Sometime ago, I was doing research for another article and came across a term I had never heard before: the college industrial complex. I’ll admit I was favorable to the term; after all, I have maintained for quite a number of years the mantra “you have to go to college to get a good job” is a complete bust. I know so many people who have built great careers, make good money, and enjoy their professions – and they all did it without going to college. It’s a lie and one I’m willing to yell from the rooftops.

Despite this, more and more companies are requiring a college degree for a plethora of jobs when they are unnecessary. The college degree has become a screen out element for companies to disqualify candidates, aiding them in eliminating undesirables. The train of thought behind this is a fairly simple one when you probe deep enough. Obtaining college degrees is erroneously linked to IQ and therefore if you have a degree you must have a high IQ. Conversely, if you do not have a degree your IQ is less and therefore you become less desirable as a potential human resource. This train of thought to many seems plausible; to those of us with half a brain and any experience in this world know this to be untrue.

And, in case you didn’t know – is illegal. How so?

EEOC Vs. CSX – A Case Study

It is not the intention of this post to chase that rabbit trail. Instead, chew on this for a minute: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) arm of the government sued a national railroad company (CSX) for discriminatory physical tests ( to do, you know, physically demanding jobs). If they will do that, it is not a stretch to understand why so many companies can be found to be illegally violating title VII of the Civil Rights Act. This should especially be understood when one considers physical requirements are necessary to perform physical duties but for many jobs college degree requirements are baseless. There are, in my opinion, only two plausible reasons why this has not been dealt with widespread. First, there has to be a martyr; someone to fall on a sword of injustice. Second, and this one has far more clout that the first, is most people buy into the nonsense that college degrees are somehow the great qualifier. Society has been conditioned for years to believe a college degree is necessary. How else do you explain the willingness of many to take on massive debt in the name of a piece of paper?

Listen, it is sheer lunacy for the federal government to come down on a railroad company for having physical strength tests as a screening mechanism for physical jobs and, on the other hand, turn a blind eye to college degree requirements when they are far more widespread and egregious. (just so I am clear here, I do NOT support an oppressive government hammering down the people. I find it insane they would sue CSX but not tackle the college degree debacle. For my part, I think this selective outrage).

In any case, I don’t want to deal with this issue on this blog; this is a whole different post – and a good one at that. I have provided you with a link here , though, that is one of the best pieces I have read in a long time dealing with not only what we are talking about but also the illegality of it. Consequently, it also explains WHY the practice, despite being illegal in essence, remains to this day. Trust me when I say the article is a very well written piece; it’s worth the read.

Where to next?

So what are we to make of this, then? Are we to give in and go along with the erroneous assumptions? Should we simply stay the course and attempt to disrupt the college industrial complex? How do you proceed and excel in your career without that expensive piece of paper? Are those degrees necessary, anyway?

These are some good questions and they require specific answers to your personal situation. This article is bringing to light what you knew existed in the dark: college degree hazing exists. You can’t address a problem if you don’t know you have one. Many of us have known there was a problem in the shadows – I’m simply naming it and bring it out in the light.

Per the college industrial complex, college degrees have maintained some measure of prestige for decades now. Those who require college degrees are, in large swaths, college degree holders themselves. It’s kind of like insider trading and you don’t know or aren’t privy to some pertinent information. Do you know what that is? Can you recognize it? It’s college degree hazing. You want to join the club (in this case, get a specific job)? You need to agree to go through this predetermined hazing process obtaining a college degree. That is how you can demonstrate to the college industrial complex you are worthy to have that job.

To make matters worse, the requirement to have a college degree isn’t focused on the job in a lot of circumstances – ANY bachelor’s degree will do for many jobs. Simply put, you can have a college degree that has ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING OR BENEFIT to the job you are doing but because you have that piece of paper, you get the job. You know what that is? College degree hazing.

Why talk about this?

I suppose someone may ask why I am bringing this up. Perhaps I have been denied a job because I lacked a college degree? Maybe I’m bitter because I wasn’t fortunate enough to go when I was younger? Could I be upset since I don’t have a bachelor’s degree? Quite possibly it is because I feel left out of this wonderful club?

Hardly. I’m actually taking classes myself. The truth is, I find it perplexing companies deliberately limit themselves by this parameter. They miss out on so much talent from this one inhibitor. They artificially increase the demand for college degrees – and the accompanying debt – for no real good reason other than, you guessed it, hazing. The question then becomes, how much do you want to work here? To be in a managerial position? To work in this field? To do this job? To progress in this career field? Does that sound like hazing to you?

If not, then think of it in terms of hazing and frats. You want to join a frat. You hear about the benefits of being in one and you believe they are worth it. But you don’t just join, though. You have to prove your worth. This sounds reasonable, except they aren’t looking for some credential you can get at the dmv or government building. They want their pound of flesh; you have to do some bizarre things, things that make no sense, to prove your desire to join. I’m providing some links so you can read about a few specific instances here, here, and here.

I could have provided A LOT more but I don’t really care about hazing from a college frat perspective. I only wanted to demonstrate how they were alike and make the connection that many of those who were participants in hazing during their time in college, are also complicit in hazing with college degrees to this day. Coincidence? I’m inclined to say no. Essentially, it isn’t hard to make the point. Hazing continues to this day with one exception: this type of hazing is sanctioned by society. It’s a strange thing to behold a society that is beguiled by a hazing ritual. That very ritual limits a large swath of the population simply because they didn’t pursue a certain direction – and, in many cases, isn’t applicable to the task at hand.

From generic to specific

Let’s move from the abstract to the specific to add some context to this. One of the last conversations I had with another construction manager was about this very topic. Where he works, they only consider college degree applicants who are in either pursuit of a P.E. or already have it for construction manager jobs. This wasn’t an issue for him; he was on his way to getting his P.E. when he got the job (he has since taken his test and got his P.E.). Before this, he was a project manager for a general contractor, cutting his teeth around superintendents who knew their job – and ran them. He knew what most of us have known for years now: those with experience trump those with a college education. And he was willing to say just that; I applaud him for it in retrospect.

Fast forward back to his current job as a frustrated construction manager. He knows from experience the college degree and P.E. requirements are great limiters – and not the good kind. He knows they are missing out on some great talent, individuals who have a lifetime of experience with much to offer. From his project manager days to now he has the same thought as those in the skilled trades do: you can’t replace experience. Experience earned is worth far more than the college degree.

What’s more, he also realizes what we in the skilled trades have known for a long time now: just because you have a college degree doesn’t make you any better – at your job or as a person. Those coming out of a four year school with a bachelor’s degree and then become a construction manager have ZERO experience. This is, for those of us who realize it, a liability for not only the companies who employ them but also the industry as a whole.

Differing perspectives

Not to tip my hat or change direction for this post but a more measurable benchmark – profitable and far more accurate – is that of emotional intelligence and how much an individual possesses it. There is so much unexplored territory in this area but I’ve included a few articles which you can see by clicking here, here, and here.

What we see, though, is an age old argument that obtaining college degrees is somehow a predictor of success. I purport you need to change the definition of success to make it work in this setting. For me to say you have succeeded is to say you were complicit in hazing; having paid the price, paid your dues, and now have a nice piece of paper to prove it all.

Listen, I really have no problem if you want to actually get a college degree. I myself am taking classes and will ultimately end up with an engineering degree when it is all said and done. If you want to get a degree because your chosen career path necessitates it (think doctor, vet. etc.) then carry on. But to bring red ink to your ledger in order to check a box is crazy. Never mind the fact that education has been devalued some, as evidenced here; I say if you want one hey, who am I to hinder you? Click here, or here, or here for more info. This is a great article about the decrease in education and, coincidentally, the increase in cost. This article demonstrates the problem is beyond the U.S. and more widespread to the western world in general. The Atlantic writes about the problem also and you can check it out here.

Distilled down, college is not a replacement for experience, no matter how much people may seem to think it is; it is impossible to replace experience. It is the reason companies pay high wages and benefits for those who have years and years of time on the job. I’m not sure there was ever a time when college was supposed to be a stopgap between no experience and plenty of it but after two decades in the game I can confidently say that the idea is bust.