Loading...
  1. humbertojr

    humbertojr New Member

    Hello all, I'm very sad about some mills degree, and this is my History. I'm professional with more than 25 years graduete from University back home (Panama), I have two degrees, Business Administration and Banking Administration. In 1990, I come to US, with my family of 5, was very hard to me revalid my titles. I receive an invitation from "Johnstown University" who send me a questionaire of 75 Q, additional that asking my Resume. after 3 months back and for, they "Accepted" and asking for a US $ 985.00 fees to get my degree. now after 12 years of that, I check some news about Mills diploma. (I suppose this one is in a row) the problem is that I present the degree and was accepted in three jobs that I applied for, including the actual one (GOVERNMENT) what do I have to do now? report that or stay as is....Please con some one send me any comments or orientation.
     
  2. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Why was it so hard? So hard, in fact, that you - an intelligent University graduate - sent money to a degree mill, instead of going through the normal process?

    There are at least twenty legitimate agencies that could have given you a quick and professional evaluation of your degrees earned in Panama - for far less than $985.

    Nineteen are here: NACES How to Find a Member
    Another is here: AACRAO - American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

    What are you to do now? Well, saying nothing has worked pretty well, hasn't it? A belated "fit of conscience" might be costly, I suppose. Whatever else I did - or didn't do - I'd

    (1) have my degrees from home professionally evaluated - in case I might need to present them in the future.
    (2) never refer to the milled degree again
    (3) hope nobody else did, either

    You've been very, very fortunate. Your $985 "degree" helped you get three jobs. It could easily have been much, much worse! You and your family could have suffered greatly.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 24, 2014
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    There is much evidence, as in Dr. Rich Douglas's dissertation discussed in this forum, that many HR people are clueless with regard to fake degrees, such as yours. But not all. You have a time bomb ticking away in your CV/resume. If you are a US citizen now, you are on safer ground . . . but there have been quite a few instances of people having their green cards revoked on discovery of fake degrees. Johann's advice is excellent. If you are on good terms with the HR person in your current government job, it might be prudent to say something like,, "Look, when I came to this country, I was really confused about the degree situation, and I made an unfortunate mistake, in dealing with the unrecognized Johnstown University rather than having my legitimate Panamanian credentials evaluated by a NACES member. Now I have done that -- here is the evaluation -- and I'd be grateful if you could change my official records to reflect this."
     
  4. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Dr. Bear just beat me to it. I was about to reiterate that the first thing to do - regardless of what you were going to admit (or not) - should be getting your Panamanian degrees evaluated properly, so you'd be able to present good credentials in any circumstances.

    I think his advice is excellent. Perhaps Dr. Bear paid more attention than I did, in ethics class at University! :smile:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 24, 2014
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Concur lots with Johann and John. Their ignorance won't shield you if it is uncovered. You didn't say for which government you worked, but the federal government doesn't generally maintain education records on its staff, not even in HR. Individual agencies might retain transcripts you they requested when making hiring decisions--when and if they ask--but that's about it. There isn't a record of your education somewhere that some third party can check.

    I can't speak for other echelons of government.

    But you should get your original degrees evaluated as a minimum. If there is a record of your education, you might want to consider correcting it. If not, I'm not so sure I'd raise it after-the-fact. You might be creating a problem where one does not currently exist.
     
  6. jumbodog

    jumbodog New Member

    Need clarity

    Honestly, I cannot make out from the OP the time line of events. As I understand it the OP arrived in the USA in 1990 but it wasn't until 2002 that he bought the fake degree. But I don't know when the actual job application was made to the government. Today? 2002? 1990? That is not clear.

    The fact that the OP bought a fake degree is irrelevant. There is no sin in that other than the sin of wasting money. The ethical lapse is using that fake degree on a job application and accepting a job offer based upon such an application. So until I know the exact year of application and offer acceptance I have no advice to give.
     
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Maybe Humberto can correct me if I'm wrong - but I think this is the timeline:

    He arrived in 1990 and soon thereafter, encountering some kind of problem validating his degrees, he applied to "Johnstown University" and they sent him an "American degree," or so he thought. 12 years later - (2002) he read up on diploma mills and found it was a fake.

    Amazingly (perhaps), Humberto has used the Johnstown "degree" for employment purposes successfully, three times in the past ~24 years. He did not specify dates. I have no idea how long he has been in his present job -- and I don't think that matters awfully much. If he does decide to "own up" -- maybe the longer he has been on the job and established himself as a valuable employee -- the better.

    As for me, I wouldn't be inclined to dwell too much on any "ethical lapses" that may or may not have occurred -- when a family of 5 had to be fed.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2014
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    This story, if true, is one of the very few times I've thought the purchaser of a fake degree might really be a victim, not a villain.
     
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'd agree. This purchaser sounds like one of the very infrequent victims and - that rarest of individuals in these circumstances - a BENEFICIARY! The darn thing actually worked - Not once, but times! :smile:

    How rare is that?

    Johann
     
  10. jumbodog

    jumbodog New Member

  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I don't think so! Mr. Hernandez came to the US 50 years ago - not in 1990. He also came from Cuba - not Panama. No mention of degree-related problems, either. I think maybe you just don't like him -- or possibly the OP -- for some reason or other. I hope I'm wrong. :sad:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 26, 2014
  12. jumbodog

    jumbodog New Member

    Obviously. Which should have lead you to the obvious conclusion that my post directly above was made entirely tongue in cheek.
     
  13. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Johann: "Perhaps Dr. Bear paid more attention than I did, in ethics class at University!"

    John: Being married for 50+ yard to a professional ethicist is sufficient, thank you.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I didn't realize that saying Hail Mary was part of ethics! :biggrin:
     

Share This Page