The (un)importance of formal education - Develop ME Inc series.
A while ago Google, Hilton and a whole impressive list of other A-list (awesome places to work) companies have stated that when they recruit, formal academic qualifications are not a pre-requisite for getting a foot in the door.
More and more companies have realised that being academic smart does not necessarily equal to GRIT, talent and work ethics.
Whilst this is a welcome change, following some really bizarre academic prerequisites from the last couple of years jobs posted globally, we have to get to grips with the fact, that academic qualification still plays a vital role when you develop yourself, but it certainly is not everything if you look towards real talent development. Also, remember that with the rapid expansion of knowledge, an academic qualification may become "absolute" in the real world - meaning what you learned in your curriculum might not be relevant.
The trick is to find a balance between formal academic qualification and personal development that might not fit at all into the traditional framework of academic qualifications. Some universities and post-school training institutes have caught onto this, and are offering some really fantastic, practical qualifications, based on "real-world problems".
In a nutshell, it is still YOUR responsibility to develop yourself. Not a university, not your current job and certainly not "others" - by taking control of your development, you stand a far better chance of landing your dream job, or progressing in your career, by simply focusing on the most important factor in your career - YOU.
Here are some practical tips for deciding if a formal academic qualification is worth your while:
1) Do your homework - establish exactly what is the current landscape look like for your perfect job, and work towards that. If a formal degree is required, then that is something you need to work towards if you don't have yet. Just remember that there are many pathways to a formal academic qualification - distant learning online learning, face to face as example, but do your homework.
2) Uncertainty - if you are unsure of what your future career or job looks like, it might be worth it to dig a bit deeper until you are absolutely sure that an academic qualification is going to worth the money, effort and motivation required to complete it.
3) What is required in real life - It is estimated that around 35% of jobs posted online, still explicitly mentioned a 4-year bachelor degree required. A further 12% requires some formal qualifications and 41% requires a high school completion. These stats only refers to formal academics. People with formal academic qualifications still potentially earn more than people that don't have a formal qualification. A formal academic qualification will also assist you in getting invited for an interview (by ticking a box).
4) Not just any old degree - making a choice on WHAT to study is as important on IF you should study. By not choosing the right degree, it may waste your time, money and energy. Rather make absolutely sure that you are able to use all that effort.
5) Some jobs have pathways set out for them - for example, a plumber might only require a certificate to do the job. A plumber is a very important job in our societies. But let's say that the same plumber after working for a few years for someone, wants to open his own plumbing business - then he might require additional training on how to set up a business and run it successfully, but not necessarily a degree - he can also learn about business by reading books, or articles to sharpen his skills. Let's say that same plumber runs a successful business and is approach by another large plumbing business asking him to become a director of a group of companies - then a formal academic qualification might assist the plumber to better run a group of companies. It doesn't discount the certificate this plumber got in the beginning - makes sense right? Different pathways to get to the point.
The final work is this - no matter what you choose when it comes to selecting a pathway to your goal, the point is that you need to create your own development pathway and stick to it.
Keep on growing,a nd keep on learning!
More and more companies have realised that being academic smart does not necessarily equal to GRIT, talent and work ethics.
Whilst this is a welcome change, following some really bizarre academic prerequisites from the last couple of years jobs posted globally, we have to get to grips with the fact, that academic qualification still plays a vital role when you develop yourself, but it certainly is not everything if you look towards real talent development. Also, remember that with the rapid expansion of knowledge, an academic qualification may become "absolute" in the real world - meaning what you learned in your curriculum might not be relevant.
The trick is to find a balance between formal academic qualification and personal development that might not fit at all into the traditional framework of academic qualifications. Some universities and post-school training institutes have caught onto this, and are offering some really fantastic, practical qualifications, based on "real-world problems".
In a nutshell, it is still YOUR responsibility to develop yourself. Not a university, not your current job and certainly not "others" - by taking control of your development, you stand a far better chance of landing your dream job, or progressing in your career, by simply focusing on the most important factor in your career - YOU.
Here are some practical tips for deciding if a formal academic qualification is worth your while:
1) Do your homework - establish exactly what is the current landscape look like for your perfect job, and work towards that. If a formal degree is required, then that is something you need to work towards if you don't have yet. Just remember that there are many pathways to a formal academic qualification - distant learning online learning, face to face as example, but do your homework.
2) Uncertainty - if you are unsure of what your future career or job looks like, it might be worth it to dig a bit deeper until you are absolutely sure that an academic qualification is going to worth the money, effort and motivation required to complete it.
3) What is required in real life - It is estimated that around 35% of jobs posted online, still explicitly mentioned a 4-year bachelor degree required. A further 12% requires some formal qualifications and 41% requires a high school completion. These stats only refers to formal academics. People with formal academic qualifications still potentially earn more than people that don't have a formal qualification. A formal academic qualification will also assist you in getting invited for an interview (by ticking a box).
4) Not just any old degree - making a choice on WHAT to study is as important on IF you should study. By not choosing the right degree, it may waste your time, money and energy. Rather make absolutely sure that you are able to use all that effort.
5) Some jobs have pathways set out for them - for example, a plumber might only require a certificate to do the job. A plumber is a very important job in our societies. But let's say that the same plumber after working for a few years for someone, wants to open his own plumbing business - then he might require additional training on how to set up a business and run it successfully, but not necessarily a degree - he can also learn about business by reading books, or articles to sharpen his skills. Let's say that same plumber runs a successful business and is approach by another large plumbing business asking him to become a director of a group of companies - then a formal academic qualification might assist the plumber to better run a group of companies. It doesn't discount the certificate this plumber got in the beginning - makes sense right? Different pathways to get to the point.
The final work is this - no matter what you choose when it comes to selecting a pathway to your goal, the point is that you need to create your own development pathway and stick to it.
Keep on growing,a nd keep on learning!
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