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.
In looking to hire an engineer, for example, the company changed the description in the job listing and broadened the search to include people who might have related skills and versatility. Instead of asking for a specific degree, such as a bachelor's in mechanical engineering, or a certain number of years' experience, the team described the exact skills needed to fill the role -- and struck gold.
"What did we want an engineer to do? And a certified diesel mechanic looked at that and went, 'I have all of those skills,' " Harter said, noting the person had no degree or background in engineering. "And we hired him and he was a rock star -- he did a great job for us."
I really wonder what the job description was though. If a diesel mechanic could do it, I doubt it was actually engineering. Sounds like it might be more of a fabrication thing.
And yes there has been a rise in companies needing engineers. It's odd. Like if engineers disappeared. However most of these companies never needed to hire engineers before, so they don't really know what they're looking for, what they need, or what engineers do. I had a recent experience where I was hired as an engineer on a contract basis for this manufacturer and they had no idea what engineering was. The engineering was guessed by the sales guy, customer service guy, and the owners little brother to the detriment of their product.
Last edited by orionstars; 08-16-2017 at 10:59 AM..
Reason: guess to guessed
It's difficult to do that because clients want to see credentials.
Some dude with a degree in Anthropology might have a great grasp of Structural Engineering, but at the end of the day when the client sees his building skeleton is designed by a guy with a degree in Anthropology, he's gonna freak.
That aside, everybody and their mom knows degrees don't mean much in terms of what you can and cannot do at work.
On top of that, the days when you get any kind of meaningful experience without having that specific degree are almost done.
Yes, skills are more important than a degree. Like the article said, so many people aren't working in jobs that are the same as their degree.
An accounting major doing sales. Why? Because he realized after he graduated and worked in accounting that sitting in front of a computer staring at Excel sheets wasn't for him, and he was much happier talking to people.
It's difficult to do that because clients want to see credentials.
Some dude with a degree in Anthropology might have a great grasp of Structural Engineering, but at the end of the day when the client sees his building skeleton is designed by a guy with a degree in Anthropology, he's gonna freak.
That aside, everybody and their mom knows degrees don't mean much in terms of what you can and cannot do at work.
On top of that, the days when you get any kind of meaningful experience without having that specific degree are almost done.
Exactly, and the legal liability and malpractice issues could be huge. Just imagine someone getting injured or killed and the jury finds out that the "engineer" working on the project was actually a non-credentialed diesel mechanic.
I don't even recall half the crap that I learned in college ten years ago, nor does it specifically apply to what I'm doing in my career now. So I don't know why I should be considered, or excluded, for most jobs based on that alone. I hope that more companies embrace this hiring mindset to an extent.
Obviously, I understand that I can't reasonably hop into certain professions without specific education in that field (accounting, law, nursing, medicine, engineering, etc.). But there are a lot of jobs that don't necessarily fall into those buckets, that don't have specific corresponding college degrees tied to them, and yet the job description will lazily list some absurd grouping of very specific technical degrees as a requirement. It's as if HR doesn't know what to jot down as a requirement, so they list the most stringent degree requirements as if an Engineering or CS grad is the only type of person capable of being a Data or Business Analyst or what have you, while the rest of us plebes fight for the scraps. It is beyond frustrating at times.
On a positive note, the degree requirements for these non-degree specific technical roles seem to be more of a wish list than an actual requirement. I've received job offers in all sorts of fields and industries, and the fact that I had a degree was more important than what it was in.
Wow, who would have thought, employers thinking outside the box and not being pigeonholed into candidates with only certain technical degrees.
<>
In my work at an electronics connector company one of our best project managers was a marine biology major. He had some terrific insights.
"And did not smell fishy at all"
Yes, skills are more important than a degree. Like the article said, so many people aren't working in jobs that are the same as their degree.
An accounting major doing sales. Why? Because he realized after he graduated and worked in accounting that sitting in front of a computer staring at Excel sheets wasn't for him, and he was much happier talking to people.
It is wrongly assumed by a lot of folks on the board that if a person isn't working in their field of study, they're somehow a failure and their education was a complete waste of time and money.
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.
