Randomer Thoughts

Yesterday, I was on a message board for owners of the Ford ZX2. One of the members said something that pushed one of my buttons - the "sense of entitlement" button.

Let me start off by saying that living in America offers equal opportunity. It does not, however, offer equal outcome. This member was complaining that companies pick people from certain schools over other schools simply because of the name of the school. His argument was that the skills of the individual should be the basis for choosing prospective employees and that the school has nothing to do with the skill level of the employee.

If you want quality car parts, you choose certain brands. Why? Because those brands have a reputation for producing quality parts. You trust them. You do not spend your time and money purchasing the same part from every manufacturer, installing each of the parts, and giving each of the parts a test drive. You purchase and install one part.

The school that you come from - the program that you come from - says a lot about your skill set. For example, the programs at the Marriott School are known for producing quality candidates for certain fields. BYU's animation program also produces quality candidates for jobs in the animation field. Pixar, a well known and highly respected company, recruits right out of BYU.

In today's competitive job market, it's the role of those seeking jobs to stand out to employers. The program you come from is one way to do that, but it is not the only way. In other words: If you've got the skills, then prove it.