Certifications/Licenses are more important than College Degrees

[UpAndComing]

The Degree game is dwindling down brehs

Before having a Bachelor's was the only thing required. A person could get a Bachelor in literally anything and could get a 70k job and a good career. I'm seeing more and more companies now caring for which licenses or certifications you got. Some wouldn't even give an interview without it


Got people in my family who are teachers and some with 20+ years experience. Can't even get a full time teaching job anymore unless they pass the Teacher's Certification test, and that test ain't easy


Now I'm seeing on job applications. It went from "Bachelor degree required" to "Bachelor Degree, or any relative experience and certs"


Computer/IT jobs won't hire unless you got those certs
Management jobs won't hire you unless you got that Six Sigma cert or PMP cert
Finance jobs want that Quickbooks cert or Series 7 license
Engineer jobs want that MatLab cert or MEP design cert
Welding Jobs want those AWS licenses
HVAC jobs want that EPA license
Office jobs they want you to be already trained in Excel, Powerpoint, Word, etc
Accounting jobs want that CPA license


Companies don't want to train anymore. You gotta come in with the required skill, or your resume getting deleted

 

[Bubba T]

Becoming? They’ve been that way for awhile. College degree is just the bare minimum to be considered for more than bottom of the barrel jobs.
Plus, a good portion of those certs you listed still require a 4 year degree.

 

[UpAndComing]

Becoming? They’ve been that way for awhile. College degree is just the bare minimum to be considered for more than bottom of the barrel jobs.
Plus, a good portion of those certs you listed still require a 4 year degree.

Outside of an Engineer, all the others can be obtained without a 4 year degree

 

[Bubba T]

Outside of an Engineer, all the others can be obtained without a 4 year degree

CPA requires a bachelors degree to even sit for the exam.

From a practical standpoint, you cannot get some of these certs without prior experience, and to get a job to get the requisite experience you are probably going to need a degree. Now while it’s not IMPOSSIBLE to get certs without a bachelors, it appears that its purpose is not to replace the 4 year degree, but to further enhance.

EDIT: I’m only saying this for some professions of the white collar variety. There are certainty exceptions.

 

[SleezyBigSlim]

Amen brotha. Im a licensed claims adjuster in 14 states. Employed for life. I plan on quiting and starting my own business selling cars tho.

 

[Crude Abolitionist]

Facts

 

[Megadeus]

You're a good 10 years too late with this thread. A Bachelor's degree has long replaced the GED.

unless your'e an engineer, You need certs or grad school if you want to cash out

 

[UpAndComing]

Amen brotha. Im a licensed claims adjuster in 14 states. Employed for life. I plan on quiting and starting my own business selling cars tho.

With your experience, you can start a business selling car insurance

 

[SleezyBigSlim]

With your experience, you can start a business selling car insurance

True. Its the easiest job in the world and also you get commission on your customers polices every 6 months when they renew. After a few years you looking at 6 figures for doing absolutely nothing. Won't even have to hussle for new clients at that point.

 

[MMA]

Literally everything that actually pays well beside like Doctors and Lawyers, can be obtained in a shorter - cheaper route than college.

We have several students every year signing up to get certifications mainly in IT, CS, Data, Finance and Accounting.

I tell them, making 40K and upwards in salary for 4 years while young >>> attending college and leaving confused starting from the beginning with no experience.

 

[CrimsonTider]

CPA requires a bachelors degree to even sit for the exam.

From a practical standpoint, you cannot get some of these certs without prior experience, and to get a job to get the requisite experience you are probably going to need a degree. Now while it’s not IMPOSSIBLE to get certs without a bachelors, it appears that its purpose is not to replace the 4 year degree, but to further enhance.

EDIT: I’m only saying this for some professions of the white collar variety. There are certainty exceptions.

CPA actually requires a masters

 

[Lesfilles]

Depends on the industry. Anything heavily quant focused, a certificate isn't going to cut it. You need at the bare minimum an MS for people to even think you're worthy of taking the meeting notes.

 

[Bubba T]

CPA actually requires a masters

This is incorrect. In order to be licensed in any of the 50 states, you must have 150 credits, of which must be a specific number of upper level accounting and business credits (this will vary by state) and at least a bachelors degree. How you get to 150 doesn't necessarily matter as long as you meet the specific course requirements and have at least a bachelors.

 

[JLova]

I'll agree that companies would rather not train someone. However, a degree (depending on the industry) is more coveted than someone who doesn't have one. Mainly because it shows that you CAN be trained if required. Every job has some sort of training. They want to know that you will pick things up quickly and have the discipline to do so.

REally depends on the industry and the role to be honest.

 

[invalid]

This is incorrect. In order to be licensed in any of the 50 states, you must have 150 credits, of which must be a specific number of upper level accounting and business credits (this will vary by state) and at least a bachelors degree. How you get to 150 doesn't necessarily matter as long as you meet the specific course requirements and have at least a bachelors.

Semantics but 150 is basically the equivalent of a Masters. Most folks have to go back and get a MAcc to get all the credits to sit if they didn't double major or something in undergrad.