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Milan Bogdanovic
9,922 PointsDegree or not degree :D
Wondering how much do employers value a degree when i'm applying for a job, for example in web development or front-end? Do they look in my portfolio and my skills or in my degree? Currently i'm studying IT and my faculty charges me 2000 euros per year which is insanely expensive. I found that i can learn more at treehouse than there. So, is that f...g degree so important to the employers or i am good if i show them my portfolio?
Kind regards.
2 Answers
Jason Anders
Treehouse Moderator 145,860 PointsWhile I can't speak for any employer, I know how I think and how my past freelance editing has done. Yes, I have an English Degree, but most of my clients where much more interested in my previous work (i.e. My Portfolio).
However, before I went freelance, I found some of the places I had interviews, they would look (and ask) about my education. Although, the decision usually came down to which of us had more experience.
Myself, personally, I feel Web Development is kind of along the same lines my past freelance work. I feel and think that showing them what you can do with an excellent portfolio as opposed to showing them what you have learned with a piece of paper (diploma/degree), will always be better in the long run.
But that is just my opinion, as I plan on staying freelance.
Keep Coding! :)
Abraham Juliot
47,353 PointsIt depends on the hiring manager, the company's standards, and whether or not the required education can be obtained and demonstrated without a degree.
In programming, design, and many other subjects, some of the education obtained with a degree will soon become obsolete, as technology and best practices change every year. As this is evident, some employers are looking for life long learners who continually advance their education and knowledge.
Having said that, some hiring managers place a lot of value on a degree; it just depend on the company's standards or their guidelines for hiring. Treehouse, for example, typically doesn't even ask about one's education "...because it doesn’t change anything. ...The best employees never stop learning."
Web Designers Don’t Need College Degrees http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/web-designers-dont-need-college-degrees
Why Google doesn’t care about college degrees, in 5 quotes http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/25/why-google-doesnt-care-about-college-degrees-in-5-quotes/
How Google Picks New Employees (Hint: It's Not About Your Degree) http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2014/04/07/how-google-picks-new-employees-hint-its-not-about-your-degree/