Are Businesses Prejudice?
It seems today everywhere you look there is a job listing that requires a Bachelor's degree just to fill the requirements of the position. But is this being prejudice against job prospectors? What happened to experience is enough. What if the applicant has 14 years experience in a field but only an Associate's degree. Is the business going to turn him down because he doesn't have a BS degree?
If the business manager argues that this person should have taken the time to improve his education to get his BS degree, I would say nonsense. That is a load of crap. Perhaps the applicant was so busy working to make a living he didn't have time to pursue higher education.
I think hiring managers or businesses should not place high standards on job applicants. If an applicant has been working in his chosen field for years, he know more than what any college could teach him.
The only think college does is teach a person to think, not to reason or use commonsense, which is one attribute that many people, especially managers, seem to lack. So what a person has a Bachelor's degree or a Master's. What is the big deal. I can take a man who has up to 20 years experience in a certain field and pare him with someone with either a Bachelor's degree or a Master's. The result. The person with the experience would do a hell of a lot better than the educated one. Why? Because being educated is one thing, but having hands-on experience is another. It seems to me that it is more important to have hands-on experience than to have the education. Education is superficial. Actually working on something is reality.
Now I'm not knocking education. If someone wanted to pursue higher education, that is his or her choice. I just don't like it when a manager judges an applicant based on his educational level. That is going too far. I had that experience recently. I have 14 years experience in the computer repair field. I tried to apply for a job as a technician. One of the requirements was the person needed a Bachelor's degree and at least two years experience. I contacted the company and told them I had 14 years experience. The manager asked me if I had a Bachelor's degree. I said no. I had an Associate's. He said he was sorry but he must hire someone with a Bachelor's degree first. That was the requirement of his company and the state. He said something about getting kickbacks from the government for certain amount of workers who have a Bachelor's degree. I told him of my experience. He said he understood that I was the most qualified and wanted to hire me, but his boss said no. No matter how qualified I was, if I did not have a Bachelor's degree, forget about it.
That is downright prejudice. His manager cared more about his damn kickbacks than about hiring the best in the business. I told the guy the company was losing the best there was. He confessed he knew that but his hands were tied.
What is happening to this world. Has society gone mad. Has society gone so money hungry and they will take a chance and lose a great prospect over a little handout? Also, why do businesses insist that they have to follow the rules to a tee anyway. I think it is more important for a business owner or manager to hire someone who can step to the plate and contribute immediately. In the long run the company will gain 10-fold. In other words, the company will gain more financially by hiring someone with experience over someone with the prestigious degree. That is the bottom line.
Harry Husted is a freelance writer and author. His writing projects include ghostwriting, copywriting, web site content, and DTP. His credits include articles for Internet Day, Internet World, Advertising Today, Advertising Age, L-Advertising, and a host of others. Harry is also an author of three books, Learn How to Repair Computers: Get Certified in 15 Weeks, How to Write Your Way to Millions, and How to Find and Start a Legitimate Home Business. He can be reached by sending email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit his site at http://www.creatingwords.com
This article is copyright (c) 2002 by Harry Husted, and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included.