Originally Posted by
block30
Here's my perspective; What a degree says can be highly variable about a person's commitment, work ethic, and ability to achieve.
How much did someone earn or pay for their own education? Or did a parent or relative foot all or most of their bills? I've seen that plenty.
How rigorous was the course work? How much did the person develop their "whole" self, or push their horizons? What if they just barely squeaked by, but can still check the degree box? What about folks that have never had a job before or during college but still have that degree?
My point is that having a four year degree may not be directly indicative of commitment, work ethic, etc.
Of course there will be a broad range for both those who have a degree and those who do not. But the average person with a degree is going to excel in those categories compared with the average person who does not.
An airline sifting through thousands of applications doesn't know you on a personal individual basis. They need to need to set standards to select those who they think will do well in an interview. Then they interview based on these standards and hope to select those who will do well as employees.
At the end of the interview, when they make the decision to offer you employment that could last 30-40 years, they don't know you. They have a tiny sample of what you're like, combined with a set of credentials. They know that, on average, people who have degrees have stronger drive, work ethic, maturity, commitment, etc... and they use this to help create their understanding of who you are when deciding if you're the right candidate for them.