How many of you wouldn't have your current job without a degree?

YuckTheFankees

I know everyone has their own opinion on how much experience, degree's, and certifications can help someone land a job but I just have a basic question....How many of you wouldn't have your current job without a Bachelor's degree?

a.a.!4life

I don't have a bachelor's degree and have a management position in a non-it field, I'm hoping to change that to a higher paying position in the IT field w/a bs it once I graduate from WGU.

cxzar20

My employer will not hire engineering positions without a four year degree minimum. I have an MS and my team has two more with master degrees and four with a bachelors. While I find the ever increasing cost of college to be incredulous I still feel that it makes a more well rounded worker. IT is changing so don't count on having CLI only jobs for the long term.

powerfool

My employer, as a whole, has a general policy that requires a BS/BA, minimum, so that would apply to me. However, under certain circumstances they will make an exception: 1) When they beat an incumbent for a contract, the client will sometimes request certain people be retained... if they don't have a degree, they still get hired. 2) They are having a difficult time filling a position, for whatever reason, and they may let someone slide in with an AS/AA or some college, but their employment is contingent on completing a BS/BA within a certain amount of time (two years, if they already have an AS/AA). The time crunch is actually quite unrealistic unless you are looking at option like WGU, which is what one co-worker did. He already had an AS and plenty of the requisite certifications. He was going to shoot for one term, but ended up completing it in two and then began working on his graduate degree at WGU immediately following.

N2IT

Almost all of the jobs I have had since graduating from college required a college degree.

rwmidl

My employer has a similar policy as Powerfool mentioned. Most positions require a BS/BA, though there are exceptions for those without. Masters degrees are also looked highly upon.

SteveLord

In my state government, most mid-upper level IT tech/management positions they will say

Graduation from an accredited college or university and experience equal to X years of full-time work:.........

or

Graduation from an accredited four year college or university and the equivalent of X years of full-time professional level experience.......

My position did not have either. But I will likely need one if I ever want to lateral into higher positions.

Iristheangel

I probably would have gotten my job but a lesser title and salary.

paul78

@Yuck - my job technically requires a bachelors and maybe even a masters. But I have neither degree. I suspect most companies will make exceptions if you can demonstate experience and accomplishments. I work as a senior IT manager in a Fortune 500 firm but I have held similar positions in small firms.

N2IT

Experience wins out everytime Paul

School teaches you the concepts, but not how to put them in action. That is taught while doing the job.

SteveLord

Experience only wins out if your application isn't tossed by HR from the get go because you lack that educational requirement that they must have. Doh!

First round of a state job here is when they specifically look at the agency's requirements versus the applicants. If you get shot down, they will tell you it's because of that. However, you are allowed to appeal it. If you make it through, they'll tell you that also. Only then does your app goes to the specific agency.

paul78

SteveLord wrote: »

Experience only wins out if your application isn't tossed by HR from the get go because you lack that educational requirement that they must have. Doh!

Excellent comment - and very true - thats why I have never gotten a job through a HR department. Career networking is something that really needs to be cultivated and nurtured over the years.

Valsacar

I had no degree when I was hired (6 figures), I finished it and it made no difference at all.

I remember looking at my options when I left the Army, one option was foreign service (IT for department of state, IE embassies) and they said (for IT only) X years experience or BS with Y years experience... so even the Government is starting to learn that in IT experience trumps degree.

ptilsen

I don't have a four-year degree, and none of the jobs I've had required even a two-year. I'm in the final steps of interviewing for three different high-level positions and none requires a bachelor's degree.

That said, I'm working on a four-year degree and there have been many opportunities I've definitely not been considered for as a result of not having a degree. There have been a few I've not been considered for as a result of not having higher level certifications.

the_Grinch

I have to disagree about the federal government just now seeing experience trumps a degree. Almost every job posting I have seen has always said x number of years of experience or a degree. Most of the grade levels have what would be required with a degree and without one. But back to the topic at hand. I wouldn't have gotten any of the jobs I've had or offers I have had without my degree. I work at a college now and even for what amounts to a telemarketing position requires a four year degree. They've made exceptions, but usually only for part time people who are pursuing a degree. I will agree experience will trump a degree, but a college education will teach you how to think critically and how to learn. I know for a fact that I would be able to pick up concepts as quickly had I not completed my college education.

"A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education." - George Bernard Shaw

Akaricloud

I have a 4-years MIS degree and my boss has told me it didn't really mean anything when they hired me. Now would my resume have actually got pushed past the HR goonies without it? -I'll never know.

networker050184

I think this will be an almost impossible question to answer accurately for most people. Besides the government agencies and the very few private companies that absolutely require a degree most are pretty flexible. Pretty much every professional level job has a degree "requirement" and you never really know whether they actually care if you have one or not.

it_consultant

You should be asking HR "professionals", the sad reality of the situation is that many people are hired or not hired based on all sorts of weird standards and requirements that the employee will never be aware of. If we were, we would probably be outraged.

tleade01

in other words Mike, you got lucky and didnt need a degree

blargoe

It wouldn't have mattered for this job, probably, but back in the chain of jobs that I have held, it would have mattered, so I wouldn't have made it to my current job, so yeah, it matters... sort of...

DB Cooper

Work experience = degree
My company looks at the person and how you did during the interview.

If I passed out while I was flying, I would prefer someone who has actually landed a plane versus someone who has only landed a plane in a simulator to take over.

DevilWAH

Well I have a zoology degree but I not sure how much it had to do with getting my current job.

I thinky qualification have had little to do with me getting in go or progressing in IT. It has been much more about the results I have produced.

YuckTheFankees

Thank you for the input everybody.

jmritenour

Not so much for this job - either initial hire, or engineer promotion - but I'd probably be a lot further ahead today if I already had one.

herman.lavender

For my position as a Client Field Field Services Analyst (in other words...Help Desk). However, to secure a management position, a 4-yr degree will be needed.

joshmadakor

I work in State Gov IT and I got MY JOB without a degree. Management here however, requires a 4-year degree.

m3zilla

N2IT wrote: »

Almost all of the jobs I have had since graduating from college required a college degree.

Do they actually require a degree or do they just put it on there as a "requirement"? I've had several engineering jobs and have yet to earn my degree, although it's in progress.

paul78

it_consultant wrote: »

You should be asking HR "professionals", the sad reality of the situation is that many people are hired or not hired based on all sorts of weird standards and requirements that the employee will never be aware of. If we were, we would probably be outraged.

I'm often surprised that a lot of folks on TE perceive that HR departments have this type of authority. While HR recruiters do screen candidates, they do so based on the requirements that they are provided by the hiring manager and the job description which is normally created by the department doing the hiring. In my experience, HR is a servicing organization and their constituents call the shots - not the HR team.

I've only worked in about a dozen different companies and mostly in financial services tech orgs and I don't have a lot of experience as a job candidate with HR departments so my view may be a bit limited. Do HR departments really carry that much authority? Or is that just perception?

Akaricloud

I've mostly seen the opposite where HR professionals screen on their own judgement and thus are in control. Sure the department can over-rule them but that does no good for the resumes already in the trash.

One company I worked at we facebook'd applicants on a projector while eating popcorn to determine who we wanted to interview. Another I worked for picked their call center reps based on name: They'd pick out cool or unique names and give them interviews.

Often times HR will require a degree while the department really could care less.

VisionITTech

With the job market the way that it is...I believe they are looking for candidates with 4-year degrees. Of course, this depends on the position applied for. For entry level positions, A+ will get you in the door.

tprice5

I would've likely gotten my job regardless but it's hard for one to say for sure.