The Danger of Too Much Education Without Increasingly Responsible Experience

[ronaldemail1]

I have lived in Virginia for the last few years. I am aware of the difficult employment situation over there. There is a lot of unemployed people like that in many States.

What I do not like is the myths that people build around the unemployed people, not everybody has a comfy unemployment cushion and likes to do nothing.
Or like a popular writer (dummies series if I am not mistaken) who said: "the unemployed were never reliable employees and that is the reason why they cannot
hold a job".

Personally, because I have been in the same situation before, I rather give him the benefit of the doubt. You never know, one could have years of bad luck because
of the economic situation but eventually find or create steady employment.

[publius2k4]

I do feel for this guy, but perhaps he's content with his current position. However, I think that if I'd completed my Ph.D, I'd at least be supplementing my income with some online teaching.

I'm curious to know if we're getting the whole story on his situation.....there's gotta be something else holding him back, besides lack of experience.

[Prloko]

I say he can't get a job because of the haircut.

:roflol:

Mr. Hall's linkedin page completes his strange story. What is strange is it seems he worked his way to increased responsibility and then apparently a screw came loose or something.

[sanantone]

His LinkedIn profile is funny. He's TCOLE certified, but never became commissioned. That means he's never been hired by a police department. I don't think he's going to be hired when he says one of his projects is fighting police corruption and that he can't find a job because he's fighting organized crime in the military. He probably passed the MMPI when he first went through the academy, but can't pass it now.

[IrishJohn]

I have a lot of empathy and sympathy for the guy. He was probably blindsided by the 2002 layoff after 14 years with his last construction job, just as I was in 2011 after 13 years (couple of different companies but same people, long story). It looks like he has struggled to maintain a career in the only field he seems to know just as I did for a couple of years (remember when I was posting about getting going back for a BSBA? Yeah, good times...). From his photo I'm guessing he's in his 40s as I am myself. If I were to talk with him (assuming he'd even care what a stranger like myself had to say), I'd tell him that it's past time to let go of the old career path and find a new one - fast. He's been out of construction for too long for any good company to take him now, as have I too, and they'll hire a younger and therefore lower paid person over him. Let it go. Figure out what you want to do outside of this former career field which you can make money at and go for it - even if you make less money than you did before. I myself chose teaching history which is something I had thought about doing years before , but I guess I was seduced by evil mammon (or something like that). True I'll make about half of what I peaked out at n construction management, but so what? I'll still make a decent wage (in fact a couple of thou more than I was making in 2003 when I bought my house) AND be doing something I enjoy. For me that's enough, although I'm still ambitious enough to explore opportunities in the educational field now. Come to think of it, whether this guy wants to teach or not he should consider it in the interim. If he has any talent for it he could probably make more teaching than a WalMart associate, and could leave the profession when he figures out what else he wants to do (or discover that he lives it and wants to stay). Whatever he does for work now he really needs to move on .

[publius2k4]

His LinkedIn profile is funny. He's TCOLE certified, but never became commissioned. That means he's never been hired by a police department. I don't think he's going to be hired when he says one of his projects is fighting police corruption and that he can't find a job because he's fighting organized crime in the military. He probably passed the MMPI when he first went through the academy, but can't pass it now.

This quote from his page makes no sense:
"I am a TCLE Certified Police Officer and Police Instructor. I have 15 years experience in fighting organized crime - police, military, corporate, etc. - and therefore cannot be employed. I am seeking an initial commission as a Peace Officer."

What does that even mean??

[sanantone]

This quote from his page makes no sense:
"I am a TCLE Certified Police Officer and Police Instructor. I have 15 years experience in fighting organized crime - police, military, corporate, etc. - and therefore cannot be employed. I am seeking an initial commission as a Peace Officer."

What does that even mean??

He finished a TCOLE (TCLEOSE at the time) authorized police academy and passed the licensing exam. However, he has never been hired (sworn in) by a law enforcement agency, so he is not commissioned. He is technically not a police officer because there is no law enforcement agency carrying his commission. He has sued a school and I think the military. I don't know if he's ever sued a police department. Basically, he is saying that he is fighting the organized crime that is in the military, police, and corporate world. He does this by filing complaints and lawsuits.

[cookderosa]

I say he can't get a job because of the haircut.

:roflol:

I think it's fake...maybe this guy works for The Onion?

[cookderosa]

of course we always talk about the connections and assumptions of education and value. I think if you're young, and you run like hell to the top of the academic mountain, you have more time and no "black marks" that create wonder and confusion about a resume (like this guy). A resume is a giant venn diagram, the intersection is the most telling in my opinion, and for someone to only fill in one set or to think that only one set matters is probably south of 30. Working adults have complex lives, and have developed a long "story" that they tell on their resume. The story this guy tells me, I'll keep to myself.

But the big picture for working adults, I think, is that if you're mid career (as opposed to new-career/changer) you probably have good insight BEFORE you go into a degree as to where it's going to take you. If you're a new-career/changer as an adult (this guy trying to break into HR possibly) you need to ask yourself "what is the degree I need to break in on the ground floor as an entry level employee in this field?" and that's the degree to get. Coming in over-educated makes you heavy on cost for what you bring to the table (nothing much). Once you get your feet wet, then you can go back to the previous sentence and use your insight into the field as to where your next degree is going to take you.

I think a common mistake I've noticed among adult career changers in culinary arts (and maybe other fields), is that they assume that because they're older or have another degree, that they somehow should rightfully earn more money to start than the 17 year old next to them that can (frankly) pull 14 hour shifts and bust out a 50# bag of carrots lightening fast. Being older with more degrees is not equal to more money. I listened to a nurse tell me years back how she left a job earning $20~ an hour and couldn't work for $7/hour. Um? Huh? Wrong field.

So Mr. Onion probably can't get a job making more than $20k because he doesn't bring value to a company. Mr. Walmart probably lacks resourcefulness. But, no one's perfect, and out of the two, Mr. Walmart has my respect. Bustin suds for 2 years is hard work.

[Chebasaz]

I'd quote both Irish John and Cook, but the text wall would be huge. Both made outstanding points. As with anything in life, it's about identifying what you want and then the steps you need to get there. A degree is only part of the equation to getting the job you want.

I've always looked at career progression as a ladder. You find the next rung you want to climb and figure out what you need to get there. If you're a line worker and you want to go management, get a AA/BA in management and start applying for line supervisor positions. Get the actual experience under your belt and then start eyeing the next rung. You want to go middle management? Find out if your BA in management is enough to make you competitive when combined with your experience as a line manager. If it is, great. If not, start looking at what you can do to fix that. Graduate degree? Six Sigma, PMP? Do what you need to in order to be competitive. After a few years want to be a Director or C-level? Rinse, repeat.

Where people get in trouble is trying to skip rungs. It's possible to do, but you have to realize you're automatically at a serious disadvantage when it comes to demonstrated experience. My hat's off to the guy for working wherever he can, though I think he could probably do better than Walmart (heck, go find a Radio Shack or Lowe's who needs an assistant manager!) Where I think he messed up is by trying to skip those rungs and jump straight to his end-goal.

I'll leave Mr. Onion alone. I think he has bigger issues.