NYCPHP Meetup

[Kristina Anderson]

I'd have to agree 100% that "in the trenches" experience and a track 
record of being paid to write solid code for many years is worth way 
more than any piece of paper, whether it be degree or cert or whatnot.

Unfortunately, there are few geniuses in HR :)


-Kristina

> 
> > Some sound advice, GET THE DEGREE! When push comes to shove that is
> > what give you credibility not some pie in the sky marketing hype 
that
> > promises the moon and delivers chopped liver.
> >   
> You make that sound sooooo easy.  But then again, I'm not one of the 
> ones pushing for certification but instead pushing for reasonable 
hiring 
> practice.  Makes no sense to me at all how a hiring manager would 
refuse 
> to even look at a resume of an individual because there is no degree 
> when that individual has many years of experience in the field.
> 
> I was stupid, when I went to college, I stopped after my first year 
> because I didn't want to waste all my time in school when I could be 
out 
> being productive, working, earning, and learning the best way 
possible, 
> at the feet of real people who have been doing just what you want to 
> learn.  Back then when there was such a shortage of anybody with the 
> ability to program, this worked well.  I learned, I experienced, I 
> earned, I taught, I even developed my own in-house curriculum for 
some 
> special purpose language the company was using.  So, from all 
> indications I made the right choices.  Until the dot com bubble went 
> bang.  Was downsized.
> 
> I would love to pursue a degree, but, with a wife and 3 kids to 
support, 
> and a mortgage to pay and spending 60 hrs. a week developing software 
> free lance, it's economically challenging to seek a degree as well as 
> time challenged.  I realize that many institutions will allow life 
> experience to count toward some credits as well as you can pay to 
test 
> out for other credits, but it's a daunting thought going back to 
school 
> after being out for 23 years.
> 
> > In a hiring situation when two candidates are pretty well equally
> > qualified, one with a degree and one without, almost ALWAYS the 
degree
> > is the determining factor for who gets the job!
> >   
> And that is acceptable to me IF AND ONLY IF the candidates are 
otherwise 
> equally qualified.  The real problem is many companies won't even 
look 
> at the resume to find out if you are either equally qualified or more 
> qualified than the degreed person.
> 
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