>>Employers should be able to give tests to candidates without worrying about discrimination suits over the test results. If you are a self-taught learner and have the knowledge, it won’t matter if you have a degree or not. Knowledge is the thing desired.
That is absolutely worth saying again.
My son is trying to get in with the local fire department. He was told by the fire chief that there are two ways he can go:
1. He can go to fire school for a year.
2. He can sign up as a volunteer, train for three hours every Monday for the next year and show up to fight fires as a volunteer over that same year. At the end of the year, he’ll be considered for a full-time position.
The chief recommended option 2. He said that with that option, the guys would actually get to know the kid. That this would give him actual experience in the field and that was more prized than the education.
For kids who want to get into fields such as mechanic, plumber, police officer, fire fighter, etc. I recommended having a chat with the big wigs in the actual field. Sometimes there are a few courses or classes that actually help, but most of the time the complete degree is a waste of time and money.
My son was able to get a job as an apprentice mechanic for the summer and he’s now more qualified for a mechanics job than a kid coming out of college with a two year degree.