Aric Hall and Darryle Huffman

[sanantone]

I was looking at Aric Hall's LinkedIn page and thought it was funny that on the side where it says "Viewers of this profile also viewed..." I saw Darryle Huffman. Aric Hall is the mentally ill man with a hundred associates degrees who keeps suing the government. Darryle Huffman is the Walmart associate with a PhD in Management from Capella University.

Aric W Hall | LinkedIn
Darryle Huffman | LinkedIn

I'm so wrong for this. Lord, please don't let me end up like these men.

[burbuja0512]

I think it's a good lesson for all of us to learn. A degree is only one component of an overall career strategy. First of all, I hope that both of these men are happy regardless of where they're working. That being said, it's important to keep in mind that job interviews can make or break a position. I'm not saying it's the case for these guys, but if you're applying and getting rejected continually, maybe it's the resume, bad luck, or maybe it's the way you're approaching the interview.

Also, experience is everything. This is a bit of a dilemma for those that don't have experience.. how do you get the experience that you need for the job? I have said it many times, but will say it again. Internships, volunteering, or other unpaid work can be EVERYTHING. Yes, it kind of stinks to do work and not get paid, but if you don't have any other way to beef up the resume, then why not? You spent x number of years getting a diploma, so can you free up a few hours a month to volunteer at a relevant organization? (Heck, maybe if you're good, you can even get hired at the place you're volunteering!)

There are a lot of ways to get into the field that you want. For me, it involved learning a third language and being willing to take job at a small company for a few years. Smaller businesses are great ways to get ahead because you have the opportunity to wear many hats, which can give you experience in a wide variety of areas.

One other example that I'm aware of - My brother had been a systems engineer for many years, but wanted to move into the marketing side of the tech world. He got a relevant certificate at a university, but more importantly, he started blogging relentlessly about all of the latest IT updates relevant to his field. He created his own blog and then started writing articles that ended up getting published in important online IT news sites. These articles ended up getting the attention of some senior execs at his company and needless to say, he got the job he wanted.

Of course, all of this takes time. It's so tempting to think that just because you spent so many years getting a PhD (or whatever) that you'll be able to land a top job. Colleges play into this too... they do make it sound like all you need to conquer the world is a degree from their institution, so I can't entirely blame the students. I have interviewed kids fresh out of college for entry-level positions and some of the recent grads truly believe that they'll be making 75-150k right after school. Yes, that's probably true with some medical degrees, but not from the business majors I see!