Question:
My husband is getting his software engineering degree through University of Phoenix?
jenblueblonde
2013-08-13 16:37:30 UTC
He has been unemployed and working temp jobs here and there since February. He has applied to probably over 100 jobs since he was laid off and had no luck. Recently I submitted his resume to a forum to get opinions or possibly get some job contacts. Everyone who responded said that him going to University of Phoenix is probably the reason he is not getting any call backs. He is using the Post 911 GI Bill and will be graduating in October so it is a little to late to switch schools now. My question is this, is the school really looked at so poorly that if a hiring manager sees it on a resume they automatically toss it out? If that is the case, can we just leave the school off his resume and leave everything else? He is very skilled at what he does, has made several programs in his classes and is working on a couple on his own to put on Github. He has a LinkedIn profile and is going to put them on there too. We just really need some guidance and help, I am getting really worried. Thank you to everyone who responds.
Eight answers:
?
2013-08-13 17:14:41 UTC
That's right, his resume is getting tossed. He should have known this before he enrolled. Most software engineers are smart enough to research the quality of the software engineering programs before enrolling, but somehow he failed to do that. That alone is a strong indication that he is lacking in some seriously needed skills in research and practical observation. He's basically wasted his time, your time, and the government's money. But yes, you can and should have him leave that off his resume. Listing it will only hurt his chances to get a job.



What's really disappointing is that there are some very good online programs from public and private universities that are well respected, fully accredited, and cheaper than UoP. Such a waste. It's hard to account for why any good software engineer would pick UoP. Was it an impulsive choice out of frustration? Why didn't he research all of the options?



At this point, he can fix this problem in several ways. He can start over to get degrees from respected and ABET accredited programs. Unfortunately, there aren't many ABET accredited online software engineering bachelors degrees offered, partly because there's very few on-campus ABET software engineering degrees. Software engineering is usually taught only at the graduate level in masters programs, which assume that the student already has earned a B.Sc Computer Science degree. So it's as if he "skipped" a major step in his education, and employers will know it. His resume probably isn't even being seen by the hiring manager - it will probably be excluded by HR as not meeting the requirements of the position due to the UoP degree.



He can also use personal networking to find work instead of applying and sending resumes. This is an opportunity to bypass HR and get to talk to hiring managers directly. This can be done by canvassing all of the user groups that may be in your area for him to attend on subjects related to his skills (or skills that he wants to learn). He can volunteer in user groups to give presentations and to teach the group about related subjects that are interesting to the members. This is a chance to prove his technical competence and to improve his personal speaking skills. A lot of headhunters will attend user groups looking for speakers and respected members to fill positions they have. Other programmers, software engineers, and managers can be a great source of inside info about potential job openings before the jobs are advertised or posted publicly. Do not underestimate the value of this networking. I got almost all of my jobs and good headhunter contacts through networking, user group leadership and speaking, before I had earned my degrees. Just showing up to the meetings doesn't count. Active participation and talking to people is required, otherwise nobody will be able to observe his skills and knowledge, nor will he be able to find out if suitable jobs may be available.



He also should be building up a list of high quality personal references who are willing to share how great he is. Doing contract work is a way to build up a list of satisfied clients - but only if he's careful to do what's necessary to keep them happy with the work he does for them. Excellent references are like gold that has been stored up for use when seeking new work.



A lot of these options will depend on where you live. It can be hard to find work when you live in an area that has few jobs in software development. Moving might be required to go where the jobs are located. If you already live in a region with plenty of high technology employment, then you should be able to use these options I've given. An example of good online software engineering degrees are the masters program offered by Carnegie Mellon and CSU Fullerton. He probably should go to community college to prepare transfer to a public university with an ABET accredited CompSci program in your state, if he doesn't have a bachelors degree (besides the UoP). Figure on 5 years for the bachelors and 2 years for the masters degree. There are no good shortcuts. Sorry. He has to pay his dues like everyone else.
iSpeakTheTruth
2013-08-13 19:09:26 UTC
Do NOT leave the name of the school off the resume while putting just the degree on it. It's an immediate red flag that will stick out so badly it's the worst thing you can possibly do. Also, would not leave the degree off like you never went there because it's going to cause major issues in the event he does get an interview and the topic of education comes up, which it definitely will. Honesty and integrity are the top things, foremost, that any interview panel is going to look for over everything else.



Fact is, it's a bottom of the barrel degree. All the grads of regular state colleges are going to the head of the line. Not even talking about Ivy league grads or even top tier flagship public college grads. Just satellite campus grads of public universities have higher standing, all else equal.



All he can do it keep applying and applying. I don't want to stress the obvious, but one of the worst things of places like UoP are how they just leave students stranded. Had he gone to a real school, companies would've recruited for the fresh talent and he would've had offers before he even graduated. Anyway, keep applying as you may get lucky. Networking with others is a good idea but that's hard to do when you have no established relevant career record for yourself - few people want anything to do with you. Again, that's where a good college program would've helped out... a lot.
anonymous
2016-11-05 05:35:29 UTC
University Of Phoenix Software
?
2013-08-13 16:59:03 UTC
Pretty much, yes. University of Phoenix and all other for-profits are businesses before schools. Their unreliability with employers stems from the fact that their curriculum between schools are inconsistent, and it is difficult to gauge if a student actually obtained a useful education. Many operate as "degree mills" and will pump out graduates just to get at the financial aid money.



The main way he's going to get a job is either through someone in the industry who can vouch confidently for his skills, or if there are no other qualified applicants.



The problem with leaving the school off of his resume is that he would become unqualified for applying to positions that required said degree.

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He cannot just leave the name of the school off of his resume.
anonymous
2016-03-08 10:15:19 UTC
While the University of Phoenix doesn't have a good reputation, at least it's a degree. Leaving it off will potentially be even worse. The key for him will be to focus on building experience. Creating free or paid apps for Android or iOS will help, and so will working on open source projects. Experience counts more than pretty much anything else in the IT field.
Elvia
2016-11-26 18:31:55 UTC
639
anonymous
2016-09-17 18:49:12 UTC
Yes I agree with most of what's been answered
Diane A
2013-08-13 17:06:39 UTC
No, you can not leave the name off, but he can network hard, attend conferences, and get a killer cover letter and portfolio. u o P grads can get jobs, I have met a few.


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