If an employer questions your degree during an interview?

[addision]

I too can usually look to where I may have been at fault for an interview going bad. Usually it is because of a difference of skill sets or personalities.

I am in my early 40's and have over 15 years of management experience. I never put the dates of my schooling on my resume. For this interview I was asked to complete an application which specifically asked for the schools attended and the dates you attended. I was in the second round of interviews when this took pace.

So for this particular instance it was odd to them that my degree would have come from New Jersey while I was working in California. If it had not been for that I think I would have been fine. All of my other accademic credit was earned from one local CC, and from three state schools; Idaho state, Colorado state, and Fort Hayes State. I used the CLEP exams for two courses (finance and MIS), and the FEMA credits for electives.

I am happy with my degree from TESC for the most part. I do have some concerns, but I know my degree will get me into any graduate school I really want to attend as my grades are sufficient. Although I did have one instructor ask me if they "gave me a light bulb instead of a degree when I graduate". As for the workforce, any public service position will readily take my degree (county, state, federal) and 99% of employers will not look at it twice because it is an accredited "state" school. I get a lot of recognition from those in the military as they are very familiar with the school.

But yes, I still get jeers from people sometimes about the name and I knew that would happen when I decided to get a degree from TESC. But I always knew this would not be my terminal degree. So the only thing I would like to change is the name of the institution and was ecstatic when it could have been “Rutgers”. But I feel this is the best option of the “Big 3” as the name “Charter Oak” sounds like a rehab facility to me. Why can’t they just come up with a decent name for these schools that won’t make them stand out like a sore thumb?

There are many opportunities I did not have or know of when I was younger. In all, if I had to do all over again and was finishing my degree at 40 I would do it the same. I am encouraging my nephews to get their bachelors using many of the principles found here (CLEP, Straighterline, etc.) to save costs and to move on to a higher degree and I want my daughter to do the same (age 10). It is so much easier getting into the college or university you want as a transfer student than it is as an incoming freshman.


So please don’t be discouraged by this one instance. It is more important to have the degree than not.