Degree Issue

Infoseeka72

I was thinking about applying to the geek squad this summer to get some kind of IT experience before i graduate (will be a senior in the fall). From what i see you dont need a degree but they say an associates would be nice, my problem is I had an issue at my Junior College where I got an Incomplete and transferred before getting my degree which i lacked by one class (a biology class). I am 2 years in at my 4 year university and have taken a science class plus more, eventhough it was a chem class, does this qualify me to say i have an associates degree? Eventhough I dont need it for geeksquad I want to know for future resume purposes because i dont want to be accused of lieing.

Infoseeka72

Btw the biology class was what i got an incomplete in

Whiteout

Hmm, if you weren't awarded a AA from your JC and you are now at a 4 year school working towards a bachelors I don't think you can list that you have an AA. I would definitely list on your resume the University you are attending and that the degree is in progress, that way employers know that you are working on your education. Good luck if you apply at Geek Squad.

Don't quote me on this though, I could be wrong. Ha ha. Let's see if anybody else chimes in with the same opinion...

NinjaBoy

Whiteout wrote: »

Hmm, if you weren't awarded a AA from your JC and you are now at a 4 year school working towards a bachelors I don't think you can list that you have an AA. I would definitely list on your resume the University you are attending and that the degree is in progress, that way employers know that you are working on your education. Good luck if you apply at Geek Squad...

Agree... Can you prove that you have an AA? Were you awarded your AA?

You may have the equivalent level of knowledge, but that doesn't mean that you can say that you have the AA.

There have been alot of articles in the news in recent times where people have been fired because of false information. Alot of people will say, well it's just the "Geek Squad" (or insert another employer here), however it is still considered IT, it's still experience and you'll still use them as a reference for your next job...

Valsacar

No, don't say you have something that you do not. Before I finished my BS I listed it as education, and my projected completion date (and if you have a good GPA you could list that as well).

I was asked about it once in an interview, they stated that they noticed I was working on my degree and asked about classes I had taken and what I have gained so far from those classes.

Slowhand

Nope, you can't say you have an AA degree if you weren't awarded one by your junior college. Even if you had all the classes in place you wouldn't be able to say that you had the degree unless you went through the process of applying for, (and qualifying for,) graduation. What you can do, however, is go back to your JC and apply for your Associate's now that you have all the classes you need.

cyberguypr

This is a white or black question, there's no gray. You either have the degree or not. From your info it is evident that you don't have it. You can take all the classes in the world but if the institution doesnt give a piece of paper saying you have benn awarded a degree.

kurosaki00

cyberguypr wrote: »

This is a white or black question, there's no gray. You either have the degree or not. From your info it is evident that you don't have it. You can take all the classes in the world but if the institution doesnt give a piece of paper saying you have benn awarded a degree.

cyber pretty muchs sums it up

erpadmin

Not for nothing, but why the heck does it even matter? You're gonna have a bachelor's any way...the lack of an associates is such a moot point to complain about.

Trust me, you'll be fine with just a Bachelor's.

YuckTheFankees

I definitely would not put down you have an A.A. That's like saying you studied 1000 hours for the CCIE, didn't take the test, but since you studied that much and know all the material...you can put down you have the CCIE on your resume?

archimedes

Cyber pretty much answered your question, but have you thought about transferring your credits from your 4 year back to the two year college which will then complete your AA degree. Pay whatever graduation fees and then get your degree. The AA will open up some doors for you while you pursue your BS.

ptilsen

archimedes wrote: »

Cyber pretty much answered your question, but have you thought about transferring your credits from your 4 year back to the two year college which will then complete your AA degree. Pay whatever graduation fees and then get your degree. The AA will open up some doors for you while you pursue your BS.

Sorry, but I'm inclined to disagree. An AA is not going to make much difference for you. If they'll hire you without a 4-year, they'll hire you without an AA, especially in IT, where a degree is far from mandatory. The AA certainly doesn't impact your market value by any appreciable number, at least not outside of retail jobs (which, granted, Geek Squad is partially a retail job). I think time spent on the AA is just a distraction from the 4-year.

Also, you can always list progress towards your 4-year on your resume. If you are 70/120 credits with a 3.8GPA and 2.5 years into a 4-year, for example, you can put all that down. IMO most of a 4-year still in progress is just as good as a 2-year.

Geek Squad in particular will hire you if you know how to use a computer and have a pulse. Come to think of it, I'm not positive those are requirements.

kiki162

Yeah they will hire you w/o a degree. From my experience they tend to look at certifications more and if you can pass their exam before you get hired. Now that was a few years ago, and I'm sure some of that will still be in play. However I'm not sure if they still have that test they want you to take or not. Basically you really need to be good with computers, be familiar with XP, Vista, and 7 along with Mac products and running anti-virus, spyware, and other programs.

networkjutsu

There was a time that GS required A+. No A+ means no interview. Nowadays, it seems like if you know something about fixing PC stuff then you're qualified to be GS.

Infoseeka72

Thanks for all the replies guys and the particular job im applying for isnt the standard geek squad job, you must be atleast 21 and have some experience doing in-home work for people (the job will require some house calls), which i get odd jobs through a program called workmarket. Its a first come first serve/only accept jobs if your qualified type of thing, idk if anyone here has any experience with it. They email you jobs around where you live like "windows xp needs installation" or "internet not working, but service is on". Eventhough I feel im qualified I havent accepted any yet, feel like i might mess something simple up lol. Im studying for my A+ and think ill feel better when i get it.

As far as the degree goes I never thought about transferring my credits back and from what i've read putting it on a resume not "technically" having it is a quik way to get fired. Eventhough this is supposed to be a mid lvl geek squad job they dont require a certification its just preferred, some of the higher ones do though.

Just for the record an AA on your resume is basically useless if you have a bachelors right? well not useless, but it doesnt hurt or help you either way?

ptilsen

Infoseeka72 wrote: »

Just for the record an AA on your resume is basically useless if you have a bachelors right? well not useless, but it doesnt hurt or help you either way?

Less than useless. It wastes valuable resume space which could have been used for more content or to have a more concise, good-looking resume.

A generic AA on its own without a Bachelor's is nearly useless. An AS or AAS has some value, but an AA basically just says "I went to college and I didn't drop out". Sure, all other things equal, it's better than no AA. But it doesn't qualify you to really do anything, and you won't find many professional jobs, certainly not in IT, that require an AA or even value one.