MS, PhD: Overqualified or Not Enough Experience 3

[CRG]

I have read and heard the expression, “over qualified,” as a viable reason for having problems finding employment. Is this an excuse for poor career management? When someone becomes highly educated outside the normal work force (AKA academia), why do they presume that the education will be an asset for finding a job? Is this the sales pitch that is given at universities?

I believe that higher education is a great thing for personal achievement; however it is not a guarantee for easy money. There are many government jobs that base pay scale on education and experience. For the rest of the workforce, I would expect that experience, quality of work, and productivity are more important than a MS or PhD.

 

[FalsePrecision]

It is very simple - if you want employment at a regular consulting (other than research/scentific) firm, don't expect a MS or PHD to be a bargaining chip.
I know I could make more money driving a garbage truck, but being an engineer is my calling. My MS degree may not have been useful salary-wise, but it sure gave a good technical foundation in the real world.
Some employers value the higher degree, but most don't.

 

[IRstuff]

Over-qualification in the abstract sense is simply a mismatch between supply and demand.



TTFN

 

[FalsePrecision]

IR, very wise statement. I wanted to add the statement that in hi-tech industries such as aerospace and electronics, biomedical engrg, etc, the higher degrees are valuable. I was speaking from just my experience, in structural design for the building industry.

 

[CRG]

So when someone complains that they are over-qualified and, as a result, cannot find suitable work, should this be considered poor career management by them? If so, does this poor career management reflect something about the person who complains using the term over-qualified when describing himself/herself?

 

[tygerdawg]

Not necessarily poor career management. I agree with FalseP: "most don't".

This discussion has been presented before in several forms. My personal rant is that when employers will take a graduate of a 2-year Engrg Technology program or even the so-called "non-degreed engineers" and call them "Engineer" in order to fill a slot the cheapest way possible, then the value of my graduate studies turns worthless. Except that it helps me in the technical aspects of my job, but it has dubious worth as far as wage-earning power over a regular BS degree.

My regular experience in this poor economy was that I was in a Catch-22: overqualified because of Master's, they were interested in having Master's-level asset for a BS-level job, but if I agreed to accept a lower salary they were suspicious that I would quit ASAP for higher pay....so it wasn't offered.

TygerDawg

 

[IRstuff]

Not necessarily "poor career management," but most certainly, "poor job search management," and possibly some laziness or possibly some undue ego.

TTFN

 

[HgTX]

Overqualification, if it really exists, doesn't just mean that the degree doesn't give you an adantage, though. It means that having the degree is an active detriment.

It does happen sometimes. Usually, though, the overeducated applicant also lacks some of the practical experience that the less-educated candidates have, so it's difficult to isolate overqualification as a true cause of unemployment.

Hg

 

[brainstorming]

While I have M.S. in Che. eng. that took 3.5 years part-time, and about 4 years practical experience in plants and projects, I feel that my practical experience is more valuable than the degree especially when the field does not need high educated employees.
Therefore, if u want to balance on a dep. u will look first of degrees and then into the experience. The more educated employees in any dep., the much better from qaulity as well as the high level of understanding and building relationships.

Now I am thinking of the PhD degree while I am working currently in a big project.
What to do? I don't know just to keep working in the project to build strong experience background and the PhD can be earned later!

Regards

 

[corus]

Having experience, good quality of work, high prodcutivity etc. only shows what you can do now. The advantage of a higher qualification is that it shows that you can learn and therefore shows that you have the ability to do more and different things in the future. It's not uncommon for an employer to take on someone who has a high qualification in a different subject for what he is being employed as, simply because that employer knows that that person can quickly learn the job and also bring something new to the company. The problem in most cases is that when you are applying for a job in your own discipline then a highly qualified person will be rejectd as he'll be clever than his boss, and nobody wants that, now do they?

corus

 

[brainstorming]

Can I understand from you corus that I gave up from my thinking in getting PhD due to the frustration might be a result from the boss?

Regards

 

[Maui]

CRG, you would benefit from reading my comments as well as the responses of others in thread731-105240.

Maui

 

[jsummerfield]

Logic suggets that more education provides better income. This is not always true. Also, sometimes the expectations or other aspects do not match the additional education.

I know a few engineers who became lawyers then came back to engineering. They work and are paid as engineers. However, they are more valuable, likely paid at a higher rate than another engineer.

Consider the other extreme. You and your high-school pal both finish high school. One spends about five-years to get a BSEE. The other becomes an apprenece craftsman.

After the five-years required to get the BSEE one paid out for room, board, tuition books, etc. to get to the point to start work as an engineer. After the five-years the apprentice craftsman is a journeyman making top rate. Starting pay for the engineer may be close to the income of the craftsman but likely double the rate in another 10 years. The expectation for getting the engineering degree is likely for a good income. However, it will take a while to earn more than the craftsman did.

John

 

[corus]

brainstorming,
There is a certain psychology at play in the workplace which is essentially animalistic in nature. The gaining of a higher qualification might pose a threat to your boss's position in the hierarchy as the Alpha male/female and so they might discourage you. You could try submissive grooming to pacify them, but I wouldn't encourage that unless you worked in a hairdressers.

corus

 

[HgTX]

Though there are a lot of ways to figuratively roll over and show one's neck and belly.

There was another thread that I can't find now, about someone who was having trouble at work because he was better educated than everyone else there and they all thought he was arrogant. Might be relevant here, even though in that case he already had the job.

Hg

 

[franzh]

My son fought several battles in interviews with comments that he was overqualified for the position he was applying. My two cents worth is that if the comment comes across that he is overqualified, either he did not stress his capabilities enough, the interviewer was looking for a reason to disqualify him, or something was lacking in the communication.
The adage that some lower paying firms will not hire an upper level educated person is that they may find a better paying job and leave is just bunk. I would gladly hire a PhD for a lower position simply that they bring a level of expertise to the group not available with either a non college graduate or a field trained person. Let the applicant decide if they want to apply for a lower paying position, not the interviewer.
Lastly, if a subordinate performs well, that makes the rest of the department look good, me included.
Franz

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[CRG]

franzh, I have to agree with you. I believe that when someone pulls out the excuse that they are/were overqualified, it means that there is something else at play. The problem can usually be found directly between their ears. The threads I have read where this has been discussed seem to have a self-pity tone by those claiming the problem. I have never heard the phrase overqualified from someone with ambition, confidence, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work.

 

[brainstorming]

Then, what to do with a problem of being overqualified and facing a boss has threat from such qualification.

Really this is a massive and certainly horrible situation.
You might find out ways or solution for this problem.!!!

Regards

 

[corus]

CRG,
Unfortunately I have personally been told by a manager that my qualifications for a position I was applying for were more than required. Even when I offered to alter my CV to remove such unnecessary degrees, they still refused to consider me. Clearly the glint of intelligence cannot be hidden.
It is far from the truth to suggest that it is self pity that has invented this problem. Depending on which position you are applying for, and how desperate you are for work, it is best to have several CVs, each with different levels of qualifications you have obtained.

corus

 

[mshimko]

Time to disagree, or at least provide alternative opinions.

Every business is in the business to....MAKE MONEY. Your business makes money by minimizing expenses and maximizing revenue. These are simple facts of life, and if a business doesn’t manage this way, it will not survive.

Some have said above that they would gladly hire a PhD for a lower position as they would be bringing in an added level of expertise. Unfortunately, if that person is still categorized at the “lower position”, the company must (a) pay him at a low level, or (b) pay him more than the revenue the company expects to receive. Even if the PhD agrees to employment at a relatively low wage, as a hiring manager I must consider the possibility that this employee will not be happy in this position (I assume the person got his/her PhD for a reason....), and I will lose them before I “get my money’s worth”. The term “over qualified” is very applicable in this case.