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> Justin Houchin
>
> My question is do you all feel that I could get turned
> down for a job over someone that has a bachelor's degree?
>
> ...I'm am trying to see if job experience would triumph
> over a degree. Please give me some pros and cons on this
> situation.

Without a college degree you could get turned down from a job opportunity
for some arbitrary reasons and for some good reasons.

One of my previous managers felt that we should only hire folks with
bachelors degrees -- specifically folks who "went away" to school for a
four-year degree.  I was never able to convince him that there was an awful
lot to be said for someone who earned his or her degree part time while
maintaining a family and a full time job or two.  This manager had an
arbitrary bias that I thought had more to do with class than education.

I find that a college degree can provide a broad range of useful education.
In particular, communication skills might be better developed in a person
who has a bachelors degree.  If you come into an Information Systems job
you're going to need to be able to write professional memos, e-mail,
documentation, etc.  If you've made it through a decent degree program you
should have picked up some project management skills.  These are, of course,
generalizations.

Meaningful business experience can substitute for (or augment) a four year
degree, but you should be able to prove it.  You need to be able to speak
intelligently about business processes and business practices.  There are a
lot of people out there who haven't absorbed useful experience because
they've been entirely focused on technology and code.

A few years ago I had a hell of a time hiring because the dot com boom bred
a market where value was placed on people who had quickly hacked out a web
development, MCSE, or DBA career with no degree and no business depth.  The
current market allows me to be more choosy.

I'd recommend that you pursue a degree.  Even if it takes you six years the
fact that you're actively furthering your education can make an impression.

-Jim

James P. Damato
Manager - Technical Administration
Dollar General Corporation
(615) 855-4375
<mailto:jdamato@dollargeneral.com>


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