One of the Worst Education Articles I've Read

[Merlin]

I was taken aback by this comment, in particular..."With more people in the world and more competition than ever, you have to go to college to get a good job. "

Interesting...I was working in IT for almost 25 years before I got a bachelors.

I've been working in software development, technology operations, and business management for about the same amount of time without a degree as well. I suspect that the author would say that we're exceptions to the rule, or that things are different now.

However, it also goes to show that the author doesn't really understand how the job market works either.

Today, finding a job is more about the quality and depth of your network and your ability to demonstrate value (using past success as an indicator of future potential). Yes, there are some jobs (like in civil service or hard sciences) that require a certain degree to even qualify to apply, but for most jobs, the degree is there to demonstrate skill when you cannot offer any job experience. So once you have actual job experience, the degree isn't really as valuable anymore.

A degree also fills the checkbox that will get your resume past ATS software (or a sourcing agent/recruiter/HR) when a job lists a degree requirement. Though if you're doing it right, you'll put your resume into the hands of the hiring manager directly or via referral, and bypass the screening folks anyway.