This is the location for conversations that don't fall anywhere else on FlameFans. Whether its politics, culture, the latest techno stuff or just the best places to travel on the web ... this is your forum.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

#484354
Good luck getting a fed job above a GS-5 without a degree though.

However, for the private sector, a technical school is a GREAT option IMO.
#484355
my buddy with the gs13 with the DOD has his associates. he basically worked his way up from a lowly print runner.
#484358
adam42381 wrote:I teach at a high school that has various academies which offer students the option of getting hands-on experience and, in some academies, industry certifications before they graduate. We currently offer the following programs:

Firefighting/EMT
JROTC
Auto Mechanics
Welding
Nursing
Criminal Justice
Building Construction
I wish this was more prevalent. Though, 'Criminal Justice' schooling always seems like a boondoggle to me.
#484359
RubberMallet wrote:my buddy with the gs13 with the DOD has his associates. he basically worked his way up from a lowly print runner.
Yeah, but how long ago did he start? Some employees get "grandfathered in," for promotions and stuff b/c they were already with the agency before new requirements came out.

Lately if you look at anything above a GS-5, one of the requirements is you have to have a degree.
#484383
ALUmnus wrote:
adam42381 wrote:I teach at a high school that has various academies which offer students the option of getting hands-on experience and, in some academies, industry certifications before they graduate. We currently offer the following programs:

Firefighting/EMT
JROTC
Auto Mechanics
Welding
Nursing
Criminal Justice
Building Construction
I wish this was more prevalent. Though, 'Criminal Justice' schooling always seems like a boondoggle to me.
I don't know a ton about our Criminal Justice academy, but it's a 3 year program for students who are looking to go into law enforcement. I know they do background checks on students and are very strict on students regarding their grades and behaviors.
#484535
ATrain wrote:Good luck getting a fed job above a GS-5 without a degree though.

However, for the private sector, a technical school is a GREAT option IMO.

A friend of mine, a JR college dropout, is a GS-13 and has been offered a GS-14 in Hawaii.
#484537
ATrain wrote:
RubberMallet wrote:my buddy with the gs13 with the DOD has his associates. he basically worked his way up from a lowly print runner.
Yeah, but how long ago did he start? Some employees get "grandfathered in," for promotions and stuff b/c they were already with the agency before new requirements came out.

Lately if you look at anything above a GS-5, one of the requirements is you have to have a degree.
probably 8-9 years. when did the new requirements come out.
#484538
RubberMallet wrote:
ATrain wrote:
RubberMallet wrote:my buddy with the gs13 with the DOD has his associates. he basically worked his way up from a lowly print runner.
Yeah, but how long ago did he start? Some employees get "grandfathered in," for promotions and stuff b/c they were already with the agency before new requirements came out.

Lately if you look at anything above a GS-5, one of the requirements is you have to have a degree.
probably 8-9 years. when did the new requirements come out.
Within SSA and DHHS, its been about 5-6 years now. We can't find anything above a 7 at a max that doesn't require some type of degree in either agency. DoD is apparently different...hmmm...
#484698
Not that I agree completely with his points, but John Stossel takes it a step further ...
reason.com wrote:Don't Go to College!
John Stossel | May 27, 2015


It's graduation time! Have we learned much? No.

College has become a scam.

Some students benefit: those with full scholarships and/or rich parents so they don't go deep into debt, those who love learning for its own sake and land jobs in academia and those who get jobs that require a college credential.

But that's not most students.
Click Here for Full Story
#484701
Sly Fox wrote:Not that I agree completely with his points, but John Stossel takes it a step further ...
reason.com wrote:Don't Go to College!
John Stossel | May 27, 2015


It's graduation time! Have we learned much? No.

College has become a scam.

Some students benefit: those with full scholarships and/or rich parents so they don't go deep into debt, those who love learning for its own sake and land jobs in academia and those who get jobs that require a college credential.

But that's not most students.
Click Here for Full Story
I've spent the last 10+ years working in Human Resources in a few different industries and I would say he's pretty accurate.

Many of the college graduates I've seen would have been better served going directly to work instead of directly to higher ed.

Unfortunately, high school doesn't focus on telling students the benefits of living an adult life without going to college and how it isn't super difficult to be successful without a degree.
#484717
TH Spangler wrote:Employers are looking for individuals with a degree, but even more importantly, those with a great work ethic. If you have both you should succeed in the long run.
Some employers might want a degree but that is rapidly changing. As degrees are becoming more and more watered down they become less an indicator of success and the folks that have forged success in the 4 years on their own outside of college brings immense value.

I understand that there is still a lot of "old-school" hiring practices that value degrees but they mean less and less these days as it has become even more impossible to use it as a filtering technique when weeding out candidates in the recruiting process.
#484730
degrees really only get you to the interview. there are plenty of jackholes with degrees. but they do show some level of commitment to a goal which I think outside of a specialized field, is all they really want to see. I can go get a job as a cop with any 4 year degree. Why? because I stayed committed to a cause for 4 years.
#484731
RubberMallet wrote:degrees really only get you to the interview. there are plenty of jackholes with degrees. but they do show some level of commitment to a goal which I think outside of a specialized field, is all they really want to see. I can go get a job as a cop with any 4 year degree. Why? because I stayed committed to a cause for 4 years.
To that point, 4+ years at a job where you've been able to demonstrate success also demonstrates commitment and can help you get interviews as well.

That's where the argument comes in. Is it more worth it to go into debt or work during that time? There is not a universal answer but it is a question more should be asking.
#484733
http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2 ... andidates/

You would think that being an air traffic controller is one job where the degree may matter. It used to. Until They decided the ATC's were not too male and too white. A friend was left high and dry just as he was completing his degree at another LU. The requirement became that any degree could get you looked at for getting into FAA school as long as you had been working FT consistently for the previous 3 years. College grads with ATC degrees were suddenly left out because they were in school full time and many not working because it is a fairly demanding course load. Psych major, working at a restaurant for the past three years? OK! Air Traffic Control major with a 4.0 GPA just graduated? Sorry, you're not qualified.
User avatar
By SumItUp
Registration Days Posts
#497439
Want to be FREE from your student loan debt? So did Jared and Rachel. GRIT VS DEBT is the story of how they paid off $72,500 OF STUDENT LOANS IN 20 MONTHS, even though Jared was a drop-out and Rachel an art major.
http://gritvsdebt.com/

I know Jared. I've watched him grow up since he was a young boy. I've read the first few chapters of this free e-book and I've heard the story before. If you have debt and you're looking for some inspiration and a plan, read it.
Dondi Costin - LU President

The recent statements by Costin on moving away […]

NCAA Realignment Megathread

Duke Gonzaga B12? https://larrybrownsports.com/co[…]

FlameFans Fantasy Baseball

We are on!!! Hope to see everyone tonight at 9:30[…]

Another player that most people who post on here[…]