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Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It?
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | August 7, 2020 | Andrew Gillen

Posted on 08/07/2020 6:27:58 AM PDT by karpov

Credential inflation refers to an increase in the education credentials required for a job—for example, a job that used to be done by high school graduates but now requires new hires to have a college degree.

Credential inflation has been going on for decades. One of the earliest mentions of it is in professor Randall Collins’ book The Credential Society, published in 1979 and republished last year; two recent studies give a sense of how widespread it has become.

The first, a study by Burning Glass, looked at the education level of current workers compared to the education level listed in job postings and found substantial credential inflation for many occupations. For example, around 19 percent of executive secretaries and executive assistants hold a bachelor’s degree, but 65 percent of job postings require a bachelor’s degree. Similarly, 26 percent of credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks have a bachelor’s degree, but 66 percent of job postings require one. And 39 percent of computer network support specialists have a bachelor’s degree, but 70 percent of job postings state that a degree is required.

Another study by a team including Joseph Fuller analyzed 26 million job postings and found that many “employers were increasingly inflating the educational requirements for jobs usually held by high school grads.” They also found that “automated hiring tools excluded applicants with relevant experience simply because they lacked a college degree.” Across the U.S. economy, they estimate that 6.2 million workers could be losing out on job opportunities due to credential inflation.

There are two main drivers of credential inflation.

The first driver is upskilling, which is when the nature of a job changes to require more education.

(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education
KEYWORDS: credentialinflation; jobs

1 posted on 08/07/2020 6:27:58 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov

The Florida Building Code costs about $3000 and is updated every three years


2 posted on 08/07/2020 6:31:50 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: karpov

this reminds me of the minimum wage....it serves only as an artificial barrier to entry

as every professional knows, after three to five years in the workplace...it’s what’s on your resume/in your head of substance...and the education component drops to the bottom.

telling, isn’t it?


3 posted on 08/07/2020 6:34:12 AM PDT by ConservativeDude
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To: karpov

Worthless Colleges with exorbitant fees have to justify themselves and push these degrees. People who bought them naturally want to have the advantage the paid for and push them too.


4 posted on 08/07/2020 6:39:45 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: karpov

When there is a glut of people available to hire, companies can demand higher credentials for entry level work.

And... part of this may be a way of justifying H1B visa holders. I need someone with an advanced degree who speaks three Indian dialects... dang, can’t find anyone in Des Moines, I’ll have to bring in a foreign worker. For a job they could have trained for internally, or a job they could have filled locally if they offered a slightly increased salary.

My employers used to craft job ads that were intended to prove there weren’t any local people to fill the slot.


5 posted on 08/07/2020 6:45:40 AM PDT by marron
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To: karpov

I’ve been told that I can’t advance in my job because I don’t have a PhD.
I have four BS degrees (Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science) and an associate degree in rubber technology, plus more than 200 patents and I’ve authored a physics textbook used in several universities. I also have 45 years of experience.
Credential inflation is real and is used by employers to the disadvantage of the employee.


6 posted on 08/07/2020 6:49:38 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (Only you can prevent communism.)
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To: Anti-Bubba182

People who bought them naturally want to have the advantage the paid for and push them too.

***********

That’s a good point. No one who spent a lot of money getting (not necessarily earning) a degree, and who may be underemployed, certainly isn’t going to admit to making a costly mistake. People just aren’t that forthright about admitting their own errors. Its kind of like admitting that you bought a lot of stock that is now practically worthless.

Give me a non-credentialed job applicant who is energetic, curious, motivated and has a demonstrated work ethic and I would hire them all day long over many effete college grads with degrees of dubious value.


7 posted on 08/07/2020 7:11:25 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: BuffaloJack

If you have 45 years of experience, you’re around 70 years old.

Age-ism may be the real excuse, not lack of the degree as credential.


8 posted on 08/07/2020 7:18:40 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: karpov

Company pride — “We hire only degreed staffers.”

The Education Jobs Complex — “Kid, you NEED a degree in today’s world!”

Family pride — “She’s the first Jones woman to get a university degree! We’re so proud!”

Student escape, pride and greed — “I’m gonna get the h*** outa here, party hardy and then get a big money job! Oh yeah!”

Easy loans.


9 posted on 08/07/2020 8:16:38 AM PDT by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.)
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To: karpov

It is so they can bring in H1Bs who have 50 years exp on 2 year old technology and have passed the tests.


10 posted on 08/07/2020 9:46:18 AM PDT by pas
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To: BuffaloJack
Any advice for my son? He is 18 years old and will earn his bachelors in electromechanical engineering from Miami University (Ohio) after two more semesters. His education path has been nontraditional, with homeschooling and early college admission at the local community college. He has a real talent for chemistry. Do you think additional schooling at this point would be beneficial? He is itching to start making some money!
11 posted on 08/07/2020 10:00:14 AM PDT by YoungCurmudgeon
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To: YoungCurmudgeon

“Any advice for my son? He is 18 years old and will earn his bachelors in electromechanical engineering from Miami University (Ohio) after two more semesters. His education path has been nontraditional, with homeschooling and early college admission at the local community college. He has a real talent for chemistry. Do you think additional schooling at this point would be beneficial? He is itching to start making some money!”

If you want to work at a big company then you need an advanced degree. I’ve worked for small companies and large companies. Large companies want advanced degrees, not that they need them, they just want them. Smaller companies will hire lesser degree people, pay them well and expect more technical diversity from them. Good place to get experience and you will work through every piece of your education. Large companies will make you specialize and your talents will atrophy making you less employable to other companies.


12 posted on 08/07/2020 10:10:33 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (Only you can prevent communism.)
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To: BuffaloJack

Thank you for your response. I will share your advice.


13 posted on 08/07/2020 8:07:53 PM PDT by YoungCurmudgeon
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To: YoungCurmudgeon; BuffaloJack

“Large companies will make you specialize and your talents will atrophy making you less employable to other companies.”

But keep in mind there are some downsides to working at a small company, with one being that management (often owners) can be total a-holes and you really have no practical recourse short of quitting, whereas larger companies can (and do) get rid of those types of people, if only to stave off lawsuits (go back 50 years and that certainly wasn’t the case).

Not to say large companies are all good and well, since often their best hires get trapped by corporate dictates that stifle them, and then you have the really annoying ‘training’ that they put people through - including BLM mandates, I assume now.

...so it depends, and mostly on the person!


14 posted on 08/08/2020 7:21:27 AM PDT by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here)
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