Education
As the economy goes through peaks and valleys and more and more people look for stability, employment in the public sector will become more competitive.
We are now seeing more educated and experienced people applying for these coveted jobs.
Now the question that I ask...
Should we promote people with degrees or people with seniority in the company?
posted by Just another guy trying to rule the world... at 9:19 PM
11 Comments:
I believe you should promote people who have earned it. When I say "earned", I am not speaking of time "served" in the workforce or in achieving an education. I am talking about people who work hard and build a strong foundation on action and desire. Back in the day it was all about putting your time in and eventually you would make your way up the food chain. It is this old way of thinking that has promoted acceptable laziness. I hope those days are behind us.
9:49 AM
I'm not too sure bout "old way of thinking". To me, old way of thinking would be nepotism or the "good ole boy" way of advancement.
Promotions should always be earned. My point is that if you have a degree or higher education then it should carry some wait. (Yes, I am biased being that I want my brownie points for having a degree and post-grad work).
But let's think about it this way... If the public sector wants to be at its best shouldn't we attract the best? Ok, so we have testing. Big whoop---having a Civil Service Test or other. This just means that you know the "basics". But, if two people begin at the same time and one person has a degree and the other person does not and work performance and skills being equal, then the person with the degree should get big time brownie points.
It's almost as if the person with the degree is getting punished for taking time out of his/her life to obtain a goal, learn something that will help him/her advance. Yes, everyone can do it. BUT....did you? If you do not have a degree, you do not know that feeling of accomplishment when you are done. You will never know. Never. It takes discipline to get a degree. It takes perserverance. It takes determination and drive.
Ok Im off of my soap box and back to reality. A degree is only as good as the person who holds it. You can have a degree and be inefficient, incompetent and even lazy.
"Building a strong foundation on action and desire" is a good concept. But to get fresh ideas, different insights and viewpoints, you have to have training (education) to do so. I don't think that you can maximize your resources with just hard workers. The workplace nowadays is more complex.
If there is laziness or inefficiencies, it's because the leaders let that happen...and the employees accept the workplace for what it is.
Laziness will ultimately breed laziness if it is not addressed.
I could go on and on......
3:52 PM
I totally agree you regarding education. As I have discussed with a certain someone (and you know who you are), depending on the economy, the Public Sector either gets the cream of the crop (bad economy - attorneys are fighting for entry clerks' positions) or the cream of the crap (good economy - I barely finished high school and my mom got me this job). Granted just because you have an education doesn't mean you will do a great job but I would be more inclined to hire/promote someone who has taken the time, spent the money or better yet earned a scholarship for education. This shows me this person has the ability to try to learn more about themselves and the the world around them. This person has the intestinal fortitude to finish the rigors of higher education and for the most part, has become a more polished employee.
4:11 PM
Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Paul Allen and I'll throw in Michael Dell for free.
9:19 PM
Those leaders are exceptional, innovative and true visionaries. Not everyone is like that. Not everyone has the drive. Not everyone has that special something.
My point---and my personal opinion--is that we have to be discreet with hiring. We have to hire the best, be fearless in our decisions and mentor, promote, and encourage from within. The public sector has GREAT untapped, undisclosed talent and resources.
Why not encourage school and education? We are not looking for the next Bill Gates. We do not sell a product or make money. Again, we can not test for greatness where we are at. So why not hire someone with a degree. Someone who has knowledge of theory, models, formulas, and innovative ways of doing things.
Yeah, I guess someone without a degree can figure that out too but why not bring in new ideas and ideologies from a new school of thought?
Never be afraid of change.
I'm not tooting my own horn. I am just trying to change the "old ways" and encourage a more open minded leadership team. That means that you have to look outside the box, understand your culture and environment, engage your staff and mentor, mentor, mentor.
There is a reason why a lot of the people in the public sector don't have degrees. It used to be an easy road to an easy pension.
Times are a changin' my friends...
9:49 PM
Amen to that! I remember back in the day the employment applications asking if you had ever been convicted of a felony, a recent application I saw wanted to know if you had any parking tickets!!! Public Sector is getting pickier as to what they want. More Public Sector job applications today ask for some kind of formal education, not just a GED. They do because they are losing all the good applicants to the Private Sector, so to become more completive for good employees, the bar needs to be raised. Plus, there is a large group of educated people that are displaced in the Private Sector and are taking those Public Sector entry-level positions away from the GED crowd. Those days of not being educated are long over. And as to Bill Gates not having a degree, I find it ironic that his name was bandied about. My child attends a school that is funded by the Bill Gates Foundation! So, apparently he feels that an education is important. Also, in your group of highly creative, driven people, you forgot to mention Steve Jobs, I guess I will add him for free, myself. And, oddly enough, all these people have accepted honorary degrees...why bother with higher education if you don't need it? Certainly they would not accept these highly coveted degrees if they meant nothing. These persons often give key commencement speeches; I have never heard anyone say "Gee, y'all just blew 4 years and a ton of money for nothing. Look at me, I made a fortune for free!" Wake up and smell the education! Unless you are really something special, you need a good foundation. And if you are really special, why are you applying for a crappy civil servant job? I would love to know who all has become a millionaire in the Public Sector? No one. You apply for and work these jobs for several reasons, including benefits like sick days, vacation/float/holidays; pension, health insurance; strong union ties; working with your mom (ok, I'm being a brat) as well as a need to help others. No one goes into the Public Sector thinking, "I will come up with a great product, idea, etc and become rich and famous...
10:35 AM
You need the experience or else the degree doesnt mean jack!
But bottom line, you should require a degree to move up.
12:26 PM
They accept them as a result of their efforts, experience and leadership not because they had to sit and toil in a classroom for four or six years, like us; plus they probably made some sort of whopping endowment to a learning instutition (cha-ching), which coincidentally is the same institution that conferred the "honorary" degree. Wake up and smell REALITY!!
The public sector should be selective when hiring. The better the foundation the better the building. I agree. Regardless, a degree doesn't equal dedication.
1:35 PM
Whats so wrong about getting a degree? Its sad that parents dont push their kids to go higher than just a high school diploma. You can bank on your child being a ball player, rock star or the next Bill Gates. Or hope you will win the lottery. But will your kid be better off with a half ass public school "ej-u-ka-shun"? Whatever. As long as you are happy and dont hate on those that have what you want.
5:12 PM
I blame everything on MTV and all the pretentious rock stars. And the movie stars too. They infect our kids and create a false sense of accomplishment. Ok as a parent I am partly to blame but you can not shield your kids from everything. That glittery glamoury garbage is everywhere.
9:18 PM
I dont have a degree and dont really think that it is necessary to move up in the government jobs. You should promote the best skilled talented worker. Period.
6:52 PM
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