What is the REAL value of education
I have been concerned for some time that we were headed to a place where we would be over-educated in America. In fact, I am not a college graduate. Nope, there it is! I think that college is important if you are planning a career which needs it. Please don’t misunderstand, I am very intelligent and I possess a mechanical ability beyond most peoples envy…despite what you believe my blog may reflect. In fact, yesterday, I couldn’t even spell brain surgeon, today I are one! Over the top, huh?!? In all honesty, I planned to finish college. But things happen and hurdles get taller.
I am not really sure how the education phenomena started. I would suspect that it began with career students in college who were afraid to get out into the workforce. Or, if college students could not find work and decided to stay in school to wait it out. Perhaps employers over amplified the education and cause mass hysteria so people went back to school. Most likely, it is the surge of schools who are pushing advanced degrees based on revenue streams rather than true need. What I am certain of is that now a Baccalaureate degree is almost worthless…more of an expectation than conceivable education. In another decade, I believe that we will see this trend continue to the point where we are over-educated, as a country.
But, today, I am seeing a disturbing trend. Frankly, we are top heavy with bachelors level educations and now the marketplace seems to be flooded with graduate degrees. Why, exactly, does it take a MBA to be a salesperson or a bachelors degree to manage a warehouse? And, why would an MBA hold more value than someone with 20 years of experience? It is no longer uncommon for a potential employer to ask for an MBA, 10years experience, Six Sigma BlackBelt and your first born son (just kidding)…just to get an interview! Education is VERY important, but when that education is disproportionate to the duties of the role and is expected as prerequisite for jobs better handled by someone with experience, well…we devalue that education. Case in point; I have a friend whose wife was a Baccalaureate Registered Nurse, which is uncommon. Only about 30% of Nurses hold a Bachelors level degree. They decided their family would have more professional flexibility with a graduate degree. So, she enrolled in an online graduate degree program. Well, folks, her husband does not work in the medical field, nor did he hold a bachelors degree. Yet, he completed her graduate degree for her. There is is…square peg into the round hole and they made it fit. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that Masters degrees should hold little value. I understand that it has done nothing for her career, but it looks really nice on her signature block of the memos and e-mails she writes. The University should have just asked them to write them a check and hand over the degree.
As a manager, I learned that I don’t need to know how to “fix the truck”, I need to know how to hire and manage people who know how to “fix the truck”. So, I hope that this post makes Companies feel really dumb for seeking advanced degrees for potential candidates. I hope that the hiring managers feel duped because I have given an example of just how worthless the degree really is. And, most of all, I hope that everyone takes notice and decides that America needs to realign the necessary education to match the job market. Hire based on experience…it is the only way you can reasonably tell how a person can perform. Most of all, companies should invest in their personnel by hiring people that are a good fit and then invest in their growth.
Categories: Business
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February 8th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Sooooooo right, although I’m Canadian, it’s the same bullshit going on here. The ONLY reason I went to College and spent my $ was because society said I had 2 if I wanted to be successful. Guess what? I hate my job and it has nothing to do with my education because after trying to get into that field for 3 years I gave up! The American government sucks, and it’s bitch, the Canadian government sucks harder.
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February 8th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
@ Katie – Sux, huh?!? I have friends in Edmonton, Alberta and I feel ya. But, the craps gonna hit the fan when we all gotta have an MBA to flip burgers! Thanks for stopping in!
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