Degrees vs skills for job candidates

I was just looking through the thread, "Do online MBA graduates start with 6 figure salaries" and it made me realize that a common underlying assumption I see among many of the aspiring students here is that degrees are in and of themselves a ticket to that coveted job, promotion, or raise. In some specific cases where there are organizational policies related to degrees, such as in teaching or nursing, that may be case, but I believe that it usually is not.

So if do not believe the generalization that MBA = $100,000+, then do I believe that an MBA has no value? No, I believe that an MBA provides value through the skills that it teaches you, not through the acronym it lets you stick in your resume. So what, if anything, do I believe is worth six figures then? Well, like I said, skills. So through providing you with the necessary skills, I believe that an MBA can indirectly be worth six figures in some circumstances, but that amount depends also on the correlation between your acquired skills and those needed for your job, and market demand for those kinds of skills and jobs. Plus, there will obviously be a great deal of variation between students, even in the same MBA program. We're all individuals, and the person is much more important than the degree.

Also remember that skills are acquired not just through degrees, but through other avenues, like reading books and periodicals. But actual job experience remains the most important source of skills and qualifications.

I and many of my friends are managers in various fields, and we sometimes converse about various matters related to hiring for our departments. Generally, if we see certain degrees, we'll assume at least a certain basic level of skills, but we'll verify those assumptions through questioning before making a hiring decision.

For my decisions personally, I know that degrees have minimal "halo effect". If you're a high school dropout, that won't eliminate you from the candidate pool. If you're a PhD, that won't intimidate me. If you have the skills I need, I'll pay you six figures and thank you profusely for joining my department. I know that there are other managers who feel the same.

 

Agreed. I believe it was Dale Carnegie who pointed out that he paid 6 figures - not to the person who knew the field, but to the person who knew how to get along with others. That is a skill that is priceless, and even more so in today's world.

 

Employers are not offering large salaries simply because of the knowledge gained from an MBA program. They are looking for future stars in the cream that distinguished themselves despite GMAT requirements, group assignments, and intense competition. I believe that they believe that their company's and its stock holder's future depends on cultivating the potential from such candidates. So, this salary has nothing to do with experience or acquired skills.

 

I think it's good that you're emphasizing traits that benefit the employer. In this case, talent and potential. If anything, that can be even more important than experience or skills, the traits that I discussed.

I didn't point out the role of potential in the previous post because particularly among the degree seekers on this forum, I do not sense that they're out to obtain or prove talent and potential through their MBAs in the way that you describe. By deemphasizing experience and stressing the cultivation of potential, you seem to be talking about the younger full-time MBA students at more established B&M schools, a type that is probably a minority here. In any case, potential and talent are difficult to acquire through a degree program.

What I wanted to say with my post is to use degree programs intelligently. Employers are very practical people. We're looking for skills and traits that can make us a buck or otherwise add value. We're generally not so shallow that we hire based on what degree you have or don't have.

So what precisely am I prescribing, if anything? What I recommend is to use your degree programs as a jumping off point to find and follow-up on subjects you want to pursue. If that Finance class interested you, then subscribe to some magazines and keep reading about it. If you found you liked programming in Java, try going to the next conference, and play around with it on your computer at home.

Following-up will increase your breadth and depth of knowledge, and demonstrate independent learning and interest. Good employers will notice that. You'll get that job, and employers will get your skills. It's win-win for everyone.

 

Like any degree, an MBA will get you the interview, it's just a door opener.

To get the job, you have to have the talent, abilities, and interpersonal skills.

 

I agree what you said about employing someone with a PhD or DBA or MBA and its advantages are over exagerated mainly by the providers of such programs.

In the work place it is the hard and soft skills that makes the difference not the credentials. Howard Hughes and Gates are good examples. Closer to home people like Li Kah Shing and Lim Goh Tong.