Maher calls college a 'grift,' compares it to Scientology

[TheBlackAdder]

53. Most employers treat a 4-year degree like a H.S. diploma. Without it you'll never get an interview.

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The actual job of an HR department is to make sure you meet base requirements, are a fit for the position, and most importantly won't cause any issues in the workplace. Most of your training comes OTJ, unless you possess medium or senior level skills. Entry-level applications will be denied an interview. I am a senior-level systems technician specializing in transaction processing, message delivery systems and databases, on several platforms, such as Solaris, Linux and z/OS, and yes, even Windows servers.

Even at my level, I would no longer get an interview at another company without a diploma.

So, while a degree is viewed as trivial, the further development of the mind that occurs after basic high school growth develops life-long critical thinking and conceptual skills that primary education can not deliver. The problem with Maher is he seems to be one of those guys who remembers what he wants to remember and forgets the nuances that shaped his life in a more tacit way.

I'll give a classic example: My brother-in-law is a senior software project leader at a major national healthcare company. The firm he was at prior was absorbed into this corporation. Prior to the sale, the equity firm that bought it maximized their profits by firing 50% of the senior product developers. Eight direct reports to my BIL were fired. I've met these people multiple times. Only one person could not get rehired anywhere--the guy without the degree--and he was their best talent. My BIL tried several times to hire him and HR flatly denied the request because he did not have a college degree. Seven years later, the guy is now just doing odd jobs. Went from $150K a year to under $45K.

Also, once you lose your job, and you can't get rehired, your skills quickly degrade. But what's worse is that HR starts to look at long-term unemployed as a liability. Why couldn't this guy get rehired? What was the real reason for termination? Is this person stable to work here? What do other companies see that we might be missing? And a whole shitload of other questions. Once you are out of work for six months, the odds of finding a job starts to drop off quickly. By the second year, you're almost unemployable in the same position or field.

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