Some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs did not complete a college degree - Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs.  However, their respective companies – Facebook, Microsoft, Apple – require degrees for most positions.  Is this hypocritical? Are college degrees really necessary for most jobs?

I am the youngest of seven kids in my family.  Five of us received our Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s, and two did not.  Yet we have all been successful in our careers.  I now have three of my own kids and each of them are very different.  My oldest is in medical school.  My middle is still figuring out what exactly he wants to do and is taking classes here and there.  And I’m ok with that.  I feel that no matter what he does he will be successful.  I think it is important to look at the individual and not just blankly state that everyone should go to college.  My youngest is getting ready to take his SATs and is interested in an engineering or accounting degree.

I think that for careers such as engineering, IT, financial, medical, etc. college is necessary.  But is it really necessary for more generalized fields such as liberal arts, sales, business, etc.?  For certain fields, could someone gain the same amount of education by working in that field for four years?  Imagine the amount of debt that could be avoided if this was the case.  At the young age of 18, many young adults still have no idea exactly what direction they want to take with their career.  It might be smarter to use that time after high school to work, volunteer, or intern to figure that out before spending thousands of dollars on an education that may or may not contribute to their success.  But for high school graduates who have a clear path and know what they want to do, perhaps college is the right choice.  So many other life skills are learned during those college years.

One of the biggest complaints amongst employers right now is the lack of soft skills that college graduates possess.  According to our 2017 Salaries for Co-Op Students and Recent College Graduates Survey the top three perceived shortcomings of recent college graduates are: career expectations (62%), adaptation to work environment (60%), and compensation expectations (47%).  Yet the top three knowledge/skill factors organizations consider when making hiring decisions, in order, are: 1) computer skills; 2) related coursework; and 3) degree level.  So obviously corporations still place a high value on education.

I have to admit that for most jobs here at ASE we state that a degree is required.  But as the current labor shortage continues to grow it may be time for employers to cast a wider net and include those individuals without a degree.  It is imperative that we as employers continue to find new avenues of finding talent. 

Do you require degrees for most jobs in your company?  Would you consider hiring someone fresh out of high school for an entry level job?  I’d love to hear your views and hiring practices.  Email me at [email protected].  I heard from several of you regarding the last blog about weak managers.  It was interesting to hear that turnover was dramatically decreased when a weak manager departed.  I appreciate your feedback.