Is it more important to have job knowledge, people skills and common sense, or a college degree?

Question

I went to college, but don't have my degree. I've always managed to get very good jobs. My 3 siblings all have degree's, bachelors and masters, and it seems that it didn't make a bit of difference in the job market.

What is your opinion?

Answer 1

I know lots more people without degrees who have GREAT jobs, both in pay, benefits, and security. However, the people I know with degrees who have good jobs are those with specific degrees, like Nursing and Math. The degree you choose is so important, literally the difference between finding jobs and not. General degrees that do not correlate with actual and specific skills are NOT needed. I have a liberal arts degree with high honors and it is really not worth much, but I am using it to go for a certification, which will then increase its worth.

I have had my degree for over 10 years and I have had several jobs that were not paying well, but gave me good experience. However, it is still not enough in this market. You cannot graduate with say, a degree in Communications or History and expect a great job, unless you know someone or you get really lucky. You will have to get an advanced degree (again, in a needed and targeted area) or work out of your field. I know lots of people who cannot use their degrees because they are too broad/general. There must also be a need for the degree. There is a big need for nursing degrees, but there are way  too many people running around with art degrees; often, they try to find a job teaching it and discover that there are hundreds of others trying the same thing.

If I had children, I would not advise college unless it was something like law, nursing, math...something they could use and employers want. If they wanted to major in something like Anthropology, I would object, because what could they do with that, in all honesty? I would encourage them to look into their community college for a career skill. There are some great programs from which to choose. My niece is going for her LPN degree, which is a very smart move. It is needed, it will pay well, and she will not have a huge student loan. The amount of people with huge student loans is staggering. My friend's co-worker owes over 60K and cannot find a job paying more than $10.00 an hour. I know people with Master degrees out of work or in low-paying jobs and their loan amounts are incredibly high.

This board is full of questions from people who are baffled that they cannot find work after graduating. Like me, they did not choose their degrees wisely. Experience and actual skills will always be MUCH MUCH better, whether with the needed degree or without.

Answer 2

Nowadays, employers require BOTH work experience AND a college degree to go w/ it. Having a degree is usually the minimum requirement for a decent job, but many companies ask for 3-5 years of experience to go along with it. Is it fair? Probably not, but so many people have degrees nowadays that employers are starting to be picky.

Answer 3

most places will require a 4 year degree and 2-4 year of job experience.  i know it hard but they want to make sure you know what you're doing with the least amount of training possible

Answer 4

Coming from a girl who has just graduated with a 2.1 BA degree after busting my behind for three years in university and currently works in a silly clothes shop I'd go with the former you have just said! You can have all the degrees, masters and phd's in the world and still be an unemployed clueless bum. Being educated is of course important but having a stable job is more so.

It depends what you're after too.

Answer 5

These days, a degree is a must. You must have that AND common sense to do well. These are generalities. I know some indisepnsable degreed engineers who can't carry on a normal conversation but are great at solving complex engineering problems. I also know some very good employees without a degree who do a great job but can't get promoted.

Bottom line- if you have always had good jobs, are happy and don't care about promotions, then why bother with a degree.

Answer 6

It depends on the person and his/her career. Being a freelance writer, my experience has been beneficial. I skipped college, but then again, my profession doesn't necessitate a degree.

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