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I'm not sure I ever had a boss who didn't have a bachelor's degree, but I have a Master's Degree and have had a number of bosses who didn't have an advanced degree. Not sure it's comparable but in any case it didn't bother me a bit. They did their jobs and I did mine. Usually they had more experience or seniority in the organization, knew the ropes better and could take the flack from the bureaucrats above them, and I could just do my job. IMO those are good bosses, regardless of their level of education.
I've found people with degrees usually take the fact that they have a job for granted, or as if it was owed to them. Especially the new "rash" of graduates have been lazier, they act like they know it all, and they make a hell of a lot of unfounded assumptions.
Those without, I've seen, are harder workers, they do not take things for granted, they had to work from the bottom up, and they are more than willing to listen to the wisdom of others. They have to rely more on raw talent than cushy degrees. They have more to prove. I have no problem working for someone without a degree - it doesn't mean they're less professional, have less intelligence, or are any lesser than someone WITH a degree.
I've never worked under someone without a degree, but I've worked with enough pompous, ignorant, dumb j*ck*sses with a degree to know it really means nothing.
I know there are very intelligent thinking/thoughtful people without degrees.
But there are also a lot of Americans, in general, who can't write a sentence in the English language.
Even some college grads are barely literate (sadly).
More people without a degree have poor language skills.
At least a respected college degree will (usually) mean that you have adequate reading and writing skills.
Otherwise, all bets are off.
You are taught basic, and in some cases, advanced english and grammatical skills in preschool up until HS. If you go to college, these skills are simply reinforced and, in certain cases, built upon.
I know there are very intelligent thinking/thoughtful people without degrees.
But there are also a lot of Americans, in general, who can't write a sentence in the English language.
Even some college grads are barely literate (sadly).
More people without a degree have poor language skills.
At least a respected college degree will (usually) mean that you have adequate reading and writing skills.
Otherwise, all bets are off.
Sadly, I've seen all too many college graduates seriously lacking in writing skills too. I thought it might be because for some of these folks, English wasn't their first language, but honestly I don't know why otherwise.
Your level of education or lack thereof means absolutely nothing to me. It's how well you do your job and your interactions with people on a daily level.
The only reaction I have to someone's degree or lack of degree is if they try to make themselves "better" because of it . . . and it goes both ways.
Example "Oh well I worked on my Masters at Harvard blah blah blah and I'm blah blah blah" . . . then there's the "Well I didn't even go to school, it's pointless, I'm much better than people with blah blah blah and blah blah blah"
Both interactions are equally as annoying.
I only sign with my credentials on official documents, otherwise I never even recognize them because they are largely unimportant.
That being said, I think people over value degrees right now in a very huge way. I'm not saying I have no regard for education . . . I do. I think it's very important to become educated . . . but I do not always think that having a college degree is necessary to become an educated person. Overall I prefer people who make their own path which ever way they choose, and dont feel it necessary to brag about one thing or the other.
In my previous field (policing), nobody in a supervisory position had one. It wasn't necessary - strong street wits and experience was all that mattered. I was the only one with a degree. I'm in education now and everyone has at least a degree or two. I don't think their supervisory skills are particularly outstanding in comparison (both groups were spot-on professional).
A lot of college graduates are awful writers, true. IMO (as an ESL instructor), they tend to blah blah blah to push 1500 words rather than get to the point. ESL students might make a lot more spelling/grammatical errors, but at least they don't use superfluous language as much.
I have no issues with it. If that person has been in the game a long time and can teach me something then that's all I care about, degree or no degree doesn't bother me.
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