My employer prefers to hire degree holders. Whatever the reasons other managers have for this, I personally think this restriction only helps us in reducing the number of resumes we have to go scan through. A degree (specifically grades and the institution from where the degree is awarded) is a reasonable indicator for the quality of the candidate. That said, I have worked with a few college drop-outs who have taught me more than I have learnt anywhere else.

I depends on how well one can adapt, their commitment to life long learning, and their ability to transition from knowledge worker to leader. I have seen many grads and non grads fail in the transition to leader. Leadership is not something that is taught directly in class; it is something that you witness and comes naturally.

I don't have my college degree, but my two main strengths of commitment to life long learning and my ability to lead has lead to my success in the business world.

Jeff

Madam,

A nation of a billion people brings in its wake a set of unique situations.

In the area of business education, over 200000 aspirants wrote the Common Aptitude Test (CAT). The number of seats in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (6 at present) is 1800. In other words, one has to be within the top one percentile of the aspirants to make it to one of these institutions. The Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad was ranked among the top 100 schools, the key enabler being "the difficulty in getting admission." As one cynic has pointed out, the IIMs as they are called, would be doing an yeoman service if they were to just select the candidates and hand them over to industry!. So much for the value of an MBA.

Similarly, in technology, the Indian Institutes of Technology are known the world over. Last week, some 300000+ students appeared for the Joint Entrance Examination. They were competing for the 4000 seats available in the IITs. Again, we are looking at the top 1 percent of the aspirants.

When you choose the top talent available according to some measure, you have a set of highly motivated students whose only goal is to succeed. Period. In such a context, the value addition of the elite schools raises some questions.

Perhaps this is precisely the reason many recruiters are now shifting their attention to the middle-rung institutions. These recruiters believe that recruiting a candidate with the right temperament and attitude from a middle-rung institution makes more sense than recruiting from high-profile institutions at astronomical salaries. It is also possible that the shift has to do with high attrition rates and the cost of fresh recruitment, induction, orientation, training and related costs.

In the final analysis, while a degree may be used as an initial filter, those with a passion to excel, a positive attitude, and strong alignment with organizational objectives, catalysed by a set of core values are likely to succeed, irrespective of their educational background.

Warm Regards

When I was in a position to hire people (on Wall Street), I would never have considered hiring someone who did not graduate college.

As a career coach, I see too many clients who have years and years of experience in their fields who cannot advance because they do not have college degrees. I've been working with several women recently who could absolutely do the jobs they seek, but are denied the opportunity because they didn't finish college.

It's difficult to predict what the future may hold and how work culture may or may not change, but I believe that a college degree in the U.S. will be a requirement for upper-level positions in most fields for a long time to come.

Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers

As others have highlighted, the importance of a college or even graduate degree "depends."

Independent of the professions for which they are mandatory -- law, medicine, etc. -- others also place substantial emphasis on academic degrees and their source. Private equity investing, management consulting, investment banking and similar functions are among those that nearly mandate that persons hired into their organizations hold degrees, and most often from the most prestigious colleges and universities.

Conversely, my experience in information technology and engineering-dependent fields has been that there's far less emphasis on academic credentials than there is on the ability to perform and a record of having done so previously.

I feel companies would be better off by hiring highly educated employees. They simply have more value.

An organization that already has a well defined direction would probably be indifferent to the criterion of a college degree. It has determined a strategic goal and now, would like to have the employees work diligently at it.

An organization that is nimble and does not have clearly defined goals, would be better off by hiring educated employees. Such an organization sees far into the future and is not rigid enough to pinpoint long term goals. They depend on long term philosophies. For that, the horizon is much more fluid, which means that external environment would exert some forces on employees to change, learn and invent. I firmly believe that people with higher education levels would be able to perform these three aspects with much better performance.

Yasser

The Changing Value of College Degrees
Tammy Erickson
It is not eavesdropping. It is a fact. We have so many colleges, schools, universities, (I think the MBA has the roots in the universities), however, there you are we, have many avenues in MBA and many types of MBAs. There IMBA international MBA and many form all types of places.
I know many who have BSc in economics and are drivers of cabs. Why? There are plenty of employees these days that have opted for what we call arts subject leaving the science subject. All management’s students think they will get the employment once they are out of school, colleges and universities. They come out to find that IT is lucrative only to find that is they started late, had wasted four years in studying and the young ones over the 18 are already in the employments in the hot seats.
It is not really value of the study. I find that more is about the papers that are issued. Some unknown places give out the glossy papers that are nowhere in the online studies. This brings me to this offline subject. What exactly is online MBA and PhD when we compare the study time that one has to spend with the professor sitting side by side discussing and one who is miles away papers being thrown in by some one you do not know.
That has no value of the real education. Tried cutting the frog online?
Who are the tutors and who are the students doing these stunts is not clear and the education is being diluted.
I thank you
Firozali A. Mulla MBA PhD
P.O.Box 6044
Dar-Es-Salaam
Tanzania
East Africa

As a Business Management faculty at the University of Phoenix for the past several years, I can vouch for the importance of a college degree in the US job market. In every class I have taught, the average age of the students was 30 with about 5-10 years of work experience. All of them had taken a job right after high school instead of going to college. Now, after years of working at various positions, their careers had come to a standstill for want of a college degree. Deciding to return to college while balancing family responsibilities on one hand and working full-time on the other was indeed a formidable task. Yet, the thought of facing the future without a college degree was nothing short of a career suicide. The fact that most of my students get partial or full tuition benefits from their employers only goes to show that most organizations value a college degree when it comes to expecting better performance from their employees. Armed with a college degree my students are better equipped to face their career challenges especially in these days of economic downturns, outsourcing and the rising cost of living.

Raj Bose
Faculty - University of Phoenix

In Scandinavia obtaining a degree is a long process, and often a BA will not cut ice. Because of the generous grants, students can take years to graduate and change their courses - from starting off in medicine, it is not uncommon for that same student to shift two or three times, even ending up as policeman or chef! I think in the light of this, it would be better to shorten degrees to two years and allow students the opportunity to "add" one year degrees later. A modular approach in keeping with trends in business and society. Of course degrees like those for medicine and engineering should be longer. The grounding required for most subjects requires I believe only a six month intensive course. I am also in favour of life-time education that runs parallel with one's career and lifestyle.

I worked for a Fortune 20 company as a HR manager in customer service. We got a new Global Customer Service leader who abandoned our standard hiring practice of only hiring candidates with degrees. I thought this was absolutely appalling and wholeheartedly disagreed, as did many of our employees. However as we began to interview and hire people who did not have degrees, my thought process completely changed. Not only did they have more relevant experience, but they had a kind of "street smart" that other candidates did not possess. One young woman in particular stays with me. She started out as a secretary and advanced to a customer service team leader and six sigma blackbelt in less than two years. She was a MENSA member, had extraordinary people skills and a business accumen that would leave many CEO's salivating. She had been to college many times, but just couldn't deal with the rigor and tedium. She once questioned the logic of restricting hiring to degree candidates asking me "How many morons do you know with a degree?" How incredibly true!

I would ask all hiring managers to learn from this. Sure, it may mean a bit extra paperwork, but we are closing so many doors to highly professional people. I would go so far as to suggest the paperwork is not even that excessive, insofar as most people without degrees will not apply to jobs they know their experience will not be relevant too, unlike degree candidates who seem to mass produce their resumes and send to the entire planet.

All,
I have been working in the field for seven years, after a rough go at college and even before that high school; I found my calling in the corporate world. I have spent every day learning more from articles in various publications, books, seminars, and real life experience then I could have ever learned in school. Now seven years after realizing that school wasn’t for me I run a multi million dollar project for the world’s largest research based pharmaceutical company. I express leadership, management skills, and hard work to over 65 individuals that report up to me on 3 separate tiers. Being very young pushes me everyday to work harder, smarter, and quicker then the guy next to me. Remember that it’s not how good you are, or what you know, it’s ensuring that you have a plan to get to the next level. Some people have a difficult time getting out of there own way and can’t vision the next level; I’m already thinking about VP. But with all of that said I wish I had my college degree. Then I could prove to all those people around me that I was qualified for the position.
Jason

As much as I belive eligibility to a job is important, more crucial is suitability. Suitability being the right person-organization fit. Eligibility may take one up to a certain level, it is just a criterion to get to an entry level job but having the right fit with the job leads one to success.
I beleive the recruiting process should focus more on how the person woul perform on the job rather then a 3.0 GPA!

As a confirmation on what Mdme. Miriam Salpeter said. It is absolutely true that there is still a large difference in jobs for people who have a college degree and those who have not. Being a college student in Europe, i can personally tell u that it is unarguable to say that degrees matter! Managers from different firms i talk to, all say that a degree is a must. Without one, u cannot and will not begin to work. I do have to point out here that i am talking about the management jobs and for instance not about a job in the hotel and catering industry. (Such people also deserve respect. I've been there myself.). Besides this all, many people have indeed worked themselves up to a respectfull job without a college degree or what so ever. But in the world today, a degree is an undisputed must-have!

As mentioned in this article, the next Boss is only looking at the previous experience, is the reality. This is based on Society's true expectation of practical vs theory. The degree say that you can be trained, but it does not say that you've done or will do the job. The one that gets that foot in the door, will more than likely display the will do factor and appreciate the opportunity at a higher ratio.

Dear Madam,

Your post is very interesting. I am from India, an emerging economy with lots of problems both economic and social.

Education is a major problem, as we require Human capital for our economic growth.

There are two aspects of college degrees, one if you are a professional, where degrees is a mandatory like for example doctors, lawyers, auditors and certified accounts professionals.

The other side as Jason said he is smart, picks up things on his way and applies in business and becomes successful, these are smart people who can do Out Of The Box Thinking apply the knowledge from the experience that he has gathered, he is learning everyday.
These people are self-learners; self-learning can only be possible if you are self-motivated.

Many a times Executional Excellence scores more and required than Academic Excellence. Especially it is seen in the case of entrepreneurs.

Rather you require a mix of both.

This gentleman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi_Mittal
dropped out from post grad management from IISWBM, Calcutta, but a grad from Calcutta University, and today he is a big name in the global steel business and really speaking he has made India proud.

Yes, in the initial days of your career you require a degree to get an entry to a big corporate but in the long run you have to prove yourself and your executional excellence matters the most because it the value addition that you have to do for your employer.
Thankyou.

Dear Madam
Mr. L.N.Mittal is considered to be the most successful management student from
The Indian Institute Of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta.
Ref:
http://www.iiswbm.edu/profile_briefhistory.htm

With Warm Regards

I personally do not require a degree when I select people for hire. I'm 21 years old and I'm the General Manager for a million dollar+ hygiene company without a college degree. I had a do what ever it takes attitude to make it to the top and within two years I was promoted to General Manager. YTD I'm 18% more profitable than the former G.M., whom had 20 years of experience and a college degree.

I'm not saying the a college degree does nothing. I know lots of people who wouldn't have a clue in life if they were not exposed to the diversity of people that they met in college. Some people develop the right attitude, some are taught the right attitude, and some people never have the right attitude.

A college degree is what you make of it.

I can understand why companies look for academic qualifications. And I can understand why different companies give different weight to different qualifications, including the thinking of companies that try to find alternative ways to "measure" potential employees.

But I think the real value in any degree is what the student is going to learn from it. Is the student (i.e. me) passionate about the subject, but lacking in formal understanding of it? As humans, we set ourselves up to contribute most by following our interests and learning from people who have explored similar interests before us. And, when we're contributing effectively, we shouldn't have too much trouble getting noticed enough to be given an opportunity to further pursue our most passionate interests, completing the virtuous cycle.

I'll be continuing to study and learn both informally and formally for the rest of my life. I just like living that way.

A college degree is not just piece of paper....it is the cetificate given to you by the people who are supposed to be the masters of the concerned field. So, I strongly feel the academic degree should be the primary criterion in hiring an employee.

Nabina

In my experience, the lack of a college degree has not hindered my advancement in the professional arena.

I completed two years of college and finally said, "Enough!" when Chemistry class consisted of adorning bananas with condoms. Is this what "higher education" has become? My career path did not include prostitution and I decided that perhaps a so-called "degree" was not the best fit for me.

So head first, into the work wold I plunged. Every 6 months to a year for the last 6 years I have been promoted at each company I have worked for. And while perhaps in the interview process the topic of education is broached, the interviewer in the end, nods their head in sad realization that college education is not what it used to be, and a job is offered.

There is no replacement for hard work and common sense. People should continue to educate themselves. Learn from your environment and colleagues and there will be no limit to your sucess!

What does College teach us?? I have 5 classes left for my degree, all electives. Yet I am not as valuable as someone who has taken these 5 electives? (Organizational Culture-Colleges don't know true organizational culture=backstab and climb your way to the top) is how most companies work. IF your Pretty!, you'll succeed. They teach things that should be true, but are not. (Treat everyone equal=if only that were true at companies.
I think college is a great place for 18yr. olds to hang out for a few years, drink beer, take illicit items and have casual *ex. But as far as learning, I don't see it.
The requirement of a college degree is no less than discrimination, keeping people who can afford it, in easy jobs, so they won't have to do any real work.
IF there are any new ideas that one learns in college, which there are, the only problem is, is that the companies today that rely on 1950's management style and techniques are too daft to understand them and American companies continue to be left behind.
If someone got a degree 5-10-20 years ago, that info. is useless in today's world.
And not to mention the incredible debt college puts upon us!! As my business teacher would say, college costs will continue to rise, because...we keep paying for it!

I believe college education very important because it shows you the whole picture and all corners and distances are there so if you are in the field you will not go blind. On the other hand not all college graduates are qualified to succeed in life and not all none educated can't achieve their goals. I believe that you should have skills, interest, passion, and confidence with the ability to learn and analyze the problems and search for answers from books or other sources. So hiring graduates make it easier...but that depends on the vacancy and the ability of the firm or the interviewer to find if the skilled and knowledge needed in the candidates.

I believe college education very important because it shows you the whole picture and all corners and distances are there so if you are in the field you will not go blind. On the other hand not all college graduates are qualified to succeed in life and not all none educated can't achieve their goals. I believe that you should have skills, interest, passion, and confidence with the ability to learn and analyze the problems and search for answers from books or other sources. So hiring graduates make it easier...but that depends on the vacancy and the ability of the firm or the interviewer to find if the skilled and knowledge needed in the candidates.

I share the same views .....that every one's future today depends on the level of one's academic performance, much less added with the experiences one would had accumulated.

Employers, HRM, Headhunters - would like to make their selection process much shorter, simple, precise by all angles - through the same process as what we would select the best employee, staff, worker based on the criteria of Academic Qualifications(1); Experiences by Years (2); Attitude and Aptitude by Job / Profession approach (3); Adaptabilitiness to the Org. Culture (4); and lastly, Willingness to adopt / accept challenges to excel for the Org.

Too much an Academic orientated would not make any Org. any better off in their search for the right personnel with the right attitude and would be too difficult to oriented them whenever Org, changes are required of them.

Too less an Academic orientated would also end with the same directional problems for management in their search for the right staff, personnel to excel.

A bridge of the two variances would be the best ideal match to ascertain that every management has the ability of human resources whenever the balances and the checks are required.

From my experience, I would conclude that there is no replacement for a degree (I mean here any degree in any discipline). The reason behind it is that it is the only formal proven way of getting a huge amount of information and theories about any subject in the quickest possible time available based on the average human being intellectual capability. Of course any one can get the same info by not attending collage but it would take (in average) longer time .I would expect triple or 4 times assuming that he/she possesses an extraordinary self motivation in learning. I personally had thought about leaving my collage when I was an Engineering student, but because I practiced some summer training and was exposed to real working experiences, I found that there is no replacement for a degree as an initial foundation to excel in any subject and to be adaptive to real life problems. People who showed success without obtaining a degree may have obtained the skill or the basic knowledge from other informal sources and they may work in occupations which do not need theoretical background extensively, for example managing people and business is somehow more wisdom and common sense than accumulation of theories and formal certificates.

Maged Elemary

To me this debate of irrelevance of college degree is not a matter of great significance as seen from the point of view of the aspirant of such education.

It is of great significance to our society as a whole which is rapidly moving into the information and knowledge age. More and more I see as academic, that machines are replacing the human mind, that we are now required to "talk" our way up instead of "working" (to be read as using our competencies) our way up. In no other time in history perhaps, is the need for the human mind's use been of greater importance, and people are debating about the worthlessness of a college degree.

For academic institutions it is even more imperative to reinvent themselves to weed out such ideas that could be so harmful as to cause grievous harm to our society at large. A society which is increasingly reeling under man-made crises.

We need man-made solutions coming from fine minds with rock solid values to find solutions not glib talkers who masquerade as problem solvers.

Its here that academic institutions will continue to contribute.

Mona N. Shah
May 9, 2008

I think one important element you are perhaps innocently overlooking is that of nepotism!

Many jobs require limited education and skills that are easily acquired by either on the job training, street smarts or adaption of some kind. A kid out of school has very little value unless trained to perform a function with meaning. This reminds me of the story of putting a 1000 monkeys in front of a 1000 computers and obtaining some random output that appears to have value.

Most kids that are educated at high end universities are allowed to walk into jobs because of the good ol boy club, where nepotism allows for a great degree of margin of freedom, i.e, no mistake by any monkey is a threat, because the new hire is a friend of a friend and thus filled with great potential -- which is hogwash and monkey business!

If you look at the discretionary abuse of nepotism you see inefficiency and the seeds of decay. A degree is just a license to steal cash from society and to intermingle ones destiny in a network of pirates!

I love starting the day like this! I just wish they would get that guillotine set up a little faster so that we could seriously deal with these highly educated mafia/wall street crooks that are running The Fed and The banks, wall street, The White House, etc.... nepotism and faux education are resulting in Rome burning, and you people wonder why people question the value of chaos!