by Danielle Lane

Created on: February 01, 2010

A degree does not guarantee knowledge or the retention thereof. It guarantees achieved course requirements. Whether in hiring or promoting, demonstrated job excellence should rule and, degreed or not, may the best woman or man win.

There's oftentimes a gap between school coursework and its real-life application in the workplace that only experience can fill. People who have worked in an industry for years have a hands-on experience and knowledge base that is decidedly more valuable in the workplace than school-learned knowledge.

If a person is new to an industry and without a degree, is it fair to promote someone equally as new based solely on a degree? Hard work, perseverance and dedication should be rewarded regardless of educational background. Unfortunately, even when combined with talent and willingness to learn, these attributes seem to take a backseat to the importance placed on formal education in the eyes of most employers.

It's been said that college isn't for everyone. It can actually be stifling for certain creative types who thrive in a slightly less structured environment. Glossing over the cost of higher education, which is a huge factor in why some people do not earn a 4-year degree, some people find trade schools or community colleges satisfactorily fill their educational desires. But even an Associates Degree doesn't garner the same respect as a Bachelor's Degree or higher.

So the question becomes this: If employees are not hired or promoted based on their educational achievements does this devalue a four-year degree? The answer resides within the mind of the individual. If an individual went to school to earn a degree to make more money, then in the above example his degree is devalued. On the other hand, if an individual has gone to school to expand his knowledge base and grow as an individual, than his degree is valued on that basis and not on the value placed on it in the job market. It's a matter of valuing the degree for the knowledge gained in obtaining it versus what the degree can help one obtain.

I know someone who is just a few college credits short of completing his doctorate. When I asked him why he didn't go back to school to complete his doctorate he replied, “Because I went to two different universities and knew more than both of the instructors. If I can't learn any more than I already know, what's the point in getting the degree?” I thought this was an interesting viewpoint. Clearly, he is more interested in learning and in the educational experience as a whole than in obtaining a degree that, in the end, will not represent any gained knowledge.

Because the reasons why a person may not have a degree are too vast and varied to list (especially in a cover letter to a potential employer) it's unfair for an employer to assume a person is less qualified to perform a job than someone with a degree. A lack of a degree does not equal a lack of intelligence or ability. As equations go, that is simply an equation that doesn't add up.

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