Bias against military?

Have you ever not received a job because you joined the military instead of going to collage?  What does that do to our country exactly?  Scenario, man walks into interview sits down, and the first question they ask, “You didn’t put your collage references down, which collage did you attend?”.  Man responds, “No collage, I joined the military.”   The interviewers look at each other and continue with some questions as if they are still interested.   Really?  Yes, it’s happened to me and I’m sure it’s happened to many others that stood up and said I’m willing to die for our country.   Why does society feel, that someone has to go to collage to be a good employee?   I think I have some answers, but who am I to say, I’m just a dumb Marine.

I worked for a company in the late 90’s that was bought out by a larger company.   At the time there were people leaving or being let go, because of all the changes.   My new boss from the bigger company had me helping him look through resumes and the first thing out of his mouth was, “weed out anyone that has no collage”.   Me looking stunned and him not knowing I had never been to collage I asked the question, “why must they have collage?”.   His response was if they went to school for 4 years, that means they are willing to dedicate themselves for a purpose.    I then asked him what if they were military and his response was quick with, as long as they have collage.   After informing him I had never been to collage, he now was the one looking stunned.

I don’t know about you, but joining the military knowing your giving up your life and all your rights to fight for everyone else’s, seems to be a bit more dedication than going to collage.  Now I’m not saying collage is not the way to go.  It should be required for some types of jobs like, but not limited too, lawyers and doctors.   I’m in the IT world and it changes constantly, so how is collage going to benefit me?   Take someone coming straight out of collage and everything they have learned about IT is no longer being used.  What they thought they knew is only a tip of what is needed to be successful at their job.   I write software in well over 15 languages and have been in this trade for 20 years.   Why would someone pick someone out of collage with no history over someone with 20 years of experience?  I have to wonder if it’s not the employer that spent $30k-$70k on collage that thinks, because they had to do it everyone else should too.   Or is it more like people that only want to hire from within their brotherhood of collage members, if you can even fathom that.

So what happens now to that person that didn’t get their job because they fought for their country?   They go home and tell their spouse and kids, I can’t get that job because I didn’t spend $30k for collage even though I’m over qualified for the position.   Our kids hear this and they choose collage over the military, because they want that job over hunger.  We now are weeding out people from wanting to ever go into the military and a war breaks out.  Now we have to draft those kids going to or have already been to collage.    Kids that are not wanting to be there because they choose to work over defending.   Now we have military that doesn’t want to defend, defending our country.

How safe are we?   Does this happen over night?   No, but requiring collage is fairly a new requirement in IT over the last 10 years.    Before the mid 90’s anyone looking for an IT job could get one, rather they had collage or not.    This day and age, most kids have a good understanding of computers and they see their mom and dads in IT so they are heading to collage just so they can learn an out dated process, but will most likely get that job before that patriotic parent does..