The Value of A College Education in the Information Technology Field

988 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of modern technologies on education

Imagine working for a company for 12 years and you are faced once again with mandatory reductions in workforce. You are an Information Technology Professional and are being measured against your peers, most of whom hold Bachelor Degrees. You are one of the few on your team that does not possess a college degree. Like me, many are placed in this same position in today’s world. We are the unprepared, not armed with ammunition to endure the scrutiny of our qualifications; relying solely on performance. We all hope and pray that is enough to be retained. The college education we planned to achieve for personal development has turned into an immediate quest to survive in today’s volatile and competitive environment.

We have seen the Information Technology job market change considerably over the past decade. Long gone are the days where you spent your entire career at the same company. Many positions have been reduced or eliminated due to innovation or automation efforts. Corporate mergers between large companies can create overlaps in some positions. Many large corporations are facing economic challenges and are reducing staff or closing their doors. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, there were 50,000 IT positions eliminated from July 20007 to July 2008 (Schwartz, 2008). These types of situations can force many out of positions, causing those impacted to seek new employment opportunities. Working for an Information Technology Fortune 100 company, I have seen all of these scenarios in action the past few years. I have had the unfortunate annual experience of walking the impacted individuals out the door.

Therefore, the long term employee who had spent blood, sweat, and tears building a career and supporting a company, has been left in cold. This is where the second big issue surfaces if you do not have a college education. This will hurt you more than competing within your own company. Your resume will have a big gaping hole where the college degree would reside. You will be measured once again with your peers, only this time it will be in form of a resume review. Now all new employer has is a piece of paper with your skills and achievements, which can be tossed aside very quickly depending on the applicant pool. Your chances for an interview have just decreased as many Information Technology positions prefer a college degree, some even make it a requirement.

Show More
Related

  • Summary: The Imperiled Promise Of College By Frank Bruni

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Frank Bruni’s New York Time’s article, “The Imperiled Promise of College,” he argues that college is no longer a guarantee of success because students are not being properly motivated and guided into the programs that will provide them with jobs.

    Read More

  • Should The Obama Generation Drop Out?

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” Charles Murray talks about how a college degree now days, is looked at higher than it should be when it comes to meeting the qualifications for a job. Most jobs that pay over minimum wage will require you to have a college degree, making it very difficult for people that either can’t afford it or do not believe in it, to get a reliable well paying job. Like Barack Obama said “It’s what you can do that should count when you apply for a job, not where you learned to do it”(Murray 97); a large amount of people have the skills for a job but do not have the degree to show for, making them not qualified for the job. Companies will not even give you an interview if your resume does not have any type of degree on it. That situation makes life very unfair for multiple individuals. There should be some kind of certification test for applicant to take to see if he or she meets the skills needed for the job. The benefits of discarding the bachelor’s degree as a job qualification would be huge for both employers and job applicants. Therefo...

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Attending a Community College

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    A look back at the institution of education over the past 20 years will reveal that once upon a time a bachelor’s degree was long since considered the marker of ultimate success, the highest level of achievement that one could make in their lives. In those days, if for some reason you failed to march across the stage on graduation day after an epic, four-year stretch of high tuition, long nights studying, and unrelenting professors that found great joy in riding your back, then you had indeed failed at life.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Are Too Many People Going To College

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    If more people went to college, and less went the vocational route, jobs will take a momentous hit. Today, companies will not even touch an application that does not include a Bachelor’s Degree; even if the Bachelor’s Degree has nothing to do with the job being applied for. Attention is not given to whether the hopeful applicant qualifies for the job; all that matters is that the applicant has a Bachelor’s degree. Murray best sums up the American job market when he says, “Employers do not value what the student learned, just that the student has a degree” (Murray). However, if less people obtain a Bachelor’s Degree, employers will be forced to base applicants on their skills, and abilities. Furthermore, important vocational jobs that lie vacant will be filled. Good electricians, carpenters, and construction workers will always be in

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hunter Rawlings's College Is Not A Commodity

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to

    Read More

  • Importance Of College Education

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is it necessary to have a college degree before having the opportunity to experience the dream career of your choice? Depending on what background you came from, there are different reasons why we go to college. Most of us go due to career change/job position, increase our intellect/knowledge, not to be stigmatized, playing as a role model either to our children or even someone that we care of. In his essay, “A College Education: What Is Its Purpose?” Andrew DelBanco mentioned the three reasons college still matters which are: Economic (A college degree has replaced the high school diploma as “the minimum requirement into the skilled labor market.”), Opportunity (Our democratic form of government requires an educated

    Read More

  • Low Income Student Success

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    backgrounds, is greater than ever, access and opportunity in American higher education is more complex and a lot less optimistic. Also, the majority of jobs requiring a college education doubled over the past 40 years (Carnevale, Smith, Strohl, 2010). While half of all people from high-income families have a bachelor’s degree by age 25, just

    Read More

  • Is a College Education Worth it?

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the many reasons why getting a college education is worth it is because there are more job opportunities. Most job now a days don't just require a high school diploma. A lot of employers are looking for people with degrees because they have more knowledge and will get the job done right. Between December 2007 and January 2010, jobs that required some one with a college degree grew by 187,000. Georgetown University calculated that by 2018 nearly 63% of jobs will require at least some college education. Finding a decent job is tough now a days, but having a college degree or at least some college education will make it a little easier. A degree may not necessarily guarantee a good high paying job, but the chances are a lot better with one (procon.org).

    Read More

  • Blanche D. Blank's A Question Of Degree

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    College is the place where people go to retain the necessary training for a job that requires specific skills, which results in earning a higher pay check. In today’s world, employers are scouting out for individuals with the proper dexterities to fill the shoes for that specific job. Blanche D. Blank, the author of “A Question of Degree," argues that possessing a degree of higher education isn’t the only way to have a very successful life. This statement is highly argumentative, due to the fact that college graduates still out-earn people without degrees. Obtaining a college degree is one of the best things someone can do for themselves, when it comes to looking for a stable job. There is also so much more to college than just receiving a

    Read More

  • Why the Rich are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hart Research Associates. Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn. A Survey Among Employers Conducted On Behalf Of: The Association of American Colleges And Universities. Washington D.C.:

    Read More

  • Why Is A College Worth It?

    1480 Words  | 3 Pages

    It seems that the ultimate function of a high school student is to get their diploma and then go straight into the workforce. The mindset behind this has people questioning “Is a College worth it?”In today’s society a college education is vital to live a sustainable life in America. Many people would subject to that statement, but yet they’re stuck at a low paying job living from paycheck to paycheck struggling to support their family. Although most people have argued that a college education is meaningless but with closer examination shows that a college education is the key to opening the door to success.

    Read More

  • Laurence Shatkin's College Education

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the rapid advances in technology, many of today’s jobs now require more than a high school education or trade skills. Success in the workforce is increasingly defined by the ability to think critically, manipulate a computer, and to work collaboratively in a team environment. Today’s college education develops these abilities, providing the individual with the needed business and knowledge, as well as opening a door to a better career opportunity with an increased earning power. A lot of people in today’s society view higher education as an investment that will pay off in the long run. But others would tell you that it is a waste of both time, and money. Going to college is supposed to be something that is beneficial to us because it offers one a better future. A future that provides the individual with an excellent paying job in the near future with nice living arrangements. But with today’s job market and the cost of going to college, is it worth it? Laurence Shatkin, an author and specialist in career information as well as a senior product developer who wrote the article, “Education Pays But Perhaps Less Than You Thought”. In the article, Shatkin establishes the importance of education, and also informs the

    Read More

  • Essay On Importance Of College Education

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    College graduates have more jobs to choose from. The more years of education one has completed, the more opportunities he or she will have as a potential hire. Some employers would not even consider interviewing a job seeker who has no college education, and many employer...

    Read More

  • Cause And Effect Essay: The Effects Of Receiving A College Degree

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although many people would say that earning a college degree is a waste of time, the reward in the end is convincing enough that proves otherwise. The effects not only are always positive, but also are making people more qualified to do their job. People who obtain a college degree are positively affected and tend to make better choices in life. In today’s society, obtaining a college degree is usually the best option in life because without receiving one, the options are very limited and

    Read More

  • Money Is The Key To Success

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rich people assume that College is important, but it is not a one way ticket to success, and happiness. However, Middle class people believe that education is important to be successful in the future. Education for middle class student is an important tool that is applied in the modern world to succeed, as it reduces the challenges, which are faced in life. “With nearly half of the nation 's undergraduates enrolled in community colleges,…….are playing an increasingly important role in higher education.”(David Hosansky). The information gained through education allows individuals’ future life to be optimally utilized due to training of the human mind. This eventually opens doors of opportunities for individual to achieve better chance in career growth. Education has played a major role in the modern industrial world. “This is attributed to the fact prospective employees must be qualified adequately to perform various tasks effectively.”(David Hosansky) Industries entail resources that are sufficiently equipped with the modern technology to suit the needs and wants of the society. This makes education to become a norm for services in all industrial

    Read More

More about The Value of A College Education in the Information Technology Field

Open Document