Do employers view professional certificates equal to degrees when hiring people?

Question

Do hiring managers look at professional certificates equal to a BA/BS degree? How would a person with a professional certificate and 10+ years expereince rank against a recent college degree?

Answer 1

If both candidates are entry level, then of course the manager picks the more educated candidate(assuming he has a good work history and wasn't a total cad at the interview). Though I certainly wouldn't speak for everyone, I would think people might prefer the 10 plus experience candidate, though they might encourage you to pursue further education, depending on the field you chose to work in.

Answer 2

No, a BA/BS degree from an accredited college is always ranked higher than any degree or certificate from any other source. It would be like me getting an Engineering Management certificate while someone else got a Masters in Engineering Management or even a Management bachelors degree. If everything else is equal they will always take the accredited degree before any other piece of paper.

In some cases, they would rate the recent college graduate higher than the work experience especially if they are looking at developing the new recruit. Plus usually someone with 10+ years of experience is looking for non entry level positions within a company.

Answer 3

A professional cert is not the same as a BS/BA and would not be viewed that way.
However, with 10+ years of experience, that makes the whole scheme of the situation different.
A recent college grad does not have the experience, and depending on the size of the company and the amount of time they have to invest in training, you would be a more qualified candidate than the recent college grad.
My only concern would be why are you looking for a new job now? What are your reasons for leaving your employer? With 10 years in, you are making more than I can pay you to start.