Degree Required?

Determining whether a job requires a college degree can be tricky. The arguments for a degree are compelling, as are the arguments that it may not be necessary.

How do you decide?

Changing Standards

At one time, a degree was a requirement for management positions and jobs at a certain salary level. In fact, “degree or not” wasn’t typically a consideration; it was a box on a form that was automatically checked by HR (then called personnel) and the requirement was included in a job ad.
Sure, there were exceptions to the practice. An internal candidate who had a successful track record but lacked a college degree may be given an opportunity. Similarly, a job applicant without a degree but with extensive experience may land a “degree required” position … if he or she had been bold enough to apply in the first place. “College degree required” served to screen out many candidates.
This all began to change during the dot-com era. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs became examples of what could be achieved without a college education. Consequently, strict educational requirements for jobs began to loosen, especially in creative fields. Ability and experience carried more weight.
Today, given the shortage of job candidates, companies are once again examining job requirements and asking if a college degree is necessary. For some, the answer is “no.”

Skills in Demand

CNBC reports that IBM, which plans to hire 6,000 employees, will consider candidates without college degrees. Hands-on experience and relevant vocational classes are attractive to the technology giant.
This mindset comes from the top. Ginni Rometty, chairman, president, and CEO of IBM, sent a letter to President-elect Trump last November. In it, she discussed various issues, including jobs, writing: “Getting a job at today’s IBM does not always require a college degree; at some of our centers in the United States, as many as one third of employees have less than a four-year degree. What matters most is relevant skills, sometimes obtained through vocational training.”
CNBC reports that other tech companies, including Intel and GitHub, also hire candidates who don’t have a college degree.

Education Matters

Yet, while training develops job-specific skills, what about the well-rounded learning experience that a college education provides and a college degree theoretically confirms?
In an effort to address immediate needs, are companies limiting themselves in the long run by not hiring candidates with a wider range of knowledge?
A college education also helps people develop many skills that are applicable to advancement in the workplace, skills like critical thinking, writing, decision making, and problem solving, among others. Narrowly focused training programs may not offer the same learning opportunities.
An argument can be made that people who lack a college degree may have these skills, as well as broad and deep knowledge of various subjects. And indeed, education is not restricted to the classroom. There are highly intelligent, capable people who are largely self-taught.
Still, these individuals must be identified, through various screening methods. Focusing exclusively on task-related skills, at the expense of broader skills and knowledge, won’t provide insight.

Paula Santonocito, Contributing Editor for Recruiting Daily Advisor, is a business journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of more than 1,000 articles on a wide range of human resource and career topics, with an emphasis on recruiting and hiring. Her articles have been featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, referenced in academic and legal publications as well as books, and translated into several languages.