Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Recently, I had a discussion with a couple co-workers about job prospects. I'm the young one in the group, with only a few years of post-college job experience. The other two have at least 10 years experience. One has an AA and the other, a high school diploma. I was telling them how I was considering going back to school to pursue an engineering degree. They were telling me that it was worthless to do that. They argued that I should just try to get in with an engineering firm with my current experience and just work my way up to an engineering position. I told them that they'd probably still send me back to school, but they vehemently disagreed. It's all about experience and who you know, they argue.
The guy with the high school diploma and 10 years of experience believes that he is qualified for any type of job he wants, aside from positions that require a M.D. So basically, he thinks that he can get a CPA position, any kind of engineering position, a programming position, etc. Granted, he's had the same job for the past 10 years, and he got it during a much better job market. So I will take his input with a grain of salt.
The guy with an AA and 10 years of experience is sort of in the middle on this topic, but he also leans towards the idea that you can get pretty much any position, no matter what degree or certifications you have. As long as you have experience, you're good. He's had several types of positions since graduating with an AA and has moved up to a management level, so I see him as a more credible source of information.
Now, I know to some of you, this might seem very silly. But I will humble myself and consider the possibility that I may be wrong on this. After all, I only have a few years of post-college work experience. What do you guys think? Can you pretty much become anything (aside from a M.D.) with experience and connections (no degree required)? This includes technical fields like engineering, CPA, accounting, programming, etc.
Last edited by Z3N1TH 0N3; 03-30-2011 at 02:07 PM..
Yes, absolutely. There are some positions you may never be able to achieve (possibly being a CEO, for example, without an MBA or Doctorate), but overall I'd say both of their opinions are right on-target.
Yes, absolutely. There are some positions you may never be able to achieve (possibly being a CEO, for example, without an MBA or Doctorate), but overall I'd say both of their opinions are right on-target.
So, for instance, I can become an engineer or CPA just by working my way up? No specific degree necessary for either field? Has anyone on this board ever accomplished this in their career? I'm just trying to get some insight so I can decide if going back to school is a good idea for me.
Last edited by Z3N1TH 0N3; 03-30-2011 at 01:51 PM..
So, for instance, I can become an engineer or CPA just by working my way up? No specific degree necessary for either field?
NOOOO, engineers and CPA's have to have certifications that are regulated by the states and or national certification body and they must have education, testing and so many years of work experience depending on what they are going for.
In the engineering field it would depend upon what type of engineer they are for instance Civil, Environmental, Structural, Electrical...each one has a governing body that tests and certifies and in order to sit for exams you have to have a degree at a recognized college. Two of my best friends are engineers, one is Civil and the other Environmental - both have degrees, both had to sit for exams and other qualifications such as so much documented work experience for certain certifications.
One of them used our company as an example to back up his argument. People have been internally recruited to be engineers at our company, and many of them are not engineers by trade. They were buyers, logistics coordinators, project managers, etc. Some have degrees, some do not.
If you are Engineering anything that is going to be built, you certainly better have the correct qualifications. If your design fails (roller coaster, office building, computer chip) that lawsuit will be sitting on your/your companies' doorstep. Unfortunately people throw around the title "engineer" much too loosely these days.
If it helps, we are in the communications industry. These aren't titles like "garbage transport engineer" or "data entry engineer". These are "telecom engineers".
I see where they're coming from- you don't need college to do certain jobs, even though employers now require one for just about anything more complex than cleaning toilets.
However, I think now their school of thought only applies to those who are "grandfathered" in that they already have their position. They might find it much harder than they think to make a lateral change without a degree. Employers ask for people with degrees now simply because they can.
But, there are jobs that are state-regulated, and no matter how well you taught yourself or learned OTJ in days of yore, you're not getting it without the license/certificate/credential. No matter how much they think they know, they're not getting jobs as a CPA, nurse, attorney, therapist, etc. without that piece of paper from the state that says they can do it.
Software engineers don't necessarily need a degree, although most have one. But if you have talent, that often trumps degrees and experience!
Some grading engineers don't have degrees.
And you can definitely be a CEO without a degree - if you start your own company!
Obviously there are some jobs that absolutely require degrees or certifications, but there are also plenty of careers where most have degrees, but it may not be a requirement. And while it is certainly possible to start at the bottom and work your way up in many careers - having a degree often helps you leap-frog over others without a degree.
I think it really comes down to what you want to do, and whether you like school or not. Some people hate school so much, they'll do anything to avoid it, so a few years spent on the bottom rungs working their way up seem preferable. But if you want to enter a profession where a degree is mandatory - or if you want to get ahead faster - or if you just plain like school - then the no-degree-work-your-way-up path may not work for you.
No matter how much they think they know, they're not getting jobs as a CPA, nurse, attorney, therapist, etc. without that piece of paper from the state that says they can do it.
I think their point with this is that they can just self-study, then take the exam (CPA, state bar, nurse certificate, etc.) without going back to school. I mean, you don't need a J.D. to take the bar and pass, do you? So technically, that could make you an attorney without a degree.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
