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I know most job postings list specific majors you must have to apply. I was wondering how much this matters and when it matters? How much experience do you need in that field when your major no longer matters? Would an internship be enough?
Honestly, I think it depends and you just have to use common sense. If your degree is in English or History, applying for an Engineering or Accounting job is a waste of time. However if your degree is similar to what they're asking for or if the job description comes with the caveat "degree in XYZ or other related field" you have nothing to lose by applying.
Honestly, I think it depends and you just have to use common sense. If your degree is in English or History, applying for an Engineering or Accounting job is a waste of time. However if your degree is similar to what they're asking for or if the job description comes with the caveat "degree in XYZ or other related field" you have nothing to lose by applying.
I guess I'm asking more about how this differs based on experience level. IF you have a English degree, but a year experience in accounting, then you will get some looks.
I guess I'm asking more about how this differs based on experience level. IF you have a English degree, but a year experience in accounting, then you will get some looks.
Never.
Maybe after 10 years in accounting.
As a sweeping generalization, the more work experience you have the less the actual degree matters, it just matters that you have one to get past the ATS system questions.
But one year, or even three years of experience will not substitute for a degree. There are quite a few job announcements out there that state that a Masters degree counts for one year of job experience. No way you will have one year of job experience count for a Bachelors.
As a sweeping generalization, the more work experience you have the less the actual degree matters, it just matters that you have one to get past the ATS system questions.
But one year, or even three years of experience will not substitute for a degree. There are quite a few job announcements out there that state that a Masters degree counts for one year of job experience. No way you will have one year of job experience count for a Bachelors.
I never in my post said count for a bachelors degree if you don't have a degree at all. I'm talking about your major being different.
I guess I'm asking more about how this differs based on experience level. IF you have a English degree, but a year experience in accounting, then you will get some looks.
I have a Master's Degree in Economics and over 4 years of accounting experience, and I've been turned away numerous times because the recruiters said I didn't have an accounting degree. I've had few interviews as well though, so it all depends on the employer. If the job description explicitly lists an accounting or finance degree as a requirement, I'm out of luck. I've even seen a few listings requiring a CPA for $15/hr data entry jobs, which is absurd.
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When you see something like "Bachelors in Accounting or Economics or related" then it may not matter as much, especially with good experience. The "related" could be business or management, but maybe even English or Psychology with enough experience. Without experience, however, the specific degree becomes far more important. When deciding who to interview I have to get HR to agree that the person meets the minimum requirements, but when borderline I make the final decision. I like to consider the whole picture, and when in doubt, may go ahead and interview someone without the specified degree if they have done that kind of work 2-3 years or more. It becomes that much more important then for the candidates to sell themselves in the interview and work sample project, if I do one.
It becomes that much more important then for the candidates to sell themselves in the interview and work sample project, if I do one.
Sample projects make sense on paper, but I've had several friends flat-out refuse to interview with any companies that require sample work as part of the interview process, because usually it's just extorting free work out of job applicants.
It definitely depends on the employer and what they're looking for.
Last year, I applied for a job where they were looking for "Accounting, Finance, or other related majors". I'm working on my Bachelor's in Accounting, so I applied. About a week later, I get called in for an interview. This job was for working at a bank.
The entire time, the interviewer, the same guy who called me in, kept lamenting on why I was an Accounting major and how dare I apply for the job! He kept saying, "I don't know why you bothered applying, you're only going to do accounting for the rest of your life and that's it. I should know because my wife is a tax accountant. So how do you think you're going to be able to do this job? Why should I hire you?"
This is an extreme example, of course. I'm pretty sure most employers are a lot more flexible on this.
There can be requirements for professional licenses for some positions. For example, someone can have 10+ years in a position with the same job description as an engineer. However, they could never be licensed as an engineer in my state without a bachelor's degree in engineering. Master's/PhD/other work experience can't make up for it. It could be a similar situation..
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