We still hear it all the time: “We have to have a college degree!” Now we understand there are some jobs that absolutely have to be filled with degreed people. Years ago a non-degreed engineer could become registered thru apprenticeship, but no longer. Now one does have to be degreed. A CPA today has to have a degree, even though; years ago one could become certified without a degree. There are positions that require one. HOWEVER, the vast majority of the time we hear that a degree is necessary, it just plain… ain’t so!.
We like to ask: “Why do you need a degree?” We usually hear that “it’s “corporate policy” or “the boss thinks we have to have one”. We don’t argue. If degreed people are available, we guess it’s all right to hire them. But the fact of the matter is we don’t know why companies insist on degrees when the function of the job doesn’t require it.
It has become a socially acceptable business practice to want degreed people. We have become conditioned to think that a degree denotes some kind of business acumen. That is only because America has sold us on the fact that education in the form of a degree qualifies people. The myth is perpetrated on the basis that having a degree demonstrates that a person knows how to complete something. Somehow it’s supposed to demonstrate accomplishment. We ask for degrees in certain disciplines because we think we should. It gives us a feeling of security, an external form of certification that states this person has passed inspection. We use degrees as qualifiers that let us off the hook when considering some aspects of the candidate. Since an impartial college or university certified this person with a degree, we surmise the person must be better than those without such certification.
The Truth
Sociologists have proven that social and economic mobility has no correlation to educational attainment. In other words, social and economic mobility are affected more by other environmental issues than by one’s level of education. Many socially and economically secure people get both undergraduate and post graduate degrees. That is because America deems education good, so these people, wanting to do good, will get degrees. But their degrees do not cause them to do better. These people can get ahead anyway for many reasons other than their education. We do business with firms that insist on degrees, and that is fine. In fact, there are some companies that insist on certain grade point averages from certain schools before they will consider a candidate. We can assure you, however, that the overall quality of candidates, quality of employee performance, retention of employee, and overall business success is no greater or less than those firms that are not that insistent. Their turnover, in some cases, is even higher, because they set high standards for average jobs. They hire notably above average people that meet their standards then lose them six months to a year later because the job isn’t commensurate with their ability and they are not challenged.
The message behind all this is that when companies hire they need to ask themselves WHY people need degrees to function in certain jobs. There are many ways to measure a person’s previous performance other than their ability to attain a degree. A strong case can be made these days for purposely hiring people without degrees. These people have a tendency to have more stability in their jobs. Their lack of degree often causes them to not leave jobs as often (because they think they will have limited opportunities) so they stay longer. These people often work harder because they know they have to make up for the fact they don’t have a degree. Initial salaries for non-degreed employees are usually lower for obvious, logical (even though fallacious) reasons. They can save employers money and they usually appreciate an opportunity to prove themselves more than degreed candidates. Saving money and getting a long term, dependable, appreciative employee isn’t a bad idea!
The point is we all need to assess the duties, responsibilities and functions of the position we have open. We need to conclude if a degree requirement is necessary for the function of the job. Can a person without a degree compensate with experience? Most of us, even those with degrees, will agree that experience is a great, if not the greatest, teacher. We aren’t criticizing firms who have a policy requiring degrees. We are saying, though, that they miss a lot of good talent when they do. Those of us with the option to hire both degreed and non-degreed people need to consider the real needs of our job. We need to avoid lump thinking that only degreed people can do certain jobs. From a practical day in, day out point of view, the qualities that make us function well in our jobs are rarely related to the degree we have.
Tony Beshara is owner and president of Babich & Associates. Beshara has been in business since 1973, and he alone averages $2.5 – $4 million per year in billings. If you have any questions about this article, please call (214) 823-9999.
© Tony Beshara, Babich & Associates
