Post grad beats Bach?

mikedisd2

I don't have a bachelor's degree and I'm certain some employers have dismissed my resume due to this. I've been in the computer / IT field since 1998 and have decided I need to tick this box, so I'm enrolling at uni to get a post graduate certificate.

A post grad cert / diploma, of course succeeds a Bach degree; just wondering though if HR goons and IT managers see it that way. Or could they just consider it an incomplete Masters degree? I'm short on time and won't be able to complete the Masters.

eMeS

mikedisd2 wrote: »

A post grad cert / diploma, of course succeeds a Bach degree; just wondering though if HR goons and IT managers see it that way. Or could they just consider it an incomplete Masters degree? I'm short on time and won't be able to complete the Masters.

Mike, I guess you mean in the Oceania market. Here in the US the "certificates" offered by universities are not generally that highly sought after. As I see it, completing one of these in the US market would still leave the candidate without an undergraduate degree and definitely without a graduate degree.

MS

Turgon

mikedisd2 wrote: »

I don't have a bachelor's degree and I'm certain some employers have dismissed my resume due to this. I've been in the computer / IT field since 1998 and have decided I need to tick this box, so I'm enrolling at uni to get a post graduate certificate.

A post grad cert / diploma, of course succeeds a Bach degree; just wondering though if HR goons and IT managers see it that way. Or could they just consider it an incomplete Masters degree? I'm short on time and won't be able to complete the Masters.

Go for the education option that works best for you at this time. I think a post graduate cert or diploma would be a good thing if you can get it. Be careful on the 'succeeds a Bachelors Degree' designation. By definition this is a 'Post Graduate' qualification which assumes you are already an undergraduate. I have known this to cause consternation among undergraduates on Masters degree courses who study alongside 'timeserved' people with no first degree. The disgruntlement is obvious, with people working in the field and earning a living before going to University for one year and picking up a Post Graduate degree, vs the undergrads who put in three to four years studying for a first degree, racking up debts and unable to work fulltime on salary during that period i.e one less insentive to get a degree in the first place. However this 'unfairness' which can be argued, is often offset by the ability of undergraduates to apply for fee burseries and scholorships which those without first degrees cannot apply for.

In terms of incompleteness I shouldn't worry. An associates or bachelors could take you years to complete if you complete it at all and at least this post grad qualification shows you have made an effort to get into higher education. I don't know your age but in the UK access to Higher Education has opened wide and the numbers of people going on to University have increased exponentially the last 20 years to the extent that many people have a degree these days of one colour or another. At the same time we do still have a largely middle aged workforce for whom access to University was throttled back in their day as so many more people rightly expected to leave school and enter into trades.

University either wasn't on their radar or simply not a route they were encouraged to head down. For these people who missed the boat with the University surge in the early nineties these sorts of qualifications are a way in. I still meet the older crowd who are impressed that I have a degree and somewhat starry eyed about it (essentially because they haven't a degree themselves and it was rather an elitist thing back in their day) but having seen the quality of some of the people getting into University I do think many of the older folks without degress are much smarter than many people getting Bachelors degrees. I put that down to more solid elementary and high school teaching in that generation, more reading and more attention to detail as less shake and bake solutions like the web were available for homework. You had to work things out for yourself which develops the brain. Slide rules, numeracy, grammar.

mikedisd2

It's highly understandable that an undergrad would be vexed about having to compete with a one year's post grad qualifier. That works both ways though, as I'd be erked that a kid just out of uni would be considered equal to my years in the field. It's how a career differs from a job; you continually learn, progress and work your way to a better position. I've made a contribution to companies and so got paid for it, instead of studying and building debt. I'm 33 and may be on the late side to be thinking about education but I don't care about that. Tertiary education just wasn't feasible for me when I was younger.

The question remains though; would a hiring officer consider a post grad cert/dipl with x years experience equal to a bach degree? As usual it'll come down to HR's discretion. I'll continue my intended path and see what turns up. Thanks for the responses.

Turgon

mikedisd2 wrote: »

It's highly understandable that an undergrad would be vexed about having to compete with a one year's post grad qualifier. That works both ways though, as I'd be erked that a kid just out of uni would be considered equal to my years in the field. It's how a career differs from a job; you continually learn, progress and work your way to a better position. I've made a contribution to companies and so got paid for it, instead of studying and building debt. I'm 33 and may be on the late side to be thinking about education but I don't care about that. Tertiary education just wasn't feasible for me when I was younger.

The question remains though; would a hiring officer consider a post grad cert/dipl with x years experience equal to a bach degree? As usual it'll come down to HR's discretion. I'll continue my intended path and see what turns up. Thanks for the responses.

The answer to that question will depend on the policy used by the company concerned. If the company ethos is to employ graduates then you still have that gap in terms of going through the lengthy process of a first degree, a process that the company believes is important for potential hires. Equating field experience to that educational process will be difficult as they are not the same.

I think if the company was adamant on hiring someone with a bachelors degree you would be passed over. However not all hiring regimes are inflexible. There are still openings for people without a degree and with demonstrable experience and a post grad cert or diploma you could still be a candidate. Tertiary education isn't an option for some people during earlier years and the market has room for that. Good luck with your studies and I hope some doors open up for you.