Customer Reviews

Proving You're Qualified: Strategies for Competent People Without College Degrees

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In the realm of many books covering self-directed learning, I would like to single out two books which I have read on this subject.

They are:

- Self University: The Price of Tuition is the Desire to Learn, by Charles Hayes;
- Proving You're Qualified: Strategies for Competent People without College Degrees, by Charles Hayles;

After having spent twenty-four years in the corporate world, I really consider them to be the wisest & most useful books I have ever read on the subject of self-directed learning.

'Self-University' is a heart-warming book. It encourages all of us to think of education as a life-long, self-initiated venture instead of a lifeless, institutionalized affair.

Let me recap the author's catchy metaphor from this book: "The caterpillar is condemned to crawl, but the butterfly has the potential to soar above with an all-inclusive view of the world. As humans we complete our caterpillar stage when we reach mature physical growth. If we are to soar like the butterflies, we must do so through the development of our minds."

'Proving You're Qualified' is a career book for competent people who have learned their jobs, on the job...& yet they are often passed over for promotion for lack of a degree, which has nothing, whatsoever, to do with their performance. This book offers readers a frank discussion of educational merit and actual performance in a workplace caught in the grip of frightening change. It can help you to better understand the nature of power in hierarchies, to gain insight into methods for fighting credentialism, and to save time and money by utilizing alternate methods of adult continuing education.

My favourite chapters from 'Proving You're Qualified' are:

- Chapter 6: Leverage, Options & Choices;
- Chapter 7: Learning to Live with Change;
- Chapter 8: Me, Inc.;

These three chapters alone are worth the price of the entire book!

The above two books are very thought-provoking. Each chapter of the two books are so compelling that you may feel forced to write comments in the margins of the pages as you go along.

To sum up my review, these two wonderful books offer an excellent approach to ensuring your career security in the 21st century.

In this work, Hayes examines the world of academia and the credentials it confers through the eyes of the working person. Hayes references personal experience, philosophical wisdom, and pure common sense to form a work that, if nothing else, will challenge the reader's view of the credentialing process and stimulate one's thoughts. A valuable read for anyone, credentialed or not.

For practically minded workers---those with an eye on production and delivering sterling value---the situation today is rich with promise. Employers are waking up to the truth that University degrees---even those from prestigious universities---are as good as counterfeit. Just one reason is that, today, anyone can go to university. And many graduates don't even have a firm grasp of the language in which their years of coursework was conducted. Here in Australia that language is English, of course, and the number of "English-impaired" students graduating from prestigious Australian Universities has been a big question mark. And it doesn't stop there; I've found university coursework that was outdated, riddled with errors and learning material that I could not map to actual workplace skills.
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I once came across a text book (in use at a prestigious university) which was written in unnecessarily complicated and twisted sentences; so much so that it would make the professors who wrote it laughing stocks in international academic circles.
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The remarks of other reviewers so far---"Lee Say Keng", "'A Customer' [on August 26, 1999]" and "Gian Fiero"---are well-worth reading, and I shall not repeat those same praises here.
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To summarize, I should say simply that this book is a good starting point. Internet based facilities (not available in 1995 when this book was published) can now be leveraged in adapting the strategies covered in this book.
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Good luck! But better still, "good strategy"!

I'm a big fan of Charles D. Hayes. Not only are his books well-written, but his arguments for self-knowledge and self-education are eloquently framed. His opinions are largely based upon independently conducted research which includes a seemingly endless list of books that he's read, his work experiences, and sincerity of thought. With that in mind, I'd have to say that I highly recommend this book for those who may not have a degree, but are struggling with the decision of whether or not pursue one to get a job, or to advance your career. That dilemma is at the center of this wheel, and the related issues of practicality, necessity, self-perception, corporate culture, etc., are the spokes that surround it.

Does the book offer strategies for competent people without college degrees? Sort of. Charles has some suggestions, but ultimately, he has a great deal of provocations that can stimulate the type of thinking that will lead to the creation of the very strategies that you are hoping to find herein.

This book succeeds on many levels, none more importantly perhaps, than in bringing this topic to the table for examination and discussion. Competency versus credentials is a great debate; one that needs more attention - especially if you lack the latter. This book will improve your chances of winning that argument the next time it arises.

I was disappointed since there is very little about how to prove you are qualified. Lost of time spent defining the problem but no advice on getting your experiential qualifications past the gatekeepers in HR or accepted by the hiring managers. Seemed more like a rant about the problem with footnotes. On the whole I wish I'd save the price of the book.