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Even if not all college degrees are worthwhile, it doesn't mean that companies are wrong to want college degrees. In fact, it's probably true that the highest-
by timr 8y ago
Even if not all college degrees are worthwhile, it doesn't mean that companies are wrong to want college degrees.
In fact, it's probably true that the highest-paid, highest-skill jobs have the most genuine need for college degrees. And for the rest, virtue signaling is a real thing: if you have more applicants than jobs, you set up high filters to winnow the pool.
- macinjosh 8y agoWinnow the pool to rich people who can afford college that is.
- timr 8y agoOr perhaps less cynically, winnowing the pool to the group of people who have the personalities and temperaments necessary to complete a college degree. It doesn't have to be a perfect filter; false negatives don't matter so much if your filter leads to enrichment. I'm not saying it's "fair", I'm just saying there are rational reasons to do it.
- luma 8y agoYou seem to be suggesting that the simple addition of a degree requirement is good because it narrows the search field. By this same argument, I could say I will only accept candidates that are left handed.
- timr 8y ago"By this same argument, I could say I will only accept candidates that are left handed." If you find that filtering for people who are left-handed improves the average quality of your candidates, then yes. But of course, a college degree is not even remotely as arbitrary as you're suggesting.
- alistairSH 8y agoThe assumption is that holding a degree is a proxy for IQ, or work ethic, or some other positive trait. Left-handedness doesn't signal much of anything, beyond perhaps a slightly shorter life expectancy.
- hackerman12345 8y agoDoes a candidate being left-handed add a significant amount of confidence that he/she is a good candidate?
- hamandcheese 8y agoYou should blindly throw away half of all resumes. Why? Because you don't want to hire someone with bad luck.
- greedo 8y agoDepending on the job, it might be "good" luck...