ABC Radio National

Life Matters






Date/Time 14 Mar 2014 8:07:51am
I have never attended university but worked as an engineer and drafting designer for 30 years on the back of a TAFE Engineering credential. In this time I worked often harder and longer, and with greater flexibility, and delivered more results than many degree engineers beside me. At times I was used to train young degree graduate engineers to be my bosses, and in many instances I saved their bacon when they were heading in the wrong direction. I was paid much less than degree engineers and I was ultimately judged by my lack of credentials, with my experience of decades ignored. Now I exist in an unemployable zone of no degree and too old. It is very sad that age and experience counts for nought in this era, and I strongly urge anyone to attend university instead of TAFE if considering any professional employment. Eventually degrees will become devalued and common place, and not an accurate measure of the quality of the individual, and I believe this has already been happening for sometime.
