Job first, sit exams later

Former Rangitoto College principal Allan Peachey is not convinced degrees are always relevant to career opportunities.

When Genevieve Smith started work as a "stamp licker" in a legal office at 15, she had no formal secondary or tertiary qualifications. Now a qualified legal executive and editorial assistant, Smith, 26, says that lack of early academic qualifications has had little impact on her present career or future employment prospects.

"I was homeschooled all my life and so didn't attend high school or university. When I went [to work] my boss paid for me to train as a legal executive," says Smith.

Smith studied through the Open Polytechnic at night and worked during the day, staying with the same employer for more than five years before heading off on a two-year OE. She says she is still regularly offered work in the legal profession, but prefers her job as editorial assistant to father Craig Smith, editor of the Keystone home education journal.

Home education advocate Craig Smith says he has other children who have gone on to progressive careers despite having never attended school or attaining secondary or tertiary academic qualifications. Son Zach, 25, is marketing director for a United States mail order company while Alanson, 22, recently completed an avionics course with the RNZAF and won a boot camp prize for academic excellence. Another of Smith's children was admitted to a Massey University paper before the age of 20 following a chat with the university's admissions officer - a common occurrence according to homeschooling parents, who argue young people do not need to pursue formal academic qualifications to be well educated or to be successful in a career.

Smith says while it's reasonably common for New Zealand parents to want their children to pursue academic qualifications, those that decide not to push it, don't have to sweat it. One homeschooling parent concurs: "Forty years ago neither nurses nor journalists needed to be tertiary qualified to begin their careers - were more patients at risk, or journalists any less talented or thorough? As long as my son can read, write and work hard, he will be able to go to university or pursue a career without going to university."

Allan Peachey, National MP and former principal for Auckland's Rangitoto College says every career seeker needs to be able to read, write, communicate and do maths to the point they can function effectively in the workplace. Beyond that, candidates need a command of modern information technology and a personal attitude that reinforces their position as a positive addition to social and work communities, says Peachey. He says while the present Government has done a good job of convincing people of the value of a tertiary education, he's personally not convinced degrees are always relevant to modern career opportunities.

"I lose count of the number of parents I run into who tell me their children have graduated from university, taken between six and nine months to find a job and then found themselves starting out in a position that could be filled by a [secondary] school leaver," says Peachey.

Peachey says while some occupations and jobs obviously require the knowledge a degree delivers, a tertiary degree may not carry the "high premium" it is perceived to by career seekers and people need to be very cautious about what they assume tertiary qualifications will achieve for them.

Smith suggests secondary school qualifications are also over-rated. "Once young people get a couple of decent job references under their belt that is certainly far better than any NCEA," says Smith.

How many of today's employers are prepared to kick-start careers for candidates with enthusiasm, life experience or a great work ethic but no formal school qualifications? Apparently some are. Two years ago, Prime Television recruited a 17-year-old as a trainee sound technician; despite the fact the young man had no formal school qualifications and had not completed an industry training course. The employee had held the same part time car-grooming job for two years before his friendly manner and obvious work ethic attracted the attention of a passing Prime TV manager. Now 19, the employee has learned fast on the job and been re-employed by Sky Television following Sky's purchase of Prime earlier this year.

While probably easier to err on the side of caution and throw money at academic qualifications in order to 'backstop' a career plan, questions are beginning to be asked about how far an individual needs to go academically towards a desired career. Can they better their chances by gaining life and people experience or by brushing up on basic communications skills first?

Donna Kerrison, national marketing manager for recruitment specialists Drake International, says leaving school halfway through the sixth form (year 12) with only School Certificate had no impact on her developing sales, marketing and recruitment career. Now 38, Kerrison says she learned 'on the job', worked internationally, and completed a formal Direct Marketing Association workshop only later in life. She says young people who take degree often graduate with "a degree of debt" and Drake commonly places candidates with no formal qualifications into corporate, office and industrial roles. Recruiters may also be able to provide courses in software use and other skills free for candidates providing an employer can be lined up for them.

Kerrison says older generation employers particularly favour a strong work ethic, as well as candidates who are not 'job jumpers'.

"Not all employers are looking for formal qualifications, but they do want basic literacy and communication skills along with a decent work ethic. We see a lot of university graduates who can't even spell properly, don't have work ethic; don't even know how a letter should be laid out," says Kerrison.

So who drives the perception that formal secondary and tertiary qualifications are necessary for career success - is it employers, parents; the Government? Peachey suspects the Government, Kerrison employers, while Smith suspects it's a combination of Government, tertiary education marketing and plain old-fashioned fear.

"Parents feel their children won't be successful without at least formal tertiary qualifications and we know from close observation of [non-schooled] children this is just not true," says Smith.

Kerrison says although some employers do have a policy of only interviewing candidates with formal tertiary qualifications, in an aging employment market this is short-sighted. Employers would be wiser to consider whether they can contribute to training someone - taking the approach of' if I upskill this person then they are mine'.

"Employers do help drive the perception that tertiary degrees are needed: in current employment market conditions they are not going to be able to keep asking for that," says Kerrison.

Peachey says career seekers may benefit from moving their mindset away from believing the correct chronological order towards career success is to first acquire formal academic qualifications, then pursue a career position. He says starting work first, learning on the job, then becoming formally academically qualified later in life may work better for both career climbers and employers.