Does it "really" hurt you in the job market if you don't have one? Have you ever been turned down from a job because you didn't have that little piece of paper?

You know, this is something that I've always wondered about as well, since I also am not college degreed.

tricky2 said:

I absolutely think it can hurt you now. I wouldn't say that in every single case that it does, but just about every job earning more than minimum wage seems to want a college degree.

I've never not been hired because I didn't have one, but I have been hired because I did.

tricky2 said:

Yes, plenty of jobs will not even look at aplications if they list a degree as a requirment. However many times the job can have nothing to do with what field the degree is in

Depends. If you're looking for a job that requires the phrases "Paper or plastic" or "Would you like to supersize that?," then you're good to go without a degree .

I'm in education, so yeah, we need 'em...

Depends what kind of person you are. I'm married to a guy with no particular formal qualifications, but he is a born leader and people person, who can easily land high end managerial positions wherever he applies. Years of experience doesn't go astray if you have no degree.

I attend a job support group, I recently asked the group if they thought that I needed a degree to do my line of work (I've been an administrative assistant for 20+ years). One of the leaders of the group told me that he has heard from various companies that companies tend to value experience over a degree. I have had other people tell me the same thing, but I don't know if this is the honest truth, or if people are just bullshitting with me. As others have said on this thread, it probably depends on the line of work you are in/wish to go into.

It hasn't stopped me from getting a job. Certainly a bachelor's is no guarantee of success or failure.

But grad school is a different story. Most of the people I know who make a lot of money have done some type of post-bachelor study, either law, business, accounting, medicine, etc. That type of study is more work-specific than most undergraduate studies (almost like an intellectual trade school), and it develops skills that get paid higher than jobs that don't require a degree.

psychodelicide said:

it is true many companies do value experience over a degree but the difference with having a degree along with said experience is the amount of money you get or and can make. someone with the same amount of experience can make more money because they have that piece of paper.

Statuesqque said:

Very true, that has always been my feeling as well.
[Edited 11/19/08 15:18pm]

Depending on your field it's much more than just a piece of paper. Although a degree is no guarantee, because of the high unemployment rates most companies are not going to even look at an applicant for a professional position who does not have a degree.

The manager of one of the projects I'm currently on told me at my interview 6 months ago that they received 200 resumes for my job but they only looked at people with Master's and Ph.D's in my field. I think that sucks because I know a lot of egg-heads in my field that don't have any practical experience and I know people with 10 years in the game and only a Bachelor's. But this is the state of the business world now.

So depending on what you want to do, you may need to get a degree.

Statuesqque said:

True, and some positions require degrees, which makes it harder to get the experience without one.

For example, several positions at my job require a masters of public health, not because my company requires one, but the state or the department of health requires that we hire people with those degrees for those specific positions.
[Edited 11/19/08 15:26pm]

NDRU said:

The impact that an advanced degree can have on your earning potential ain't no joke. I increased my earnings by 50% within 6 months of getting my Master's 9 years ago with very little experience in my field. Six months after that I doubled it. So, now the Master's plus 10 years practical experience really opens doors and I can pretty much ask for what I want rate-wise. Most of my colleagues say the same thing. So, get your degree! (I'm very pro-education )

SCNDLS said:

yes, there was a time when the number of people I knew who had their master's was just one, two or even three people. nowadays, over half the people I know hold master's degrees. it almost seems like a master's has replaced the position of having a bachelor's and a bachelor's replaced having a high school diploma.

Statuesqque said:

Sad but true. It's up to us to stay competitive in this market and a degree is an investment into yourself. I'm a consultant, and I've gotten jobs without interviewing, based on my experience AND education. So having both will get you further ahead.

Statuesqque said:

yes, I totally agree. The usefulness of bachelor's degrees seems to have gone down. Plus, people are majoring in stuff that isn't useful in and of itself unless you go onto grad school--English, psychology, communications, Biology, or mine Musicology.

SCNDLS said:

yep, that's why I'm in the process of registering for a certificate course I'll start in Jan. I'll always take courses here and there to advance myself. there's more then one way to skin that cat called education.

Just get the degree so you have more choices down the road. Don't be SOOOO eager to be out of school that you end up w/ an unsatisfying work life years & years from now. Maybe the question is if you want a "job" vs. a "career". Nothing is absolute, but I'd be safe & get the paper

Normally I don't like to do this, but since we're talking education here, it's "College Degrees," not "College Degree's"

Degree or no, mistakes like that don't look good to me as I read a resume.

Statuesqque said:

And the best way is to make your company pay for it, if at all possible.

NDRU said:

NDRU said:

plus our socitey has changed as well, we're in a digital age. it's just like anything else, it can become in a way antiquated.

SCNDLS said:

seriously, though, just making your resume look nice & neat goes such a long way, right? As long as you're not categorically ineligible for a job, then the resume is like your first assignment--"type up a professional resume."

And so many people fail that test. They won't even get an interview.

SCNDLS said:

YES!!! they are and many companies do if it's within their field or they can use.

NDRU said:

You're absolutely right. If you're going to present a half-assed resume with errors, a company will infer you'll do a half-assed job.

NDRU said:

I noticed that typo too. I'm an administrative assistant, so I guess I'm so used to proofreading things, that stuff like that just jumps out at me.

psychodelicide said:

and I know this is the org, not a resume, but figured it was still worth noting

NDRU said:

this is bringing up repressed memories of the quiet nasty all over again for me

NDRU said:

I agree.