Experience over college education
This is addressing the employers. I heard on my local news today that by the year 2022, 35% of employers will require a bachelor's degree.
Senario:
You have a candidate with 20+years experience that has an Associates Degree. This person's experiences has all the qualifications that the job requires. This person has worked in the field and all aspects of working in a similar business for 20+ years. This person has lived and done all forms of situations within the job market.
You then have a candidate who has just graduated with a bachelor's degree in a field that does not even come close to what the job requirements. A person who has never been in the day to day work force. A person who does not even know how to handle situations.
The person with the experience either never hears anything even when following through with making sure their resume was received or they get an interview, then hear nothing back either by mail, phone or email.
You find out later that the person with the bachelor's degree got the job.
I hear all the time a person who has experience "must have bachelor's degree" or a person who has bachelors degree
"need experience".
There are not too many college graduates that have experience. This never made sense to me.
Through all of my job searches I have encountered, on a receptionist jobs, requiring a bachelor's degree. This just blew my mind. What kind of college education do you take to learn how to answer the phone for a business? There are classes that a person can take to learn that and not spend thousands of dollars to learn the proper way. This I thought was the most ridiculous requirement that I have encountered.
My question to the employers out there is "Why would you choose someone with that bachelor's degree in an unrelated subject over someone with an associates degree in a similar subject with many years of experience?"
I am one who had to pay for my own education and I did not feel that to be in debt for most of my life was worth it especially when the pay was not any better for education verses experience.
I would like to hear the reasons
.Thank You
I have professional education from my country Havana Cuba University, first as a Register Nurse and training to make the test for doctor , in addition I study Electrical Engineer in politechnica lnstute Havana Universty when I arrived to US I did e professinal curses for R.N then I went To Miami University and I have B.A in Mathematics and Educational Psychlogy , I did 18 credit in a master of Psychology and I have so many hard time to obtain job. I have the persection that the World are in troble about requiremen for job.
Debbie - see my comment on Christopher DiSantos' post. I have a degree and many years experience, excellent annual reviews and still it's challenging. Good luck!
Debbie, I stumbled over your post and I'm afraid by 2020 it's suppose to be 80% according to the Institute of Medicine!!! In October 2010, the Institute of Medicine released its landmark report on The Future of Nursing, initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which called for increasing the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% and doubling the population of nurses with doctorates. The expert committee charged with preparing the evidence-based recommendations contained in this report state that to respond “to the demands of an evolving health care system and meet the changing needs of patients, nurses must achieve higher levels of education.” You should research this article and print it, read it and give it to your Nurse Manager. This is a good read. Becky
You have set-up (and knocked down) a "straw man" scenario that doesn't hold up under the light of reality. Someone (you, maybe?) may think they have 20 years experience when what they have is one year experience 20 times over. We always THINK we have "l the qualifications that the job requires" but are not really in a position to understand (or even know) what a specific position requires. I could see where a specific business MIGHT want a college graduate to be the initial "face" of the business to high-value / sensitive customers. But I defy you to provide specific evidence of a general-purpose company requiring a degree for a receptionist. I am not a Company but I have hired people in the past and if I had a position (say in a high-tech industry) who would want a graduate of a school that teaches the latest technical advances, over a person who has used the same old technologies for the last 20 years and may have not worked hard at keeping their professional knowledge up-to-date (e.g., I am required to update my professional manager certification every three years). I am sorry that you haven't found the kind of new position, you feel you deserve, but you need to avoid showing an attitude that blames employers for your predicament.
Been there done that! 25 years in the HR field, and they still require a BA. Laid off last year and happy to see that the employers who rejected me for only having an AA, and not a BA posted the same jobs two and three times over during the year. That's what happens when you select only with a BA. People with experience who can do a fantastic job are sitting home instead of out working and being productive.
I agree with the logic and would personally hire for experience over qualifications in this case. However the majority of large companies - large enough to have an HR department - screen resumes and applications based on set criteria for the job. The job description generally includes such phrases as "minimum experience in similar role", "ability to travel X%" and the infamous "bachelors degree in appropriate discipline". So while the hiring manager often will take the first applicant, HR will automatically screen them out of the running before they are realistically considered.
I understand what you are saying when it comes to customer service, data entry jobs, etc. because those positions do not require a college degree, but on the flip side of things if someone like me were to apply for those types of positions, I wouldn't get a call because they would feel that I deserve more money because I have college degrees.
But someone like myself who has an MBA and no experience has to get an opportunity to gain experience
I'm in the same boat. 30+ years of experience in accounting, and recently earned my Associates degree in business management. Yet, I don't have a bachelor's degree, so I'm immediately eliminated from many positions that I am quite capable of doing. It used to be "or equivalent experience" always followed "bachelor's degree". Not so much any more. I did, however, recently score an interview for a position with such a requirement. Didn't get the job, though.
Yes me too. And the main reason is these employers don't want to pay for experience. And they know that the great majority can't afford that kind of time nor expense. Almost every American has a phone. So why does one need a bachelor's degree just to say hello who's calling? Or thank you for calling the company how may I help you today or help you with?