The Lowdown on College Degrees:
What's Really Important to Employers
by Woody Robertson
For
college-aged students twenty years ago, obtaining a bachelor’s degree was the key to a successful future.
It meant that the student was nearly assured a well-paying job
with a respectable company. Today, because bachelor’s degrees
are so commonplace and standard, they are valued the same as
a high school diploma was decades ago. Today’s college
graduates aren’t afforded the same luxuries as their counterparts
decades ago. This is why twenty-first century businesses are
often requiring their applicants to have already obtained a master’s
degree.
Those looking at the significant benefits offered through distance
learning methods often ask, “How accepted are distance
learning degrees in the workplace?” “Will the company
accept my bachelor’s degree from a lesser known state school?” The
answer to these questions is a resounding yes!—as long
as these degrees come from regionally accredited colleges or
universities.
Is
a degree from a big name school really necessary?
In a recent Wall Street
Journal Online article
entitled “Path to the Corner Office Often Starts at a State
School,” “leadership
talent and a drive for success” were deemed as more important
than “having an undergraduate degree from a prestigious
university” by the CEOs interviewed. Communication skills,
leadership, and character are consistently ranked among the most
important needs in business enterprises and are becoming top
issues of concern to companies in their hiring process. Thus,
students who excel in these areas set themselves apart from their
peers and stand an excellent chance of finding employment. This
is good news to homeschool students who are known to display
a high level of character and self-motivation.
What
Employers See in a Bachelor's Degree
I travel frequently and one of my favorite pastimes is to sit
next to a person on a flight and ask them about their field of
work. I call it my “captive audience” in that they
are strapped in with their seatbelts tightly fastened and can’t
get away. I’ve met heads of HR departments, CEOs, presidents
of organizations, and directors, among others, and these encounters
have provided an opportunity to interact with business professionals
from all sorts of industries. I always ask what these executives
look for when hiring employees and it is nearly unanimous that
character and communication skills are two of the most valuable
qualities that they desire to see in potential employees.
A growing number of companies do not care what particular bachelor’s
degree an applicant has or even what college the graduate earned
their degree from. Most just set the degree requirement arbitrarily
as a means to filter through the applications that hit their
desk. For example, airline pilots are required to possess a degree
but that degree can be in any area of study. The degrees are
not required to be in aeronautical or aerospace engineering,
like some might expect them to be.
What
Companies Are Really Looking For
In the Wall Street Journal
Online article I mentioned
earlier, Warren Buffet is quoted as saying, “I don't care
where someone went to school, and that never caused me to hire
anyone or buy a business.” According to the article, Buffett,
who is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, graduated from the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. For many companies, the mere fact that a
student completed his or her degree is enough to prove their
high level of commitment and perseverance.
Another thing I have learned from business executives is that
they are more concerned that applicants possess good work skills
as opposed to simply holding a bachelor’s degree. In other
words, companies want to know that potential hirees are actually
experienced in carrying out job responsibilities instead of just
implying their ability by the degree they earned. This is why
CollegePlus! puts such a strong emphasis on seeking out mentors
and internships where students can gain first-hand, real-life
experiences. Because CollegePlus! students typically finish their
degrees several years before their counterparts, they often get
a jumpstart on their careers while others are still sitting in
college classrooms. This extra work experience speaks volumes
on a résumé. In the words of Dale Carnegie, “Learning
is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that
is used sticks in your mind.”
The
Potential of Accelerated Distance Learning
The business executives
I have talked with also lament that college classroom instruction
and business school philosophies
are “out
of date.” As such, many say that they have to “untrain
and then retrain” their applicants in understanding business
operations. One exec put it this way: “What they teach
students in college is simply not the way business is run today,
and definitely not the way businesses should be run if you plan
to run them from a Biblical worldview.”
Accelerated distance learning methods help CollegePlus! students
excel beyond their peers by combining textbook education with
real life learning opportunities. In fact, companies are actively
pursuing CollegePlus! students because of the determination and
responsibility they show in obtaining their degree at an accelerated
rate.
Beyond
the Bachelor's Degree
Therefore, there is little to be concerned about if you are
considering the possibility of earning a bachelor’s degree online,
from a small state college. Because students who utilize the
methods of accelerated distance learning can earn their bachelor’s
degree years ahead of their peers, such students can either pursue
internships where real life experience would be gained or pursue
a master’s degree. In the case of the latter, the student
would graduate with a master’s degree from the school of
their choice in less time and for less money than there counterparts
would spend on their bachelor’s degree alone.
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