Why is it so important to have a college degree?

Question

There is a position open in my work place. When the girl that has the job is out of the office, I feel the job. She has the degree and I do not. She will be out of the office starting in June and will not be back until December. My boss wants to me to fill the position because I know how to do the job and they won't have to train anyone else. When the president of the company found out about this he was upset because I didn't have a college degree. I start school in July. The thing that upsets me is that I already do the job when she is out and now he is making a big deal of it. Please help. I need to understand this.

Answer 1

I don't think a college degree is necessary, but people with college degrees feel like elitists. They think that because they went through the "horrible" college experience, and invested so much time & effort, it damn well better have some benefits. I think that the idea of college being a great benefit is starting to lose ground (except to specialists like Doctors & Lawyers), especially considering the cost:reward ratio.

Answer 2

Some companies just have a policy that says certain positions must be filled by someone with a degree. Every company has their own motivation for *why* they make those rules.

At my old job, we had contract employees and actual company employees. I saw contract employees refused for full-time employment---for the exact same job---because their college GPA wasn't high enough! Slightly different scenario, but similar idea.

Those rules probably have historical roots, e.g. someone came along and said "I only want college graduates doing this job".

Having said that, I think it's fair to ask the president why you need a college degree to do that job. If your boss is half-way decent he (or she) will back you up in talking to the president. Also, if you're starting school, I think that bodes well for your goal.

Answer 3

Because its a myth that only college educated people can do certain "high tech" jobs. I admit that alot of jobs should require a college degree, but i have seen so many jobs in my lifetime that required a degree in a certain field + X amount of years on the job experience, and when it comes down to it the job isnt all that. I think a company with such rules should be willing to make an acception if they aready have an employee on hand who has shown the skills and ability to do the job yet doesnt have the degree. To count such people out - such as how they are doing with you is only hurting themselves in the long run.
BTW, I have a degree in mechanical engineering, so its not as if im someone who never went to college and is badmouthing the system.

Answer 4

In the eyes of an employer, it's always best to have someone with a degree over someone without one.
It's discriminatory, but I guess the idea is that someone with a degree is deemed to be smarter than someone without one.
In the workplace, the value of an employee is often measured by the degrees that they have obtained, and renumeration is accordingly. The higher the level of education the higher the salary.
The employer has options in this day and age, and the educated person has a marked advantage and will almost always get the job before an uneducated or undereducated person.

Answer 5

People with a college degree have hopefully proved a level of commitment and hard work as well as time management skills. It isn't always about the academics (especially since you already understand what is required to do the job), but sometimes about the life skills learned in college. Filling in for a job once or twice is alot different than balancing its' responsibilities in your everyday life over a period of time.

Answer 6

Get the degree as you can. Even one class a semester or quarter will eventually lead you there. As to "Why?," the best reason I have heard is the old standard: "Because it's something no one can ever take away from you." The further along you get in your studies, the more you will notice your question answering itself. The day you receive your diploma, you can say to yourself, "This is why." Then perhaps you will look past your "job" and towards a "career," or a "calling."

Answer 7

A College degree gives evidence that an employee has the drive & the commitment to finish something for yourself without an immediate reward. It also provides the company that you work for with the knowledge that you have analytical and problem solving skills.

Answer 8

for some reason some employers assume that without a degree you do not have a good enough academic record. its rubbish because i have a degree and all my friends who didnt spent 4 years working from the bottom earn the same as me now. exams are no substitute for a grafter. go for it!! sometimes better for a person to be trained to the companys liking rather than getting a degree and then being told to work differently...experience better than quals in my view :)

Answer 9

Many companies are short-sighted. College degrees mean pretty much nothing in real life these days. Everyone qualifies, everyone graduates, they no longer ever grade you anymore, do they? Don't want to be politically incorrect.

Answer 10

if the job description states a degree as a qualification for that job then thats what you need. I know how to do the superintendents job at my work place that doesnt mean im qualified to do it!!