Education discrimination?

[kellyree30]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? MI

I do not have a college degree. I've been in the Publishing industry since I was 18 (I'm now 30). I worked at a newspaper for 7 years (moving through the ranks to management) and left to become a software trainer for a publishing/printing software company. I did this job - and well - for two years before the company was purchased by another and layoffs ensued. I have been back at this company for a year, bringing my total years of experience in the company to three and in the field, ten. I just received a glowing review. I am well-liked by my peers, our customers and our management. However, because I lack a college degree (in anything), they are telling me that I don't "deserve" to make what they are hiring a 23-year old, fresh out of college, who has no industry experience but has a degree. These new trainers are being trained by ... you guessed it ... me. Is there any sort of discrimination law that I can look into? I love my job. But I feel that I should be getting paid more than someone with no field/industry experience whatsoever, but a degree. I don't begrudge anyone their education and I don't make these newbies the scapegoats for my anger. I just want to be paid fairly.

 

[cmorris]

Education discrimination? No such thing. If you don't like your pay, go elsewhere.

 

[cbg]

cmorris is correct. It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, pregnancy, and being over 40. It is not illegal to discriminate on the basis of education. If your employer wants to pay someone with a college degree more than someone without one, they are free to do so. Nothing in the law says they have to pay based on experience.

 

[Katy W.]

school

Kellyree, have you thought about going back to school and getting one of those degrees yourself?

 

[HomeGuru]

Kellyree, have you thought about going back to school and getting one of those degrees yourself?

**A: now that's an idea.

 

[jennifermd]

Kelly,

There may be no laws to date that address discrimination based on education, but I can tell you it is a problem that affects millions of middle aged workers today.

We are the generation who went to work right out of high school, putting our personal interests on the back burner to devote our time and energy to a company that we thought we would retire from one day.

Regardless of our success and dedication, we are now being ignored and overlooked for positions being filled by new college grads with no practical experience.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed right now or before we know it, we will not even qualify for a job at McDonalds!

 

[BelizeBreeze]

Kelly,

There may be no laws to date that address discrimination based on education, but I can tell you it is a problem that affects millions of middle aged workers today.

We are the generation who went to work right out of high school, putting our personal interests on the back burner to devote our time and energy to a company that we thought we would retire from one day.

Regardless of our success and dedication, we are now being ignored and overlooked for positions being filled by new college grads with no practical experience.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed right now or before we know it, we will not even qualify for a job at McDonalds!

And that has nothing whatsoever to do with anything. If you're too lazy to get off your 'middle-age spread' and retrain then too damn bad.

 

[cmorris]

Lots of middle-aged people go back to school. To me, that isn't an excuse.

 

[jennifermd]

Thank you for your inaccurate assumption. I am back in school...almost half way through the bachelor's program with a 4.0 GPA. Unfortunately it takes time to complete the program.

So thank you for your willingness to understand. Who knows, perhaps one day in the near future, every job will require an education level higher than you have obtained and I can call you a middle aged lazy ****!

Best wishes!

 

[cbg]

Jennifer, FYI - the law protects characteristics that an employee/applicant CANNOT change, such as national origin, race, gender or age. You CAN change your educational status.

 

[BelizeBreeze]

Thank you for your inaccurate assumption. I am back in school...almost half way through the bachelor's program with a 4.0 GPA. Unfortunately it takes time to complete the program.

So thank you for your willingness to understand. Who knows, perhaps one day in the near future, every job will require an education level higher than you have obtained and I can call you a middle aged lazy ****!

Best wishes!

Who changed the rules of this forum to make it now an "UNDERSTANDING" forum instead of a LAW forum?

I think you took a wrong turn and are looking for http://www.Pleasecoddleandfeelsorryforme.com

 

[jennifermd]

You are not worth my time and energy. Please go away.

 

[jennifermd]

Jennifer, FYI - the law protects characteristics that an employee/applicant CANNOT change, such as national origin, race, gender or age. You CAN change your educational status.

CBJ:

I understand, but what about Adverse Impact? Under Title VII and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, a person who believes he or she was unintentionally discriminated against as a result of an employer's practices need only establish a prima facie case of discrimination (showing that the employer's selection procedures like requiring a college degree for the job, did have an adverse impact on a protected minority group)....women are minority groups.

 

[BelizeBreeze]

CBJ:

I understand, but what about Adverse Impact? Under Title VII and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, a person who believes he or she was unintentionally discriminated against as a result of an employer's practices need only establish a prima facie case of discrimination (showing that the employer's selection procedures like requiring a college degree for the job, did have an adverse impact on a protected minority group)....women are minority groups.

Did you ever see a pair of stretch lycra pants on a 300lb woman???

That's what your reasoning looks like.

 

[Beth3]

Jennifer, adverse impact only applies to educational criteria when (a) such criteria is not justified and (b) it serves to unduly rule out a disproportionate number of candidates within a protected membership group.

You just can't make that claim here. I imagine there are any number of women candidates of a similar age and in your racial group who do have college degrees and who are generally qualified for the job. Attempting to make the claim that requiring college degrees for these jobs disproportionately rules out otherwise qualified female candidates just isn't possibly true even at face value.