$t and get away from their parents these days.

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[Husker_OS]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I realize that a degree helps one "get in the door" sort of speak. But aside from having a booksmart view of the field, what other advantage does it provide over someone who is applying for the same position that doesn't have a degree?

You won't get internships if you're not in college making the grade, especially when it comes to internships in sports.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Yep........in the end degree, certification, or diploma....You still got to sale yourself. That is the main problem I see with people in their early 20s nowadays, they don't know how to sale themself.

They print out their resume, put their college degree name in size 14 font all bolded in caps, thinking that alone is going to get them hired. Don't work like that. Got to sale yourself.

Too many kids come to companies with that look at me I graduated from Notre Dame or Stanford, I should be hired on the spot because of my school atttitude but yet they can't talk for shizzzzzz.

Lacking interpersonal skills SEVERELY. Ask them well what can you do for us or why should we hire you ?

Know what I hear ????? Because I went to Notre Dame or Stanford or Michigan.

Know what I tell them ?????? NEXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[USF11]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Yep........in the end degree, certification, or diploma....You still got to sale yourself. That is the main problem I see with people in their early 20s nowadays, they don't know how to sale themself.

They print out their resume, put their college degree name in size 14 font all bolded in caps, thinking that alone is going to get them hired. Don't work like that. Got to sale yourself.

Too many kids come to companies with that look at me I graduated from Notre Dame or Stanford, I should be hired on the spot because of my school atttitude but yet they can't talk for shizzzzzz.

Lacking interpersonal skills SEVERELY. Ask them well what can you do for us or why should we hire you ?

Know what I hear ????? Because I went to Notre Dame or Stanford or Michigan.

Know what I tell them ?????? NEXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

You work in HR? If you do your satan.

[KSUowls]

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?

Well in your example the firm could just be looking for new ideas.

There are certain jobs that I would agree with you. Professional sales for instance is one where I don't see how having a high school diploma suddenly makes you more qualified. However, in most things I think it is correctly weighted. It's not just about showing you have the knowledge to specialize in whatever your major field was, but it also shows that you had the dedication to stick with something and finish it.

[Cusefan]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I think there needs to be more opportunities to be an apprentice. If you know exactly what you want to do, instead of going to college to learn about it, you should have the opportunity to actually do it.

[Cebby]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I think there needs to be more opportunities to be an apprentice. If you know exactly what you want to do, instead of going to college to learn about it, you should have the opportunity to actually do it.

Isn't that what trade school is for?

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Well in small towns I find it much easier to be an apprentice without having to go to a trade school. Mainly because smaller towns have a different mindset then big cities do.

In a smaller town all they care about is that you show up on time, have a good work ethic and willing to learn without slowing them down too much.

[mudman]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

I realize that a degree helps one "get in the door" sort of speak. But aside from having a booksmart view of the field, what other advantage does it provide over someone who is applying for the same position that doesn't have a degree?

In some fields, a college degree is crucial as it provides necessary knowledge. In other fields, it's more of a way to weed out people.

You can be 90% brain dead and get a high school diploma. If a business puts in their ad that it only requires a high school diploma to apply, they're going to get applicants that are completely worthless. A degree eliminates some of that, not all, but some. Requiring a degree also eliminates 18, 19, 20 yr olds for the most part.

Certain degrees also carry more weight than others. If you tell me you got a business degree, marketing, communications, education, anything liberal arts related, or anything social science related, then you've told me very little as those degrees are a joke. Now, you say you have a math, computer science, engineering, chemistry, physics, etc degree then you've told me something as those degrees require a lot more effort.

[Knight165]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

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

Definitely.

Mine might not be the norm, but I'll put my job after 5 years of service up against most white collar jobs(that require a degree) after 5 years.
Salary+benefits+pension.....
Add in my hours and flex schedule.....unrivaled.

M.K.
Knight165

[USF11]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Definitely.

Mine might not be the norm, but I'll put my job after 5 years of service up against most white collar jobs(that require a degree) after 5 years.
Salary+benefits+pension.....
Add in my hours and flex schedule.....unrivaled.

M.K.
Knight165

Lots of Blue Collar skilled jobs can pay +65k plus. The difference is high level white collar employee's can hit +150k plus.

[Cebby]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

Definitely.

Mine might not be the norm, but I'll put my job after 5 years of service up against most white collar jobs(that require a degree) after 5 years.
Salary+benefits+pension.....
Add in my hours and flex schedule.....unrivaled.

M.K.
Knight165

I believe you're FDNY which puts you in a position that the vast majority of the country doesn't have even the prospects of having.

Blue collar, city/state union jobs in 4 incredibly rich cities (DC, NYC, Boston, Chicago) and New Jersey (depending on what happens federally Michigan and Cali may be put here too) are great jobs but the vast majority of the country doesn't have those available to them.

Your job outside the triangle of DC/Chicago/Boston wouldn't be anywhere near as good of a job.

For comparison, FDNY after one year pays more (including benefits) than the average Atlanta FD pay and is more than double (including benefits) the average pay after 5 years.

[rubisco43]

Re: College Degrees --> Overrated

This is true to an extent, but I don't have a college degree and I work for the largest corporate property management firm in the world on one of it's highest profile accounts (One Bryant Park). I busted my *** for two years to get here but it just proves that you don't need college to make it in corporate America. Now if your going into a more specialized field then your absolutely gonna need that education, but there will always be a place for people who are willing to work hard even If you have to start from the bottom. There are far too many people who go to college just to party and bull@#$t and get away from their parents these days.

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not saying it can't be done. but a college degree definitely opens doors that a high school diploma doesn't.