Discrimination?

[divermedic]

What is the name of your state? texas
i want to work in federal law enforcement but almost all agencies require a bachelor's degree and i don't have one. they will take a BA degree in any field though that provides nothing whatsoever to the ability to do l.e. i already work in l.e. part-time for another agency but that doesn't help. i could see it if they required a criminal justice degree. doesn't that seem rather arbitrary? i feel that is a form of discrimination since someone with a BA degree in horticulture has no advantage over an experienced law enforcement officer. am i way out in left field here?

 

[JETX]

"am i way out in left field here?"
*** You are so far out in left field that we need binoculars to see you.

There is NO statute prohibiting an employer from requiring a specific degree or education.

 

[divermedic]

There also used to be NO statute prohibiting an employer from not hiring an individual based on race, religion, disability, etc. These were determined to be discriminatory after legal action was taken. Has anyone ever actually sought a ruling on if hiring on the basis of education is discrimination? Those with a bachelor's degree can be considered a "group" as opposed to those without. If the non-specific degree lends nothing to the ability to do the job as it does in this instance, it becomes an arbitrarily selected group. If the basis of establishing an acceptable "group" is not related to the ability to do the job, isn't that a form of discrimination?

 

[cbg]

As the law currently stands, "educational background" is not a protected characteristic. You will also note that those characteristics that ARE protected, are ones that the employee has NO control over; race, gender, age, etc.

I can't see "education" being turned into a protected category, since people do have the opportunity to determine what level of education they acquire.

However, what I can see (in fact, what has already happened in ground-breaking case law) is that IF an educational requirement is OBVIOUSLY irrelevant to the job itself, IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES it can be considered an"adverse impact" on a group that is already protected. I don't recall the specific details of the case in question, but I believe it involved a high school diploma being required for a janitorial position. IN THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE the court ruled (oh, and we're talking the US Supreme Court here) that a high school diploma was not a necessity for pushing a broom around the school, and the requirement had an "adverse impact" on minorities since AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME (I believe the early '70s) the overwhelming percentage of workers without a high school diploma were minorities.

That does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that every educational requirement is going to have an adverse impact on anyone.

 

[divermedic]

Thanks. That is a little more helpful. It's just a bit frustrating because, though I am working on my degree, there is an age limit on most of these jobs and its uncertain whether I will complete my education in time. Thanks again.

 

[enjay]

Consider applying at federal IG offices. The requirements are often a bit less stringent.