I had a job interview this morning. Everybody agreed I was a perfect fit. I am. Until they asked if I had a four year degree, and not from an online university. I don't but usually my USN veteran status and extensive experience trumps that. Nope. Everybody at that place right down to the receptionist and assistants have four year degrees. I don't get it.

After conjugating on it, I don't think I would want to work at a place like that.

What say my new buddies?

I say you were interviewing for a company that doesn't require a resume so it must not be much of a company.




Dave

Free enterprise - it's their company, they can make the rules. I'd move on and find a place that appreciates you for what you are.

Only company I ever dealt with that required a degree for employment was plagued by bad management and has a log history of employee turnaround.

They literally replaced 3/4 of their staff every year.

Not too appear to nosy but what profession are you interviewing for?

Half my staff at Blue do not have degree's but they sure do kick some MBA butt!!!

I'd say you don't fit.

Years ago, when I was doing some hiring in a major manufacturing environment, I found that an Eagle Scout status equaled any four year degree.

What the Hell does it matter what we say?

It appears many companies are using a diploma as a replacement for leadership and experience. Nothing replaces leadership and experience.

kwg

Not trying to be a dick, but I'd say your attention to detail sucks.

How is anyone supposed to provide any meaningful feedback with the information you provided?

It's a different world than 20 years ago. Every kid living in his momma's basement gets a degree now because it keeps them from having to work for half a decade while living off of student loans. My cousin is a pharmacist with his own drug store, he has two guys with MBA's running the cash register making $10 an hour. That's how cheap the value of college has become.

When 90% of the public now has a degree in of some sort it becomes easy as an employer to use that as a criteria for hiring. It gives them something to sort applicants.

Not saying it's right, it just is.

I would also like to meet the idiot that asks if you have a degree, but specifies it cannot be from doing classes online.

Ph-fugking-D's can be achieved via online courses.




Dave

If an employer finds they have an abundance of qualified applicants, they can choose to be more selective in their hiring practices and use whatever criteria they choose.

Given a staggering percentage of high school grads that can barely read or perform simple math, I imagine many employers look at a college degree in the same way they looked at a high school diploma in years past.

Without giving a test in an interview, they employer doesn't have a means of determining a limited level of competence. Using a college degree is one method they can use.

You didnt' say where/what re: the work.

Would you be teaching at an accredited school????

Cast, don't rule this place out, and don't sweat the lack of 4 year degree.

I worked in a professional environment with some very smart people for 30 years. Not all of them had college degrees. I understand the "nice to have" idea, but a technical interview will clear up any questions about your abilities.

I'll use an example of one here. A good compadre of mine (We'll call him BW) who I worked with for years did not have a college degree. He was the bar none best IT guy I ever worked with. He's a Billy Ray Cyrus looking Texas biker, complete with mullet.

It always gives me a quiet chuckle when I think about a very humble and innocuous line on his resume:

"Ability to facilitate communication between disparate systems". Barely skirts the edge of his expertise.

One night when he and his family were over for dinner, we talked about him jousting with Steven Hawkings over Black Hole Theory. Guess what. He was right and Steven Hawkings was wrong and finally admitted that fact several years later.

I've known several like BW. Maybe not at his level, but quite competent. I've also known UM Executive MBA's that couldn't form a coherent email. Keep that in mind.

Best of Luck to you.

Good, bad, or indifferent, degrees from brick and mortar schools are still considered "better" than degrees from online institutions. I see it all the time. Two people with the same degree, one online and one brick and mortar. Preference will go to brick and mortar almost every time.

There's another caveat. If someone's not knowledgeable enough to know someone else is knowledgeable, then the job often goes to someone less knowledgeable.

Nuff said.

Years ago a new "boss" at a company I worked for declared he would only have degreed personnel in his group. This caused an experienced Tech Service guy to be "bumped' to a lab technician position. Not long after, "Jerry's" now former customers began calling and asking for him on problems. When told he was no longer doing that job, they would refuse to deal with anyone else. The company finally had to not only ask Jerry to take his old job back, they pretty much had to beg and give him several "extras", including more pay.

Seems they didn't know he as very good friends with and played golf with all those guys regularly, besides being very good at his job for a long time!

I tried to take a step up in the company I work for, was not chosen for the position. The guy that got the job had a 4 year degree but had no experience in the field, I new the job by heart, and I was chosen to teach him the ropes.

First of all when you go to a job interview you should treat it as you searching for the right employer as much as they are searching for the right employee. If [bleep] ain't right, run down walk out of there.

My wife interviewed last year at a company that did some non-profit type work, one of the questions they asked her was if she could have a super power what would it be. She knew right then and there that she wasn't gonna fit in with those folks.

Count your blessings that this came up before you committed to something you will regret. Any person/company that values a piece of paper over actual skills is not going to go far regardless. YMMV

I think sometimes college is over rated.

In addition, employers must be very careful when giving tests. Courts have ruled that if given test tends to eliminate a higher percentage of minorities it's discrimination, and they can be liable. Employers still need a sorting mechanism to eliminate the idiots, so, many now require a degree.

Not all degree's are created equal. This is especially true for online schools, many of which are "diploma mills" that will give you credit in "management" just for having a kid etc. There are too many of these worthless paper manufactures for employers to keep track of, as a result, some decided not to acknowledge any of them.

Not all brick and mortal school are equal either. There's a wide variety of admission standards, and programs can be more, or less rigorous. These differences can also provide employers a sorting mechanics to help weed out idiots.

Sometimes? I guess that depends on how much you value liberal indoctrination.

Sometimes it is. Any degree that includes the word "studies", that is not for the purpose of helping us understand our enemies so we can be better at killing them is over-rated.

I've been turned down for jobs because I didn't have a degree, wasn't black, and once, just because I was a prick to the interviewer.

There are always greener pastures. I wouldn't want to work for a place that didn't want me as an employee.

I think that most work places look at a brick and mortar degree as something that was not easy to obtain. I now that I did when I was in management. The fact that someone stuck it out over a 4,5,or 6 year term makes a difference in some people's yes. I have 3 college degrees w/my major study coming from the U of Texas. I rarely had trouble getting an interview for jobs I was qualified for. It does make a difference. powdr

Some online diplomas are worth toilet paper but there are some very legitimate ones. My cousin got an MBA from Univ of Phoenix. He said he's never worked so hard in life as he did to get that. It's respected in the business world.

My wife was in a similar situation as a young lady. Was acting manager of the medical supply room for 3 months in a small hospital. She applied for the position and they gave it to a college grad with no in house experience. When HR asked her to show the new guy the ropes she told them straight up. "He's got the college degree, he can figure it out". my sister did the same thing when they hired a FOB asian lady. This lady feels threatened and keeps making a run at her but she just don't get up early enough to trip my sister up. She told the company owner/president, "nope, so and so hired her, so and so can train her".

You gotta be kidding.

Three college degrees? And you can't spell or write a coherent paragraph?

You might have gotten an interview but I doubt it lasted more than a few minutes and only then if you are a member of the "Protected Class".

His paragraph, while having a few errors, was much more comprehensible and far more earnest than rebottled, relabeled, and resold mixed wine. YMMV, of course, depending upon how close to the left coast, and/or how far up your own ass, your head might be. Given that you max both scales, it's no wonder you still don't get it.

And you know this how? Hiccup, hiccup,

What I wouldn't give for somebody to ask me this question in an interview!

You need to apply for a job that doesn't require a degree.

The USMC is hiring. Recon is an exciting career path.

Antelope Snipers last post is spot on!.......Cast, knowledge/experience trumps all, move on, don't get discouraged.........buntingmiester

Hoooleee schit, gotta send this one to my bud.

That's what this man says.





L.W.

My step-father graduated high school at 14 but the college wouldn't accept him until he was 16, so he went to work. Never did have time to get back to college, but ended up as General Mgr. of Shell Oil for all of Western Canada. So paper only goes so far. Cheers NC

May I gently inquire, what does the wine I produce and sell have anything to do with my previous post?

Have you ever tasted our wines? If not how do you render such a negative opinion?

I stand by my comment that anyone who has "three college degrees" could be so illiterate as to post such illiteracy.

You are somewhat behind Powdr in "brilliance" (or lack there of). And that isn't saying much.

When I was an Electrical Contractor, I hired quite a few school trained journeymen, who had no field experience. I also hired many helpers, who had a lot of experience, but couldn't pass the test (reading & comprehension trouble)
I'd put the "journeyman" with the helper, and tell the schoolies - "Do what he says, unless it's a code violation. If it turns into an argument - call me - it IS my license, so I'll decide.
The journeymen got the experience, and we were able to get some helpers their journeyman tickets.

And how much further could he have gone with the additional education for a good program?

No degree, I am truly sorry to say you don't meet our high standards In order to be on our forum.

Cast, I go thru the same BS on a regular basis. Very Good at what I do. But no 4 year degree. Many jobs in my field require online job applications. Inevitably they ask for a 4 year degree. And I get the quick exit out the side door of the automated application process.

Just keep on keeping on. You'll land in the right place. Also, as others said above, an interview is a two way process. If it doesn't "feel right" to you, listen to your gut, and move on...

A college degree is WAY ovvverrrrated.

This^^^, in spades.

Says the wino who sold a ? $ place fot what $?

Three pages and the OP has not revealed what is the job for which he applied.

If a degree and field are requirements, those needs should be listed in the position announcement. Failure to do so is a waste of their time and yours.

Took me almost 20 years of painting houses to figure out there are lots of ways to make money (and I have a 4 year degree).

Don't trap yourself into self imposed lanes of thought. Like I said, there are lots of ways to make money.

The specific job is not germane to this conversation. No matter what it is.

So doctors and lawyer's don't need an education?

Some jobs require a degree due to state regulations. In other instances a degree may be important for credibility, think of consultants giving testimony in court cases, as one example.

You blanket statement fail to consider many possibilities.

Yup...

Cogitating? (Did you try to use that word in the interview? )

Phugg 'em. Tons of opportunities for a reasonably intelligent fella to make a good living. Or put that GI Bill to use.

Long before I ever earned a degree I was singled out from a starting group of a couple dozen guys, partly because I could swing a pick effectively, and partly because I didn't want to stand around watching the guys who had no clue try. Funny thing was, when I was talking to the boss sometime later, he told me his advertising firm looked at whether a degree had been earned, but cared less about what it was earned in. College is many things. An often overlooked part (and I'll admit there are many ridiculous elements involved in the whole) is that of the process. You have to learn to jump through hoops to get it done. Ain't fun, but life involves plenty of obstacles that require creativity and/or patience and/or perseverance of the sort that colleges seen enjoy toying with.

I'd say it's their company and they have the right to set the requirements for employment.

On the other hand, they should have made it clear that a degree was required before they set up an interview, unless the position was one for which a degree is normally expected. If that's the case, and you went to the interview anyway, you wasted your own time.

Best thing for you to do is work for their competition!:D

There is a lot of my thoughts already posted. If a degree has no real value to the career, you need to find an opportunity to prove yourself, and get specific training.

A couple Certifications can open door usually only open to folks with an associated degree.

Exactly! I knew if I read long enough , I would not have to post this sentiment.

On line degrees ain't worth the paper they are written on, they hand em' out like candy.

Even in school degrees have been watered down to the point where it has become what's the point.

Anybody that has put a kid through college lately knows that a big part of that is online, regardless of the school.

That really is a good idea for a great interview question. After the interview has gone south over a issue like education, ask them who their competition is then ask them if they'd like you working for their competition.

Especially with most of today's graduates!!

Pack it in....pack it out!!

SEMPER FI!

Fields of study and schools are not the same either.

Wow, tough crowd. You guys that wanted to know my experience, my profile is filled out. It says IT Guy/BBQ slinger. I'll let y'all guess which one I was applying for.

The interview went great, everybody was happy and relaxed. I was killing it. Not my first rodeo. Then the last question was a follow up, you do have a degree, right? I said no, but I do have an honorable discharge from the USN (for the USMC recon jab), and seventeen recent years of experience doing this job (senior sys admin/virtualization). He was so disappointed as was I. When questioned he admitted it didn't make sense in my case but it was a door that would not open without a brick and mortar four year degree in anything. We parted friends. I'm still SMDH wondering what it must be like working as an assistant to a secretary while packing a degree.

Afterward I discussed it with my wife who was plenty pissed about it. She says that they're a bunch of stupid liberal suits that I wouldn't like working with anyway. I love that woman.

I should add, I actually had two interviews yesterday. The other one went very well. The HR manager asked if I knew what a 'virtual network' was. I bit my tongue and explained system virtualization to her. She took notes. Was that a trick question?

She is background checking me.

I have hired hundreds of people. The way I hired people was to:

1. Write down the things I wanted the new hires to ACCOMPLISH.

2. Hire those who had actually done that in previous jobs.

It was simple. I didn't care if they had degrees (though most professionals did), what they did for fun, whether they were divorced multiple times, etc. I didn't ask them trick questions during the interview to see how they handled "pressure." In fact I saved time by screening them via phone before a personal interview.

And note I didn't ask how they WOULD do something, just how they had done it.

Coincidentally my operation grew 50-fold in revenues over the years. My competitors didn't.

Good luck with your pursuits. I would agree an education and smarts don't always travel together. There are hobbyist with far more sense and skills than many PhD's.

Last position I filled did require a degree, but my final cut came down to a mediocre student, who had fun in college, but several years of experience with super references, against a straight 4.0 walk on water recent graduate using instructors as references. I went with the former, and she was one of the best people I ever worked with. Every reference absolutely raved about how lucky I'd be to pick her up, and the lady could do anything from heavy equipment to electronics and data analysis.

A coworker picked up the latter, but she was always sort of a square peg in a round hole.

Some companies have very strict requirements and even if a hiring manager wants to hire someone, if the candidate has something that bars him hiring the candidate, his hands are tied.

I wouldn't get bummed about it, the more rules, procedures and policies a company has, the harder it is to get work done and the more frustrating the job.

If you want a frustrating hiring process, I know of a large multinational corporation that takes nearly a year to hire an employee. You see the position posted on their website and have to fill out the application. Then two months later you'll get a call from HR for a generic phone interview. Then 2-3 months later you'll get a real face to face interview, but it will be with a team of three people going through a mix of technical, touchy feely and bs questions. Then 2-3 months before they make an offer and then several more months to starting work for them.

Funny thing is I went through their application/interview process several times, and no I never got an offer. But then I thought about the type of people that work there and all the corporate bs and politics they have to go through and realize that I was so glad that I never hired on as I would have been miserable.

My current gig was the complete opposite. The manager called me up and said if I was interested in a position he wanted to hire me. I applied on line and within a week I had an offer letter. I didn't even have to interview for the position.

If you're good at what you do and have skills that are in demand, you'll never want for employment. Don't sweat the companies that you don't hire on for. Most often in hindsight you'll be thankful you didn't work there.

Thanks guys for the support. I'm ok, got another interview request today. I was just flabbergasted that after admitting I was perfect fit, they couldn't get past my lack of degree.