XPost: comp.sys.cbm   
   From: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil   
      
   In article , "Joel   
   Koltner"  wrote:   
      
   > "J. B. Wood"  wrote in message   
   > news:wood-1410080705250001@jbw-mac.itd.nrl.navy.mil...   
   > > Hello, and you can call yourself anything you want - it doesn't mean   
   > > others are obliged to accept it (especially a prospective employer).   
   >   
   > That's certainly true.  Personally I'm disappointed in any employer who   
   > considers someone's academic record the most important -- or even a   
   > significant -- part of their qualifications to do a job, though: Of the folks   
   > with any given scholastic certification (such as a BSEE), their actual   
   ability   
   > to do a given job (that the degree might suggest, e.g., a BSEE building a   
   > Commodore 64) vary all over the board.   
   >   
   Hello, and the assumption (and I think the right one) is that by obtaining   
   that piece of paper you have demonstrated a grasp of the fundamentals   
   necessary to do the job.  By no means does it guarantee that you will be   
   effective on the job.   
   Personnel directors of companies know this.  Education level (depending on   
   the employment sought) and job experience are important categories in a   
   resume usually given scrutiny.  So if the job is advertised for an MSEE   
   and you only have a BSEE but tons of pertinent practical experience from   
   previous employment you just might get an offer.  You might even be able   
   to "talk" your way into that offer (which is why there is no substitute   
   for showing up in person at that personnel dept.)   
      
   How important is that degree?  Would you want a doctor performing delicate   
   surgery on you that didn't graduate from an accredited medical   
   school/college?  It was never the intent IMO for colleges/universities to   
   equip students with a wealth of "practical" knowledge.  That comes from   
   being on the job and hopefully applying the fundamentals that you acquired   
   via those institutions of higher learning.  Sincerely,   
      
   John Wood (Code 5550)        e-mail: wood@itd.nrl.navy.mil   
   Naval Research Laboratory   
   4555 Overlook Avenue, SW   
   Washington, DC 20375-5337   
      
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