Failed system has failed ; Degrees.

Greetings readers, Welcome to the first posted ranting of TC, the other, other blogger here on IYD. RDub keeps telling me I'm on the clock, I say you can't rush greatness. So, having said that,

Welcome to the first installment of "Failed system has Failed".
A blog where I highlight a 'failed system' and theorize as to why it had or will fail.

I work in Information Technologies, I've worked in an IT related capacity since 1996.
(for those of you who can do basic math, that is 13 years of experience) I was fired by a sad shill of a man in April of 2008, basically for knowing how best to do my own Job. Since then, I've easily applied for 500 jobs, and In every single one of these job postings, in big bold letters, typically written twice is "Requires a minimum of an Associates Degree, or equivalent work experience."

Now, As you have no doubt surmised, someone who's been working in Information Technologies since 1996 would have a great deal of 'work related' experience. And I do, I've been an IT Manager, a Help Desk Tech, a Field Tech, and a System Engineer in that time. Yet, apparently, because I don't hold an Associates degree, all that "work related" experience is worthless to Employers. Which is funny, because most of the jobs I see posted seemingly get re-posted every 4 weeks. I wonder why? Maybe because these 'fresh out of college' degree holders don't really know anything at all about what they're doing... yet I digress.

A Friend of mine is a good example of what is going on right now in our economy. Two years ago, he bit the bullet and signed himself up for an Associates Degree program in Information Technologies Management at ITT Tech. For the unreasonable amount of nearly $40,000 he got his 'paper' saying he is a person "Qualified" to be an "Information Technologies Manager". Before he went to ITT, he had ZERO experience in the IT field. In fact, before that, he was a Bartender (and damned fine one at that). Now, He's done a fine job learning things, but it's clear if you set the two of us in a room, Who among us has the most knowledge and experience in the field. Yet set the two of us in front of a prospective employer, and the employer wouldn't even talk to me at all, No degree. The degree holder is their choice, experience implied, by the paper, yet unseen.

So dear reader, what is the malfunction of this system? Why is our economy flat lining? For many reasons, no doubt, but one chief among them is that, Many people holding positions right now are either grossly under qualified, or grossly lacking in actual experience, and their mistakes are now coming home to roost. Their 'paper' was their only "credential" and, well, anyone willing to indebt themselves to the system can get a job these days, and it really has very little to do with actually knowing anything about what you're doing. Further, and a little known fact, Corporations get tax credit and kick-backs from our government for 'perpetuating the degree culture'. Ie, it's a 'scratch our back we'll scratch yours' sort of thing, indebt yourself to the system for ever, and we'll reward you with lucrative opportunities to pay us back. Then, once you have, we'll cast you off and use someone else to get a generous tax break. But the biggest problem is that the paper has become an excuse for hiring personal to abdicate responsibility in due diligence on prospective employees. (You’ll see the abdication of responsibility as a common theme in this series btw.)

Failed system has failed.

Now, I'll leave this here with a counterpoint and that is ; "Well TC take that experience and put it to work and get yourself a piece of paper, problem solved!" ... See, there-in lay my biggest problem. I see the 'system' as broken. First of all, I reject the 'debt' game at it's core. It's unsustainable, and even with a Degree, there are no guarantees in today’s economy. So why would I want to buy into a system that's broken in the first place if it solves nothing long or short term, and bury myself in debt at the same time? They'll simply use me till I prove they're all idiots, make too much money, or they can get a bigger kick-back by sending me out the door, and hiring someone else.

No dear reader, what we should demand of our employers is that they put the same amount of due diligence into finding qualified employees as they require of any perspective employee. I always thought it was funny that most app's require excellent communication skills, an attention to detail, and accountability, yet these people in charge of looking through apps and finding qualified candidates don't even do that much. I'm required, before even getting a job to fulfill all these requirements that the people already working there don't even follow or do. And I ask, who really wants to work for people like that, and do you really think that people that do carry on this way are doing things right, and going to last through this current market?

They wonder why their business' are failing, why these degree holders they hire need to be replaced every 4 months when it's discovered that they don't actually have any damned clue what they're doing, rinse repeat... I know why they are failing, but I don't have a piece of paper so no one is listening.