from the gnome mailing list
Degree or no Degree?
http://www.certmag.com/issues/aug01/feature_hollis.cfm
<p>I get in this argument fairly frequently, and truth be known, there is no
>winning position when it comes to the debate on whether IT professionals
>need college degrees. I've never attended a day of college, and I can't
>say I regret my decision to take the military route. On the other side of
>the fence are those that believe a college degree is necessary to succeed
>in a "professional" world, discounting the value of anyone that hasn't
>chosen to lock up several years of their adult life in search of a
>sheepskin. Those are the ones I usually end up in arguments with because I
>certainly find value in a degree, but not necessity.
>
><p>A gentleman from a local company called me up one day after getting my
>name from an unknown source. He started drilling me with Windows NT system
>administration questions, which were quite easy to handle. He asked if I
>was happy where I was at, which of course, I was or I wouldn't have stayed
>there. Anyway, it was apparent that he wanted me to go work for him as a
>team lead, which I was all too happy to consider, as I always keep my
>options open. We talked about responsibilities, salary and benefits, all
>of which were pretty decent. We more or less came to an agreement over the
>phone without ever having met face-to-face, though I hadn't given my
>absolute thumbs-up yet. He also had to pump me through the HR department's
>usual drivel, of interviews, drug tests and reference checks.
>
><p>I showed up on their doorstep a few mornings later, breezed through their
>interrogation, and everything was hunky-dory until they asked "the"
>question: "Where did you go to college?" Long story short, interview was
>over, and I was handed my hat. The corporate policy was dead-set against
>hiring anyone without a college degree to hold a salaried position. I was,
>and still am, more than qualified for the job, but based on company
>policy, I was not eligible for the job.
>
><p>Needless to say, I wasn't happy about being treated like that, which I'm
>sure has many of you whispering to yourself "should have gotten that
>degree after all". Well, consider this, why was the boss interested in
>someone for the team lead position when all of his troops had college
>degrees, and without ever having met me personally or seeing a resume?
>Interesting, eh? I don't say this to blow my own horn because I'm not into
>that. Instead, I wanted to illustrate a point in the matter. A college
>degree isn't the holy grail. People should be hired, not Cirriculum Vitae.
>
><p>Again, I certainly don't discount the value of a college degree. There are
>many things that college does provide. It's not for everyone, however, and
>to simply write me off as worthless because I despise classroom learning
>is an insult.
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