Well after 13.5 years of loyal service including 2 moves halfway across the United States I was unlucky this time and got left standing. I remember when I got hired I was told during on boarding that I had essentially won the lottery and that I can work 30 years and retire a millionaire. Well I've been through 4 re-orgs across 3 business units. But hey I still have a chance to land a lesser paying role during the quick PDC. I've devoted almost 25 years of my life to the oil industry and now I'm left scratching my head wondering what I'm going to do. Do I switch industries and hope that I can find a comparable paying job or do I uproot my family once again chasing the dream to remain in the industry that has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams? I have years of knowledge but can't hang a college diploma up in my office. It's sad because I feel that the company that I dreamed of working for not value on the job knowledge the way they value a college diploma. I feel like this company is turning in to a popularity contest and upper management not wanting to be challenged with new ideas or ways of doing things they seem to want yes men/women.
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@dw AI response: (It could be a business deal for this case?? ;)
"🎓 In the U.S.
Almost all accredited master’s programs require a bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent). “Significant experience” alone usually isn’t enough to waive the bachelor’s requirement. However, there are a few exceptions:
Integrated or accelerated programs — e.g., combined B.S./M.S. or B.A./M.A. pathways, but you must still complete the undergraduate coursework first.
Professional or executive programs (like some MBAs or fine arts schools) that may accept substantial professional experience in lieu of a degree, but this is very rare and often non-accredited or special-case.
Non-degree graduate certificates — you can take master’s-level courses without a bachelor’s degree, but you wouldn’t earn the full master’s credential."
"...was told during on boarding that I had essentially won the lottery and that I can work 30 years and retire a millionaire..." The last time that was true was around 1980, and most of those people were "arm-twisted" into retiring either in 2015 or 2020. See the post/reply elsewhere about harvesting $250k/yr in retirement. Best of luck to the rest of you.
@dw lol maybe for a degree in basket weaving. No self-respecting engineering or finance school is letting you in the door for a masters without a bachelors in something.
@b2 you must not have been to uni before. If you have significant experience and years of experience most institutions allow you to go straight to a Masters program without having done a bachelor's. Not rocket science!
@bf And the remaining employees seem to have really been damaged in this one. Nobody wants to do anything more then the id--tic workflows they have been assigned to.
"upper management not wanting to be challenged with new ideas or ways of doing things they seem to want yes men/women."
That is the consensus. Was left standing and already landed a job with equal pay and better company and by all indications have respect for who they hire. There is an undertow happening at Chevron, that is bigger than what we know and it is dark and sinister.
Even the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz had a diploma after he journeyed with Dorothy through the land of Oz. The scene at the end of the movie is a valuable lesson to anyone that thinks they don’t have a “brain” !
After the scarecrow received his diploma from the Wizard, he immediately became more intelligent but the statement the wizard said was the lesson in education.
25 years should be enough for anyone who knows how to save.
@b0 Where did this alleged colleague get accepted for a master’s program without a bachelor’s degree? Sounds like some for-profit paper mill but even they seem to require a bachelor’s in my experience.
I'm sad to hear about your situation. My advice is get into something you are good at and not what you love... On the degree comment. I tend to agree somewhat that a degree cant buy you intelligence or common sense. However, what it does demonstrate to those who completed it, is committment. I once had a collegue who complained she wasn't getting promoted at the PDC because she didnt have a degree and another collegue said "well why should you! Everyone else spent 4 years of their life studying and paying for a degree!" They're not wrong. That same collegue without a degree went on to study their Master's with no bachelors and has now survived mutiple axe swinging events at CVX! A degree may not buy you intelligence or commence sense, but once you have it no one can take it away from you!