Why do you need a college degree?
In our capitalist economy, competition is everything. If you can out-qualify,
out-sell, or out-last the other guy, you win. This same philosophy applies to
the job market. In order to get a well-paying job these days, you almost always
need a college degree. Many workers and employers realize this, and as a result,
colleges and universities today are boasting higher enrollment rates than ever
before.
It is a growing trend amongst American companies to jump onto the outsourcing
bandwagon. Outsourcing is the act of paying an outside organization to handle
your tasks, much like a contractor. Most of the outsourcing done by large
corporations these days happen overseas or across the border in places where
labor is cheap and regulations are flexible. As a result of this influx of
unskilled jobs, our country’s workers are becoming increasingly more skilled in
order to meet the high technical requirements of the job market. This means
getting a college degree.
So you need to get a college degree. What are you
options?
Community College – Usually affordable, but does not come with much
credibility.
A Four Year University – This is the ideal option for most people of college
age, but may prove to be too long of a time-investment for those needing a
degree for a job or promotion.
Testing/Portfolio Assessment – This is by far the fastest way to get a degree
legitimately. You will be able to receive credits through life experience and
testing. Some websites even claim that you can obtain a degree in as little as
four weeks.
If you study for the GRE and score above the 80th percentile, you can be
eligible to receive as many as thirty credit hours. Since the average
undergraduate degree is one hundred and twenty hours, you will have finished
one-forth of your degree in a day. This is roughly equivalent to two semesters
of courses.
Things to watch out for
In your endeavor to attain a speedy degree, you will no doubt come across
some scams on the road. These “colleges” usually promise fast degrees with
little work. Some even go as far as to grant entire degrees based on life
experience. These “diploma mills” are notorious for granting fake degrees from
phantom institutions. As a result of these scams, a new source of fraud has been
introduced into the job market. The government has cracked down on diploma
falsification, and employers today are more diligent than ever in checking a
potential candidate’s background.
Here is a list of ten tips to help you recognize a diploma mill when
you see one.
The bottom line
Given that you have decent credentials, a college degree will undoubtedly
help you get that promotion or entry-level job you are seeking. With higher
education becoming an increasingly prevalent requirement in many jobs, getting
that old sheep-skin may just be what you need to get your foot in the door.
However, if you are seeking to get promoted beyond the lower-tiers of management
(we’re talking about senior directors and what not here), you may be looking at
the need to obtain a masters or even a Ph.D.