If you’re an employer, do you care if a potential employee has a degree?

Does that mean anything? Have we gone far enough to where it doesn’t really register?

It is required for many government jobs. It may be just that you have one, not that it has much to do with your work. I had a friend in computers and he didn’t have a degree, just 30+ years of experience and lots of classes and certificates in different programs. No government job for him.

Has who gone far enough? You just started college.
Many employers care you’ve been educated and tested.

Depends on the job.

Job requires occupational license where a degree is a prerequisite? Yes.

Job involves skills or knowledge found primarily among those with a degree in a relevant subject? Most viable candidates will have a degree in a relevant subject; those who do not are typically among the strongest who have self-educated and proven it. (But some employers make the degree a check-box requirement, refusing to hire the self-educated.)

Job does not require skills or knowledge indicated by a degree? No. (But it is widely believed that many employers require or prefer people with degrees even for these types of jobs – credential creep.)

Depends on the field. I was in engineering and a degree was mandatory. Most went on to have graduate degrees.

So we have this debate a lot in manufacturing. We have a lot of skilled positions that definitely require training thru an apprenticeship. It’s usually pitched to HS students as either college or apprenticeship. I believe the future is both, at least an associate degree earned with your apprenticeship. Things are changing too fast to not have the learnng experience of a degree.

Huh?

Like everyone else said- it depends on the field.

My dad owned his own business when I was younger. He had several employees and no, he didn’t care if they had degrees. (He didn’t either.)
But they needed to be certified plumbers. Because he owned a plumbing business.

So depends on the field. Mine requires an advanced degree and certification and in some cases a license. Depends on what you want to do always.

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Closing thread since there’s nothing more to add. User is no longer with us, due to “hit and run” posting.