Readers: Diplomas worth their weight in gold

Jay McGee of Arlington, Texas, agreed with my article but is planning on going back to school anyway.

You are the second person I have heard refer to any such “no-higher-education glass ceiling.” I enjoyed your article particularly because I have been referring to its existence for quite some time.

I think it all started when a recruiter inside my own company told me that she couldn't even put my name forward to the hiring manager because I didn't have a degree. “It's a compliance issue,” she said, “and we've gotten in trouble for doing it in the past.” This despite, at that time, my having 10 years' experience in the banking industry and this being a job that I knew that I could do.

After this experience, I have come to think that there is no way for me to ever make a decent salary, or obtain the advancement that I'm looking for without a degree. Or without going into sales, which is a different animal entirely and does not care if your education did not extend past second grade. And, as at least one person quoted in your article indicated, a degree is even more essential if you're in my current position. I was laid off after 10 years with the company, and the world of job searching has changed dramatically in that time.

And so I will complete my education at some point.
— Jay McGee, Arlington, Texas

And it’s never too early to start thinking about whether a college degree should be in your future.

I just read your article entitled "No college degree? First get in the door," and it made me want to ask you about us: people that are graduating from high school and deciding between a four-year college or a starting at a two-year community college. I have done some research into the matter, seen a lot of pros and cons, but NOTHING on what sort of first jobs one could expect from an associate's degree, just all bachelor's.

Seeing that an ideal plan would be to take two years, find an entry level position, save up some money, and then go after the four-year degree, what are some of your suggestions/comments for people like me who have some difficult decisions to make in the upcoming months, whether or not we have scholarships?
— J.S., Ypsilanti, Mich.

My take is that J.S. needs to find a way to go to a four-year college at night and work during the day or vice versa.

Even though people can do well and prosper with no college degree I am inclined to think it would be easier to follow your career dreams with a degree in your pocket.

If you just can't afford to start a four-year degree right now then finding an entry-level job in a field you think you might want to pursue down the line is a great plan. Don't just get a job to pay the bills. Try to find one that will help you learn and provide you with valuable experiences.

You can also start a degree online and the costs might be a bit easier to swallow.

Bottom line, figure out exactly what your career goals are and take a realistic view of how much the lack of a degree is holding or will hold you back.

(By the way Mr. X, I never went to journalism school.)

MORE FROM CAREERS

Careers Section Front

Proposed bill would be boon to unions Meltdown trips up aspiring investment bankers Your Career: Cleaning up your digital dirt Baristas taking their espresso seriously Your Career: Job hunting on Wall Street? Join the club Don't even think about revenge at work Palin candidacy sparks working moms debate In cooling economy, Texas job markets are hot Stressed? Your boss’s gender may be to blame The New Yorker: Equal in the eyes of greed Careers Section Front   Add Careers headlines to your news reader: