RM> I'd agree with that.. plus you usually need a degree in 'something'
RM> (Basket weaving?) to get a government job which generally pays better
RM> and has better extras than a 'real' job..

SD>That's not true.  You can get good jobs at the VA and USPS without a degree t
  > pay substantially more than other jobs.  There are a lot of jobs that requir
  > degree, yes, but there are many jobs that do not require a degree.

I was referring to Canada, where I live regardless of the possible Tag Line.
It's dangerous to generalize as I know a few people without degrees that got
government jobs, but I've also seen jobs advertised where a degree would be of
little use, but they stated in the ad that it is required. I suppose rather
than 'education' the requirement helps weed out the total idiots, although it
probably discriminated against lower income people that way as well.

SD>Right now the USPS is hiring 100,000 people for jobs that do not require a
  >degree and pay between $15-$40 an hour.

Funny (?) story.. I once decided that I wouldn't mind working for Canada Post
since I enjoy outdoor stuff and walking and it was a solid job with great
benefits that paid well. I went in and, with a room of other applicants,
filled out a rather long employment test. When the results came back they said
they wouldn't hire me because I scored too High on the tests. They said it was
likely I'd get bored too easily in the job and wouldn't stick around.

Actually several times I ran into similar things, applying for jobs and being
told that if they were looking for a manager, they might be interested, but
not as a regular employee.. I should have started cheating on the I.Q. tests
so that I'd get a lower score..    B)

I once missed one job as a branch manager at a wholesale plumbing and electric
place because at the last minute someone who already worked for the company
decided to move there and take the job. The application process there involved
long involved I.Q. and Psych tests taking hours to do and costing them
hundreds of dollars. The guy doing the hiring said he wished he could take me
over the other guy, whom he wasn't too impressed with, but he was overruled.
When I went in to get that news he appologized, gave me a one day shopping
spree at their wholesale prices to help make up for it, and then laughed a bit
and said he wanted to show me something. He dug out the results of the tests
and the company giving them had said I scored so high that they strongly
suspected that I had cheated. Since the guy I was applying to was in the room
when I did the test he knew I couldn't have cheated so he found it amusing.

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 * SLMR Rob  * Old bookkeepers never die, they just lose their balance
 * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (618:250/1)