In 2017, What Is More Important?

[BEER]

What say you, Sherdog?

Is it more important to go to college or gain experience and labor skills in the job market?

 

[andnowweknow]

Experience, real world knowledge. I have a degree and my job has nothing to do with it. For me, an undergraduate degree is simply a way for employers to narrow a list if they have a job listing. All else equal, take the person with the degree, mostly just says you can stick with and complete something.

 

[BEER]

Experience, real world knowledge. I have a degree and my job has nothing to do with it. For me, an undergraduate degree is simply a way for employers to narrow a list if they have a job listing. All else equal, take the person with the degree, mostly just says you can stick with and complete something.

It makes me laugh every time I see a job posting that requires a 4 year degree, but not anything specific. A degree in underwater basket weaving would do the trick. I have so many friends with degrees that just work at bars or coffee shops. A handful of them with jobs that required a bachelor's but in fields completely separate from their jobs.

Meanwhile, I know a kid who dropped out of high school and now owns a successful body shop. He knew what he wanted to do, got after it, and ten years later, he's doing great.

 

[andnowweknow]

It makes me laugh every time I see a job posting that requires a 4 year degree, but not anything specific. A degree in underwater basket weaving would do the trick. I have so many friends with degrees that just work at bars or coffee shops. A handful of them with jobs that required a bachelor's but in fields completely separate from their jobs.

Meanwhile, I know a kid who dropped out of high school and now owns a successful body shop. He knew what he wanted to do, got after it, and ten years later, he's doing great.

Yeah, it's just a foot in the door now...and an excuse to fuck off for 4-5 years while doing something mildly productive. My degree is in poly sci, all you can do with it is teach...or go to law school off it. I sell super high end collector cars now. Go figure.

 

[ralphc1]

Experience, real world knowledge. I have a degree and my job has nothing to do with it. For me, an undergraduate degree is simply a way for employers to narrow a list if they have a job listing. All else equal, take the person with the degree, mostly just says you can stick with and complete something.

But if a person doesn't have a job that involves the degree it means the person can't do the job they got the degree in or they chose a worthless degree which shows poor decision making.

 

[FyrFytr998]

Experience. A lot of fields need capable workers now, not later. And if they can save pennies on training they will.

Hell even some Fire Departments would rather have candidates that have already put themselves through recruit training.

 

[Joe Wong]

Experience, real world knowledge. I have a degree and my job has nothing to do with it. For me, an undergraduate degree is simply a way for employers to narrow a list if they have a job listing. All else equal, take the person with the degree, mostly just says you can stick with and complete something.

This is spot on. Everyone I've ever spoke to about this agrees.

 

[Badger67]

Depends on field. My field requires special training (nursing, kinesiology, physio, doctors etc). We dont hire dipshits.

 

[Organic Damage]

In professional fields you can't get very far without recognized accreditation. There are tons of experienced foreign doctors and engineers driving cabs.

I guess it's the prevalence of self taught coders that keeps making it seems like experience is all you need?

 

[andnowweknow]

But if a person doesn't have a job that involves the degree it means the person can't do the job they got the degree in or they chose a worthless degree which shows poor decision making.

Not necessarily...

 

[bubbleboyjones]

In professional fields you can't get very far without recognized accreditation. There are tons of experienced foreign doctors and engineers driving cabs.

I guess it's the prevalence of self taught coders that keeps making it seems like experience is all you need?

This. There are actual roadblocks that prevent you from moving into certain fields without formal education.

Coding, programming and IT in general is in a grey area. These are relatively new fields and are not protected like other STEM areas the degree requirement depends on the company. Without a degree you can't get past HR in some bigger companies if you are a programmer. At the same time there is nothing preventing companies from getting Indians with H1B visas to work on code or even offshoring the work to people from across the globe.

 

[revoltub]

it depends what you go to college for. Mostly I think any kind of tech or skilled labor training is more useful now a days than a degree.

 

[HomeRun916]

Both very important..

Kind of like chicken or the egg.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

Go to school to learn about the nobility of the human spirit

Spend the rest of your life having your soul crushed in a boring job

Equals

Opium addictions, obesity, suicide epidemic

America #1

Experience seems better. Don't have to take a class in philosophy that explains how meaningless life is if you go that way

 

[JAEGERX]

you need grad school, so 4 year degree is just step 1, but the experience is always gonna be the basis of everything

 

[HARRISON_3]

I'd love to go back to college just to check out the chicks.

Ffffuuuuck...

 

[Anung Un Rama]

Depends.
Do you have a certificate showing your experience?
Are you looking for a job that requires a degree?
You can't do my job without a degree.

 

[VulcanNervPinch]

Ah, there's no easy overall answer to that.

Depends what type of degree.
Depends on experience in what.
Depends on what your personal abilities and potential are.
Depends on whether your talking purely financial, or other factors.

 

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

although the vote is 19-4 in favor fo experince, salary says otherwise

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

all depends on the major and what kind of job youre looking for.