Within the American workforce, millions of potential employees are interviewed and hopefully hired every day.  With this being said, the employers look deeply into the applicant’s profile, and choose wisely according to their achievements.  However, when the thought of getting hired comes to mind, typically one thing resonates with that: the degree and the test scores that accompany it.  Of course, a college degree is favorable and if not preferred, but there is a lot more to a new potential worker that hirers care to primarily see.  These include the ability to adapt in a new environment, the background and determination/motivational goal-making of the individual, and the desire to learn from their superiors – all while keeping the job at hand.

When applying to a new place in the workforce, the undergraduate degree and the Bachelor’s/Masters accompaniment are checked over by the employers, and greatly taken into consideration.  A college degree is an almost certain factor in assuring their spot in the workplace, but the search for potential goes much deeper than that.  For example, if an applicant held a degree from a well-known Ivy-League school, graduated with distinction and scored extremely well on the tests needed to succeed in their field, but did not have any sort of willingness to adapt, his or her reputation in the work force is sullied.  Without the want to adapt in the environment around them and stubbornly just stick to their own old ways, there really is no recipe for them to succeed.  Overall, the personal skills encompass the statistical backgrounds of the individual, especially if the job is one that deals with other people/clients on a daily basis (Pascarella, Terenzini).  Even if not a job that deals with people on a daily basis, the chances are that there will still be some form of a boss or superior in the field.  Whether it be an up and coming lawyer, or a 12-year biomedical engineer, there will always be a boss present.  Whether or not to adapt and prosper, however, will lead to gaining the hirer’s position.  It is typically shown that when a potential employee is new to the environment, they are naturally somewhat afraid of their bosses or superiors (Hall, Cathy et. al).  This is a sticky topic that employees tend to face, because their boss is the main person that they are trying to impress for the ultimate goal of getting hired and eventually promoted.  It is recommended to regularly interact with bosses on a personable level, adapting to their behavior and noticing their habits and desires, something that does not go unnoticed (Mahdavi).  When one exhibits this behavior, it shows resoluteness and willpower.  Of course, keeping in mind that the individual could likely move up to a higher position and expect this of his or her employees someday, treating others how you want to be treated plays a key role in the workforce.  What goes around does indeed come around in terms of one’s career, and if one does not show respect and motivation since day 1, then they most likely will not be respected in return.  This benefits not only the employer, but the employee by comforting them and making sure that they are familiarized in their new place of work.  With familiarization comes comfort, and with comfort comes personal and group success.

The determination of an individual to succeed in their job is or paramount importance.  Upon discussing this with a sales manager of Rick Hendrick Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Charleston, South Carolina, he explained in his own words just how much it really does matter.  While stating that “a man or woman from Harvard that graduated summa cum laude could come in the dealership and apply for a job position… if he or she had no motivation to learn under the Hendrick team and someone without a college degree did, we’d take them instead.  Amiability over everything” (Olds).  Amicable upbringings from an individual’s background also pose major significance when possibly getting hired.  There are certain things that one can not learn in college, and that includes raw experience and maturation.  For instance, if one applicant goes to apply and states to the hirer that he or she has been with 6-7 locations of that franchise, it could mean, in their eyes, that variability is key.  But to an employer’s eye, it shows inefficiency and discombobulation.  Now, on the other hand, someone who has been working not in that franchise whatsoever for, say, 8 years straight, shows determination and consistency.  Consistency is a “key component” of acquiring and keeping a well-paying career (Olds).  Willpower to muster through whatever obstacles they may face in their job is of utter importance and proves that the employee is able to loyally stuck through the peaks and valleys of a given career.   Now, of course a college degree is preferable, or else most universities and colleges nationwide would be out of business.  However, the question is arose: would a person that has learned about war or actually been in the war be of more practical use to the job?  In other words, is it more accomplishing to provide personal experience over credentials (Selingo)?  One can learn how to type numbers into a machine, or statistically sell a car in this example.  On the contrary, one can not just simply learn through a college course/examination how to stay determined and respectful throughout their time at the job.  Without possessing a personable and willing attitude, the employee would essentially limit themselves to the full potential of their growth.

The desire to learn from superiors (and other coworkers) is completely crucial when hired for a new job position.  At some point or another, the employee will start from the bottom and hopefully grow and prosper toward promotion… that is, if they are willing to accept constructional criticism and feedback.  Without the aspiration to realize that the employee must obey their bosses and work as one instead of many little parts, the company itself will not prosper (Olds).  Again, something like this cannot simply be taught just from staying at a different college than a colleague or gaining a certain score on a standardized test.  This is something that is taught from one’s upbringings, and all stems back to passion and determination.  Of course, there are some jobs within the field where getting along with people does not matter as much as others.  For example, an engineer or an accountant has a very different mindset toward metacognition than a car salesman or politician (Mahdavi 531).  All of those careers require exceptional studying, but the latter of the examples require the ability to interact with others slightly more, no matter if it is a superior or customer.  If the team only works as bits and pieces instead of one coherent group, progress will be hindered and the business would most likely not succeed.  To be able to gather one’s senses and come together to unify and thrive is arguable the most outstanding trait an applicant can possess.

Now, of course there are some out there who consider a college degree completely and utterly necessary, no matter the field of study.  On the opposite side of the argument, others seem to think that a college degree is the prerequisite to even getting a job in the first place (Toit).  There are ways in which some think that “Americans with no more than a high school diploma have fallen… behind college graduates in their economic life” that the wage gap between the two is astoundingly different (Rugaber).  It is apparent that most jobs do favor a degree of at least 4 years of undergraduate school, and if not, more years of graduate school (Hall et. al).  Some jobs are also of course different than others, comparing, say, a chef and a cellular biologist.  A chef thrives off of experience while someone like a cellular biologist mainly works from textbooks and studying.  So, there is a definite gap in certain fields of the workforce.  While this can of course be true, it all boils down to the skill the worker possesses at that job with their position specifically.  For another slightly different instance with comparison, there could be an employer at a higher paying job such as a surgeon, versus a slightly lower paying job, such as an athlete.  However, with that being said, the surgeon could be nothing but mediocre in the medical world and the athlete could be the shining star or whatever sport he or she plays.  The comparison between the two is not necessarily expected, and therefore can perhaps come as a slight shock to society (Rugaber).  This is where the background of the individual completely behooves them; one over the other could be completely determined to their field and therefore exude more success.  In such a case, payment most likely correlates with the effort and intentness that one has to offer.  This could ultimately lead to extreme wage gaps, even if the one job knowingly usually pays higher than the other.  There are many examples in today’s society that depict the unexpected job differentiations between two jobs that are usually not compared/contrasted with one another.  One can continuously study the material that they are looking to pursue career wise, but they can only go so far with it (Ishanti, 447).  Whether learning under a book, a microscope, or a cutting board, the mental experience and actually doing the job with others is what matters the most.  The book smarts are key to learning about the subject one is enduring, but the personable skills and kinesthetic/mental ability to prosper are of the utmost importance.

Another way to succeed in the workforce without necessarily acquiring a top-notch degree or a flawless test score is to simply be aesthetically pleasing and have a good aura all around (Taylor, Paul et. al).  If a customer is to buy a car for instance and notices a stuck-up or stubborn attitude with the worker, he or she will be completely turned away from making that potential purchase.  Sure, one can learn psychological skills and/or personable traits throughout rudimentary college courses, but cannot learn how to simply immediately click with a group of customers.  Passion is not something that can just be learned in a classroom, it is a trait that accompanies experience (Selingo).  Now, with that in mind, everyone does have to start from somewhere.  However, if that person is starting from the bottom and has an unbreakable focus toward bettering themselves and the entire team, they are most likely bound to secure the job and blossom within it.  For a good example, Mr. Olds, the general salesman from Charleston, explained that he had 3 men he was considering to hire to the dealership.  The first two applicants held appropriate degrees from quite reputable schools and tight-knit family lives, but the last applicant did not attend college and was brought up on a farm area with divorced parents and overall not a privileged education.  All 3 applicants were accordingly very good candidates for the salesman job position, but the final applicant stood out the most to the hiring team.  The first 2 men brought skills to the table that someone with a college degree should bring, but just that – and that alone.  The final man who applied came into the dealership with the motivation to learn, and the desire to flourish – more apparently than the other two.  Although this man had little to no educational experience, he entered the interview with the strong urge to succeed under his superiors, while the other two thought that was not needed since they had already acquired a degree.  This way of acting, in most fields of work, is highly looked down upon – there is a large difference between confidence and cockiness (Ishanti, 443).  The final man eventually got chosen for the sales job position, and is still employed there to this day.  He now goes on to aid others in the interview process and help potential future employees ease into the job by being themselves – the best they have to offer.  This prime example just goes to show that not everyone applying to the workforce is going to possess a degree, and not everyone is going to be willing to adapt to their new changes and surroundings.  But, most likely, those who do will prove to their coworkers and bosses that they are able to serenely adapt and conform to the way that their operation works.  This trait is one of the most important ones to possess in the business world, and can help many companies reach their fullest potential. 

Now, all of these skills severely matter in the world of work but are essentially useless if the job is not kept (Toit).  In order to keep the job,there cannot just be some façade that the employee puts up just to get hired; he or she must remain in the job position in order to succeed in their respective fields.  Most people who get hired show their true selves during the interview process, and keep their respective attitudes all throughout their career, the correct way to display oneself on the job (Salingo).  However, if he or she simply acts completely different than they do on the day of the interview or the whole process itself, it will show that they cannot keep a straight attitude and therefore will not keep a solid job or position.  Overall, it is crucial to be themselves during the interview process and especially thereafter.

With all of these things being said, determination and motivation to learn and adapt in the workplace is ultimately much more important than being able to solve computations or figure out which equation is right for which subject matter (Rugaber).  If one has no willingness to grow, that person simply cannot be taught the material of the job.  One cannot simply learn prosperity from some myopic and repetitive course.  One must learn prosperity and desire through experience and if not that, then their upbringing and personal traits.  Sure, one can most certainly learn the basic social skills or elementary psychology skills that accompany a job, but one cannot take notes and test on how to gain respect and notoriety in the real world (Mahdavi, 529).  Through experience, perseverance, and deep motivation, one is sure to succeed for a long time within the work force.
