The Glade 4.0

This is frustrating me beyond measure. Another temporary job ends and my prospects are nil. In this economy, the jobs that require a degree all require 3+ years of experience. Even if the job description doesn't say that, that's who they take because they can get it. At the same time, the stopgap jobs like retail and call-center work I'm trying to get that don't require a degree auto-reject you as soon as they find out you have one, because they know you're going to jump ship when the economy turns around. Nobody wants an employee, they want a wage slave with no prospects that they can run around like a lemming. I'm really starting to think my options are either lying about my experience or lying about having a degree.

Sins of omission are forgivable.

What, you have a degree? Why didn't you tell us?

You didn't require one, so I didn't put it down. Is that a problem? I just listed the information relevant to the job.

Don't consider it lying unless they specifically ask if you have a degree. You don't volunteer your blood type or list your favorite foods either. You put down information relevant to your ability to do the job. You wouldn't consider a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering relevant to a job driving a forklift would you?

Lying about having the experience when you don't is something they can fire you for when/if they find it out. Having them ticked at you because you turned out to be better educated than them and more qualified for their job than they are is a different story. You didn't lie, you just didn't fully disclose.

Then when internal promotions are available, you whip out the degree for the jobs it is appropriate for.

I have a friend with a law degree who passed the bar, got his ticket to practice, then couldn't find a job and didn't have the resources to open his own practice. He got a job at the Franchise Tax Board by not including the fact that he was a lawyer. They didn't mind once they found out. He's promoted twice since.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

One thing I've learned is that there's a difference between a lie of omission (leaving out part or all of the information that the employer/whatever has asked for) and not providing information not asked for.

For example, if the question is "Do you have a high school diploma?" the answer is "yes" for you. That doesn't mean they need to know you have a degree. If they aren't asking and it isn't relevant to the job, it's none of their buisness. You're not lying by leaving that out even if you know it would change their mind. They didn't ask, even tangenitally.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Something to keep in mind. The job requirement listings are not usually gospel. Most of the HR people i've worked with will accept exceptional skills or experience over education for example.

We just pulled the trigger on a hire on someone who only had an associates degree, but had 6+ years working with the specific technologies we were looking for. The job req listed Bachelors required, Masters preferred.

If you think you can do the job, sell yourself. Don't let the posted requirements keep you from trying.

The fact that I teach at the college level while simultaneously starting my undergrad goes a long way to back up the point that what they ask for isn't necessarily what they will hire.

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It feels like all the people who want limited government really just want government limited to Republicans.
---The Daily Show