Looks like every job requires a degree nowadays
Discussion
Browsing job adverts I came across this advert for a Retoucher - Online Fashion.
I used to work for a major high street retailer's e-commerce team and we would get temps in to crop, resize and touch up images for our Web site. Nowadays however, it appear that this job requires a "Recent graduate or similar in a Visual Arts related degree" to do a bit of Photoshopping.
Bizarre. Can anyone find a more mundane, low-skilled job that claims you need a degree?
I used to work for a major high street retailer's e-commerce team and we would get temps in to crop, resize and touch up images for our Web site. Nowadays however, it appear that this job requires a "Recent graduate or similar in a Visual Arts related degree" to do a bit of Photoshopping.
Bizarre. Can anyone find a more mundane, low-skilled job that claims you need a degree?
130R said:
Recent graduate is code for dirt cheap
It's also code for no one over 35 who has a few years experience behind them, We know he may really need a job but we want a young person for this role however due to laws we can't say that so we'll say graduate instead as it is unlikely we'll get a 50 year old recent graduate apply.Chilli said:
I agree with you. In my industry most will not even read the cv unless you have a degree, it's the first question they ask. Even though I have 18 years solid experience, this seems to count for nothing.
In my industry it comes and goes. Right now they ask for a degree that's at least a 2ii or don't bother.My degree is 20+ years old and utterly, astonishingly irrelevant to anything I do (despite it being a vocational degree that, at the time, was totally applicable to the job I was after). IT has moved on. But the fact I have a 2ii is still useful sometimes. It would be better if it was a 1 or 2i but, hey, it's OK.
Don said:
My degree is 20+ years old and utterly, astonishingly irrelevant to anything I do (despite it being a vocational degree that, at the time, was totally applicable to the job I was after). IT has moved on. But the fact I have a 2ii is still useful sometimes. It would be better if it was a 1 or 2i but, hey, it's OK.
I use the principles - basic things like knowing how a floating point number is represented underneath the hood or what scant details I remember of propositional logic (De Morgan's law is always handy) - but I don't use the languages I was taught, I don't use the language I did my final year project in, and everything they taught me about software engineering has been swept up and chucked away by the industry's enthusiasm for Agile.
Which wouldn't be so bad but I only graduated in 2004!
It's not the be all and end all; I know someone with no degree and no A levels who works in a very senior position and earns far more than I do. That's a route that takes a lot of graft and the willingness to start out in a McJob and never stop working for that next step up, though. Easy it ain't.
Chilli said:
I agree with you. In my industry most will not even read the cv unless you have a degree, it's the first question they ask. Even though I have 18 years solid experience, this seems to count for nothing.
Forgive me if I'm wrong but aren't you in finance? Of course they want degrees. I am one of the least educated of all my immediate contemporaries (double maths masters minimum). That said, I am "smarter" than most of them when it comes to mental agility. However, how does one measure that?!In summary, I'm awesome.
Landlord said:
Chilli said:
I agree with you. In my industry most will not even read the cv unless you have a degree, it's the first question they ask. Even though I have 18 years solid experience, this seems to count for nothing.
Forgive me if I'm wrong but aren't you in finance? Of course they want degrees. I am one of the least educated of all my immediate contemporaries (double maths masters minimum). That said, I am "smarter" than most of them when it comes to mental agility. However, how does one measure that?!In summary, I'm awesome.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
?
Part of the problem is that there are so many people with degrees it's not a great filter. 'Graduate with a degree in something I've heard of from somewhere I could place on a map is much more limiting'.
The 'recent' bit is dodgy, could easily have an age discrimination case on their hands if someone challenged it.
The 'recent' bit is dodgy, could easily have an age discrimination case on their hands if someone challenged it.
Landlord said:
Chilli said:
I agree with you. In my industry most will not even read the cv unless you have a degree, it's the first question they ask. Even though I have 18 years solid experience, this seems to count for nothing.
Forgive me if I'm wrong but aren't you in finance? Of course they want degrees. I am one of the least educated of all my immediate contemporaries (double maths masters minimum). That said, I am "smarter" than most of them when it comes to mental agility. However, how does one measure that?!In summary, I'm awesome.
Back when I first started looking for a job, within Banking/Trading, a degree was almost unheard of. They wanted people with a bit of character and were able to think on their feet, not read a book and answer questions on it!
Today however, not a chance. Even though I have excellent experience, in London getting a job would be very difficult. In smaller environments in other cities around the world, it's impossible without inside help....hence leaning towards becoming a farmer!
As an employer in the past I couldn't care less what professional qualifications people had. I've employed gratuates that have been s
te, and people with 1 or 2 GCSE's who have proved to be excellent. I'd take attitude over qualifications every day of the week.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff