Whenever I interview people for a job in the company, I always have their CV in front of me and the first thing I look at is the degree of the applicant. Previous job titles and experience can easily be embellished and I have encountered those who actually lie about what they did and even their titles. However, fabricating your degree and what school you came from is much more difficult since it is easier to verify these credentials and there are telltale signs of being an alumni of a certain school.
With nothing much more to go on, knowing the degree or degrees and the school the applicant came from is sometimes the only tangible thing you have in making the hiring decision. First of all, what is the degree of the applicant, does he have the right degree? When you are looking for an accountant, you do not hire a marketing graduate for that position. Second, did the applicant get good grades? You may want to avoid people who had to repeat several subjects and had a mediocre transcript. Third, what school did the applicant come from? Is the school a prestigious one that has high quality graduates? What is the college or university known for? Does it have a ranking? Finally, being able to complete a degree is an indication of the persistence, mental faculty, good work habits and competency of the applicant.
From an employer’s viewpoint, knowing the degree, grades and school of the applicant is a reference point that establishes the baseline. For the applicant, what good is getting a degree? A degree is like a hallmark that you have undergone a formal training on something that goes beyond the technical information but you understand the theory, concepts and logic behind what you know. As an Alumni of the school you also become a life member of a larger community and possibly build up your network of friends, professional and business associates. Having the confidence of a degree is important in starting your career and of course the more and higher degrees you have like a Masters or Doctorate degree has its advantages throughout your life.
In other countries like the US, many students avail of a student loan just to be able to pay for their college degree and spend years in paying it off. Since educational loans are not common locally, the parents carry the burden and students also take part time jobs. Is getting a degree worth it? If you make the best of it by learning as much as you can, making lifelong friends and keeping an open mind, it can be the biggest life changing event in your life. It can open many doors for you, establish your circle of friends and who knows, maybe even meet your future spouse!
While there are a number of examples of super rich personalities who were unable to complete their degree, these are the exception. Getting a degree is not easy nor is it cheap, it takes many years and a lot of hard work but it is worth the effort! A degree is one of the ingredients to improve your chances of success but is certainly not to only ingredient needed.
(The views and comments of the author are his own and not of the newspaper or FINEX. Dr. George S. Chua was 2016 FINEX President, Trustee of the FINEX Foundation, 2010 to 2020 FPI President, an active entrepreneur, a regular member of the National Press Club, Chairman of Alabang Country Club and loves playing golf. Comments may be sent to [email protected])