Applied bachelor's degrees

[MillCreek]

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/03/11/guest-applied-bachelors-degrees-help-local-employers-fill-skills-gap/

This sounds like a good idea. I have been doing some guest lecturing in risk management at the community college in Bellevue for the radiology and nursing students.  I can see how the hospitals would like this program, since having a BA/BS degree is a box you have to check if you want to move up to first line management.  I know nothing about the non-healthcare programs, though.

[Devonai]

This sounds similar to the Community College of the Air Force.  You can get most of an Associate's just for doing all of the training in your AFSC that you would do anyway, plus a few electives.  If you already have some or all of another degree, it's a slam-dunk.  It's also mandatory if you want to get E6, so before too long I'm going to have to submit my transcript for my Bachelor's.

However, since an Associate's and $1.00 will get you a cup of coffee, you can enroll in a Bachelor's program at another institution (Wikipedia says there are 42 participating schools) and you only need another 60 credits.  I am considering doing this (on the GI Bill, natch) since all my degree in Criminology ever got me was automatic E4 upon enlistment.  A Bachelor's in Transportation Management would help me bypass the entry level crap at UPS or FedEx, both of which have huge hubs only a few miles from my home.

Unfortunately right now, a pending Associate's degree notwithstanding, I chose a poor career field as far as finding a good job on the civilian side.  The most complex piece of equipment for which I'm licensed is the NGSL (aka 25K loader) and it's not used in the civilian world.  I'm licensed on five different kinds of forklifts, which I can run on the civilian side for $9/hour. 

[lee n. field]

My oldest son did something like that.  He got an electronics associates, and could find no work.  SIU-Carbondale had a program specifically designed to take that and turn it into a BS.    He specialized in medical equipment tech.  (And never did find permanent work doing it -- always tech temp work.        )

[charby]

Perhaps industry and education needs to have a meeting to determine what industry wants in a degree program and what education can deliver.

[MillCreek]

My oldest son did something like that.  He got an electronics associates, and could find no work.  SIU-Carbondale had a program specifically designed to take that and turn it into a BS.    He specialized in medical equipment tech.  (And never did find permanent work doing it -- always tech temp work.        )

Wow! I thought that biomedical electronics was supposed to be a really hot field!

[lee n. field]

A couple times it was long term temp -- 2 years.  But, always temp.

[brimic]

Consider this scenario: A radiology technician with an associate degree does top-notch work, but can’t get promoted without a bachelor’s degree. Starting over at a four-year institution doesn’t make sense. She’s working at a hospital, has practical experience, and can’t start over as a traditional four-year college student. The hospital, meanwhile, is eager to hire a manager with a bachelor’s degree. The employee faces a glass ceiling; the employer faces a void.
 
This scenario plays out across Washington in high-demand fields with a shortage of bachelor’s degree graduates. And it is the very reason community and technical colleges offer bachelor of applied science degrees.

I've seen this scenario play out many many times. I've seen instances where people I've known fom previous employers who were extroardinarily competent at their jobs and had an associate's degree who couldn't get hired for a job or promoted to at least their capability because they lacked a BS degree. I've also seen those positions filled several times over with BS degrees who didn't pan out out because of lack of work ethic or lack of seriousness about their job.

[230RN]

Different era, 1958-ish, but I went through the Chemistry Course in High School, which was essentially a Bachelor's degree in chemistry, without the pretty letters.  First job out of HS was in a chemical analytical lab.

More lately (1990-ish) I applied for a job as a bus driver and by then they required an honest-to-G-d Bachelor's degree for some unknown reason.  I had to dig out my college diploma and bring it in to show them.

:) I had some trouble with that because it was totally in Latin (!) and they couldn't read it.  They had to get someone who knew Latin to translate the copy they made, and I finally got word that I was "qualified" for an interview.  Sheesh!

For a bus driver, can you imagine that?

Seems you need a BS for almost anything nowadays.

This kid's been around the block, I tells ya.  

Terry

[brimic]

Seems you need a BS for almost anything nowadays.

That's because counting change correctly is no longer covered with a HS diploma.

[red headed stranger]

I've seen this scenario play out many many times. I've seen instances where people I've known fom previous employers who were extroardinarily competent at their jobs and had an associate's degree who couldn't get hired for a job or promoted to at least their capability because they lacked a BS degree. I've also seen those positions filled several times over with BS degrees who didn't pan out out because of lack of work ethic or lack of seriousness about their job.

I have seen this many times too.  Moreover, there are lots of people being kept out of interviews thanks to arbitrary "requirements" invented by HR drones with no background in the field. 

[Northwoods]

I have seen this many times too.  Moreover, there are lots of people being kept out of interviews thanks to arbitrary "requirements" invented by HR drones with no background in the field.  

When my boss quit I seriously considered applying for the position.  But they made is M.S. required, PhD preferred.  I have just a B.S. (though also a P.E. license).  Really, I don't get why they demanded the grad degrees.  Not really necessary.  Anyway, they couldn't find anyone with those lofty creds, at the salary offered, so they just closed the req and made our interim boss a permenant boss.  Poor guy went from 7 to 17 direct reports in one fell swoop.

[230RN]

^ I understand from two previous workplaces that was a kinda-sorta-under-the-table ploy to place a present employee in the desired position.  Advertise with impossible or impractical qualifications, and when nobody applies, claim the in-house promotion was necessary on account of getting no applicants.

Seems to be more or less typical in civil-service type situations, where they are bound by a lot of civil-service type laws.

Can't reveal more.

Terry

[Tallpine]

For a bus driver, can you imagine that?

Your degree might come in handy if you had a passenger that spoke only Latin 

[230RN]

^ Actually, in one of my first in-training revenue runs, some lady with a bunch of children tried to board and give me a 10-peso note or something like that.  Instructor could speak more Spanish than I, so he told her Mexican money would not work, but let her and the brood board anyway.

I wasn't sure if that was a set-up test of my diplomacy or knowledge of the rules, or what, so I didn't say anything more.

I washed out soon after that.  They didn't call me "The Cone Killer" for nothing.



See? My Bachelor of Science degree printed in Latin counted for nothing, after all !

Terry

[Northwoods]

^ I understand from two previous workplaces that was a kinda-sorta-under-the-table ploy to place a present employee in the desired position.  Advertise with impossible or impractical qualifications, and when nobody applies, claim the in-house promotion was necessary on account of getting no applicants.

Seems to be more or less typical in civil-service type situations, where they are bound by a lot of civil-service type laws.

Can't reveal more.

Terry

Except that the (relatively) new GM is pushing for ever higher degrees as basic qualifications for most positions where I work.

[230RN]

Yeah, that's possible, too.