Originally posted by Digi
It's a circle of death. Employers can be pickier because the job market is weak so everyone wants a good job. So, they up the requirements, and there's no perfect way to gauge skill or knowledge, so they say "You must have {X} degree." Then people end up wandering around trying to out-degree each other so they're overqualified for jobs that they're competing against everyone else with.Best way to do it, if you're actually going to college, is to race your way to some BS degree but just get yourself personally skilled in what you actually want to do. I didn't get my job because I had a degree, I got it because I can write really well and I pay maddening attention to detail in writing. If I was in IT, I'd get some quick degree and study programming languages, OS's, etc. like mad. I have a friend that has a 2-year degree from a community college in IT but works his ass off certifying himself in all sorts of things. He makes twice what I do. He wouldn't have his job without the degree, but that's also not what got him the job. He walked in and said "I can do THESE things" and it was twice what most others could do, higher degree or not. Ironically the opposite of dudemon (though ddm doesn't have his B.S. yet it seems despite being super qualified...still dude, I think you'll land in good places eventually with your skill set).
Degrees get you nothing but a chance at some interviews. It's the other stuff you do that will get you a job, especially today. Because 50+ people applied for each job you did, and are all walking in with the same degree or higher.
Ditto to everything...it's just that...I'm jaded after being in the business world for a while, now. I see unqualified idiots getting jobs where they perform...idiotically. But they have their degree, damnit! dur The degree is what got them the job: with a connection, of course.
Even an idiot can memorize crap and barf it onto an exam. But you have to actually know what you're doing to properly configure an internet facing router (or perform heart surgery).
Oh, well yeah, connections too. Even strong connections didn't help me in teaching, but that profession has gone belly-up in many states. A connection isn't good enough anymore, that just gets you past one more round of cuts. The "it's not what you know, it's who you know" maxim of course isn't entirely true. You need some credentials. But it's a big deal in many fields.
Frankly though, IT is less prone to that than some fields. If you know a coding language, for example, that's an objective criteria to base comparison on. In business, writing, etc. it's much more subjective and prone to other influences. My frustration with teaching was that I had no way to objectively establish I was better in an interview or teaching sample. Pissed me off to no end, because I couldn't go out and learn anything or work at something to help me. So like I said, I understand the frustration, but I think you'll be ok long-term if you stay motivated.
...
I'm trying to imagine the others watching this conversation. We must seem so lame.
So anyway, Bark, first year. I couldn't help but think of this kid:
http://www.quickmeme.com/College-Freshman/
Originally posted by Digi
So anyway, Bark, first year. I couldn't help but think of this kid:
http://www.quickmeme.com/College-Freshman/