A few weeks ago, when I was on the verge of a breakdown due to the immense pile of schoolwork and papers and readings, etc. I found myself under, I had a long conversation with my Dad about whether or not a college degree is necessary to get a job. Of course I knew it was, but due to my mental state, I would have argued just about anything to defend my wanting to quit school statement. My thinking was that any job you get will teach you what you need to do to be able to perform your job as they want you to so why do you need to suffer through so much schooling??
My Dad told me that while you might be able to get a job under these premises, you would not really have much room to move in the job world, as most places when hiring will hire the applicant with the college degree. I knew this.
However, I just read an article that claims you can get a job without a degree, the author say that if you just are very specific in your resume and demonstrate past performance and proven results in your work, you will be okay. The author, Joe Turner (a job recruiter) says "You can outweigh the formal education by showing exactly how your specific work has benefited your previous employer. The bottom line is that employers today, more than ever, want to have problem-solvers on board. Though you may have no degree, you can prove yourself a resource that fits into their larger profit and loss picture. If you can demonstrate that, you can get hired."
I just thought all of this was interesting...I think it can work both ways, it just depends on how far you want to go in your career and how prestigious of a job you want.
Honestly I do believe a college degree is necessary. The reason being is that so many businesses look for that during the hiring process. The thing that I think people over estimate is your GPA. There are not very many businesses that look at your GPA over the four or more years you were in college. I think the business world looks more on your personal achievements outside of the classroom. Anyone can cram the night before a test and get an A and the have a really high GPA, but it’s the students who go out and get an extra job/internship or get involved in a program that really sets you apart from others.
College degrees can obviously be very beneficial for future career, but in the grand scheme of life I believe they are not that relevant. It is unfortunate that we have to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for an education, when most of the lessons we learn in college occur outside of the classroom. College degrees function as a formality during job searches, as they illustrate our ability to stick out four years of academic chaos. I am only a freshman, but can honestly say I have forgotten most of what I learned during first semester. I will probably never use the exhilarating information about Karl Marx in my philosophy class, even though I paid a pretty penny for it. I will, however, use what I learned during my experiences having nothing to do with academics. These life experiences will be more vital during our careers than knowledge from books will ever be.
I think a college degree is essential in finding a job that will help one to be financially successful. Yes, there are stories about those who have managed to be quite rich without one, but I don't see those exceptions happening to everyone. I agree with Bryan that the whole idea of a GPA is over-rated. I have never been to an interview where they ask me my GPA, and I have heard of many people who have been asked that information. What we learn in classes might not stick with us for a long period of time, but we do remember the experience, at least I do. All the group work I have done, meeting project deadlines, etc. have trained me for potential business situations. A college degree will also set someone a part from the crowd, because only a percentage of our age group ends up graduating from college, and as many current seniors know right now, getting ahead in the job searching process can be a bitch.