Unfortunately I am a HS drop out who rode the wave of the IT boom. I saw more money in the first 5 years after HS than most of the people who said I was ruining my life would see in 20 years. But then the economy took it's horrible turn for the worst. I worked for one ISP that went out of business, then the Information Services department at a Hospital that has been around for 150 years. Seemed stable until they laid off half the department due to budget cutbacks and ended up outsourcing the entire thing.
Now a year later I make $11/hour, I've lost my house, and my credit is ruined. I've applied for 200 jobs in a 300 mile radius. I hear the same thing over and over. Go to college, get a degree. Get some certifications.
The problem is, the market is saturated with people with paper. Skilled professionals know that it doesn't garantee quality employees. But the market hype has done enough to give it some credit. And there are plenty of people with degrees, certs, AND experience, that someone with any of the above can be passed over.
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Unfortunately I am a HS drop out who rode the wave of the IT boom. I saw more money in the first 5 years after HS than most of the people who said I was ruining my life would see in 20 years. But then the economy took it's horrible turn for the worst. I worked for one ISP that went out of business, then the Information Services department at a Hospital that has been around for 150 years. Seemed stable until they laid off half the department due to budget cutbacks and ended up outsourcing the entire thing.
Now a year later I make $11/hour, I've lost my house, and my credit is ruined. I've applied for 200 jobs in a 300 mile radius. I hear the same thing over and over. Go to college, get a degree. Get some certifications.
The problem is, the market is saturated with people with paper. Skilled professionals know that it doesn't garantee quality employees. But the market hype has done enough to give it some credit. And there are plenty of people with degrees, certs, AND experience, that someone with any of the above can be passed over.