veryfunny

Some times it is not either, sometimes it just depends on your personality and timing.

I would certain not hire someone who has all the experience/qualifications and suffers from the know it all syndrome, cannot work with anyone personality.

Gross50

you're fired

veryfunny

Then I take my qualifications and experience somewhere else then.

Patrick

Miss Holden was my best teacher, plus she had big tits which probably explains all the uncontrollable erections I had in her maths class

veryfunny

Gross you have 12 post left.

effi

I agree with this wholeheartedly, I have been in that situation and it makes going to work every day a nightmare.

As for timing, that is what happend to my husband. I am under no illusions about 'the elusive piece of paper' being all important these days in getting you in for at least an interview.
My husband came over here in 1988 with the UK military to a liaison post inside a large company in PA. He worked with all levels of people, from people on the plant floor to people in the highest offices, and did it well.

When it was time for us to go home to UK after our 4 year tour the company approached him with the offer of working for them. They said they would sponsor him although I had an A2 visa at the time and he could have been my dependant and could have worked for them anyway. My husband still had 1 year to do in the military so the company said, go home and do your time then come back. Myself and my son meantime stayed in PA. If this company had not seen his work ethic and how well he did things he would not have been given a chance had he just walked up the front steps looking for a job with no qualifications. So you see, timing is indeed sometimes everything.

I can on the other hand see that qualifications are important, they can at least get you in the front door. Needless to say though, that just because you have those qualifications does not make you the best person for the job. Sometimes you just have to give people a chance to prove themselves. My husband has a very good '2nd career' and in the 10 years that he has worked for the company has been rewarded 3 times with promotions, not bad for someone who joined the RAF at 15 with nothing.

veryfunny

Yeap, Qualification, experience and a nice personality all go a long long way. I have met some real sad people and had to work with them, bloody nightmare.


Just to let you all know Gross will be leaving us all soon, gee I am so heart broken.

Chopper-Chris

besides anything,

those of us on H1 visas will almost certainly have degrees...its very difficult to be approved without one...

Gross50

11 more to go

veryfunny

So, when are you moving to TEXAS then?

Gross50

does your question have anything to do with my supprort for dubya?

never been to texas. but i should be visiting in the summer. got a good friend staying over there. i hear they got the biggest steaks in texas. be on the watchout, i'm not that good of a driver

veryfunny

Yes, and I will not be here when you do turn up. Texas, I am on my way out.

So 10 more posts to go I see

Vicky88

I'll agree that having that piece of paper doesn't necessarily make you any smarter or a better applicant for a position, but it does help your chances of obtaining employment.

My husband works in Telecomms for a large San Diego company. When they recruit engineers they look for those with a first degree, preferably a second and if you have a PhD well they are in 7th heaven. All those qualifications are absolutely ridiculous, as anyone with a good degree and some relevant experience could do the job. However if you have that PhD you will get paid more. If the company does employ someone for the job without a degree they get less money and are only rated as a technician rather than an engineer. The big deal in this is benefits, lower salary, possibly reduced medical coverage, and maybe no stock options. The company was recently demoting all employees from engineer to technician in cases where they had no degree. I believe that was because of something to do with California labour laws.

Myself, I worked for a US company in the UK. At that time I had no degree, even though I got top rating on my performance reports there was a barrier to what they would pay me because I didn't have that piece of paper. When we moved to the US in 1998 and I was unable to work I used that time to get my degree via external studies. I have never regretted it, as I know because of my qualifications I can ask for more money even though I am probably not much smarter than I was before the course.

dbj1000

So an impressive 62% of us have a Bachelor's degree or higher!

As some people have pointed out, anyone over here on an H1 visa is likely to have at least an undergraduate degree, otherwise it's very difficult for the sponsoring company to justify the visa application.

For those of you who believe that all you need to get on in this world is common sense, a good work ethic and a wealth of experience, I would remind you that in high tech industries such as Semiconductors or Telecoms, this simply isn't the case. As Vicky just said, most US high-tech companies won't allow you to move beyond Technician without a degree, and even technicians require Associates Degrees in most cases now. You simply can't learn this stuff through hard graft and the sweat of your brow.

...but then I would say that, given that I'm so over-educated, eh?

Vicky88

Well HoneyMommy's experience most likely is a demonstration of what not having a degree can do to your prospects. Five years ago when they were desperate for tech workers lack of degree did not matter, however it is a totally different kettle of fish these days.