Hello everyone. As I write this I am currently thinking about how pure this white e-document is and how with every letter that I type, I am somehow making it dirty.
Anyways, years ago I used to write obsessively on Facebook. I had people following, commenting, loving and hating my blogs. I would write something and make half of my "friends" happy and the other half pissed. These days, I'm not followed as much anymore and I have noticeably reduced my Facebook presence. I used to write about college when I was switch schools and the differences between these "Mickey Mouse" schools that pop up everywhere. When I say MM, I am talking about these for-profit piece of shit schools that market themselves to the working adult. I left that type of education for something more real, and something more recognizable. That would be a state education.
I earned that degree, and let me tell you it was hard. I learned quite a bit at the University of Colorado, but I guess nothing more prudent than I had partied harder in the Army than the most distinguished have in college. So I spent the majority of my time working through classes. The college experience just was not there for me. Graduating was, and that was something I did last year.
......Since that time, I have found a flaw in our society that has opened a black hole of sorts: The Bachelor's degree. As it turns out, if you don't have one of these pieces of paper you can bet that when layoff's come you will be the first to go. Many of the people who I talk to at recruiting agencies have years of experience in Accounting, HR, Marketing or some other field that has a degree attached to it. Most were let get because they didn't have the piece of paper. That type of lay-off just doesn't make any sense, and here is why: every place I look for a job with my credentials they always want experience. When I ask them why they didn't just keep employee X, they say that X employee did not have an education. Well I am candidate Y, and I have no experience yet I have the degree. So I continue to ask what exactly they are looking for. It seems that without answering my question, I have found their answer.
That answer happens to be someone with the degree, and a boatload of experience who is willing to take a pay cut. What they don't know is that candidate with an MBA and 10 years of experience is better suited as a controller, not an entry level accountant. I found this out by applying to jobs that required an associates degree. When I apply, I always get an interview because of my education. I swarm through the interviews and leave everyone smiling because I have the degree. Then the second interview comes and I tell them my salary range and it's as if they didn't see it coming. They ask would I take an X dollar an hour decrease, to which I reply no. For instance I applied for a job the other day and got an interview. I asked for an hourly wage of $19 an hour, which just so happens to be the median for my accounting degree and right around what most of my peers in my graduating class are making. They try to negotiate me down to $12, to which I feel like just walking out. However I stay and listen to their arguments. It always boils down to what my potential co-workers are making. This says one thing to me: Bachelor's degree = Eye Candy.
So to make my point, I would suggest that when a job opens up and you just happen to be on the prowl for a new position just make sure that you are ready to have a stellar GPA for bachelor's degree level employment. On the flip side, expect your salary level to be in the cellar for jobs with less than the degree you currently have.
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