Many many people at Nike, seem to land a job here without relevant educational credentials/qualifications. Some with nothing beyond HS diploma. I don’t know if this is tolerated in other fields like Engineering/Healthcare/Finance that can hire people w/o necessary training, and come in and BS their way into a career, and do permanent damage to the firm along the way. Worst part is when you are forced to work with mo--ns who don’t have educational backing, that overrides your decisions. It is so draining.
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@nwv You missed the point entirely. Those of us with no degree know how to work hard and earn our place too. I learned about discipline and sacrifice in a different way than conventional college kids, without the support of my parents. Doesn’t make me less qualified. And the fact that I got to where I’m at as quickly as I did while always doing what I can to hold leadership accountable versus kissing a-s, shows I must have something of value that the OP doesn’t see. But some people don’t appreciate diversity in backgrounds, and that’s ok. I hope they’re never in people management positions.
It’s a small pond…full of fish who shouldn’t be there but are because of other circumstances…. Like nepotism.
Credentials or education does not necessarily define a person’s ability and current relevant experience.
I believe what we are all frustrated about are folks that are in positions, IC or management, that lack the relevant skills to do their job well, but tout their positions over others while causing more work for their peers or reports.
Nike is rife with folks like this. Don’t let this argument over education distract from the fact that nepotism and political hiring and firing is deeply rooted in Nike’s soul, all the way from the top.
Calling me privileged because I worked hard to get into a college and to graduate out of. But, you gave up early, and giving up was not an option for me, failure was not an option for me. I am gonna call the uncredentialed as “privileged”.
What makes you think college degree cannot hustle? They hustled their way into a college and hustled their way out into real world, all of that - before you quit early and now proclaiming to be a true hu----r.
If you think writing academic term papers or clearing exams has nothing to do with an individuals caliber/grit, then so is sand blasting navy ship - has nothing to do with leadership skills at Nike.
Such a privileged perspective.
A lot the people who are getting hired without those credentials are probably in here downvoting I worked on a team where I a POC had a MBA and a degree marketing was working under a woman with a degree in history . Nike isn’t the only one that does this but you would think as much as they push credentials they would matter more. But that would mean they have to discuss the rampant nepotism and cronyism that is the bedrock of Nike . A lot of these people would not make it elsewhere had that not been lucky enough to live in Oregon and know someone that worked for Nike .
Selling insurance policies and such, I can hire off my gut feeling of how street smart they are. For the rest of the positions, I’d rather hire a college educated individual with relevant degrees.
Credentials are good for certain jobs, not all. I prefer to hire a person that succeeds starting from nothing, self-taught, resilient, resourceful, creative, fast learner, team player. What you learn in college is a big waste of time and money since technology and reality are changing at an ever increasing pace unless it is a traditional career like medicine, Law, etc. Give me a doer tuned up with the times, first and foremost. This is not your parents world anymore. Wake up!
Credentials are good for certain jobs, not all. I prefer to hire a person that succeeds starting from nothing, self-taught, resilient, resourceful, creative, fast learner, team player. What you learn in college is a big waste of time and money since technology and reality are changing at an ever increasing pace unless it is a traditional career like medicine, Law, etc. Give me a doer tuned up with the times, first and foremost. This is not your parents world anymore. Wake up!
I have a background in both engineering and healthcare, before I came to Nike. With just my HS diploma, I been running sh-t.
Can guarantee that you’ve been around less than 5 years and have no clue about how much value experience employees bring from having no formal education to the Brand. The grit and determination isn’t from cry babies like you.
You can thank us for your cushiony role.
I'd say this isn't true except for in two scenarios:
1- you're either a local university alum (by that I mean UOr or OrSU - both bottom feeders, in terms of academics). I honestly can't remember ever working with someone from either school, in 20 yrs of fortune-100 employment. But Nike teams are rife with them. For obvious reasons, but just saying the these folks are generally less that top-caliber; more like social/corporate climbers.
2- DEI hires. Nike is notorious for creating positions, teams, etc. - across bands - that require very little in terms of actual qualifications, and that can easily be filled to meet some virtuous, and marketable (!!), DEI quota or signal. Who doesn't remember the week following G Floyd - Those calls were...interesting.
Guarantee this guy has at least one uni sticker or plate frame on their car lol.
Yea I have an MS in eng. So what? I get to use maybe 10% of that here and there's way more qualified people than I who barely got their GED. The egotistical mo--n to humble thinker ratio in higher edu is ridiculously worse than for people with a basic background. Skills talk, diplomas walk, fu-k off with this gatekeepy sh-t.
Everyone knows it: the MBA finance / consultants are what’s going to save this company
PK himself was a Stanford GSB alum, and look at the sheer number of VPs from Stanford/GSB. You telling qualifications are not important to Nike is a joke.
Saying “credentials doesn’t mean they will be good at job”, is far less prevalent of a problem than - “People without credentials, su-king at their job”. You are fishing for a unicorn in that “uncredentialed bucket”. If you are questioning all of credentialing authority then you might as well question the educational system. Just like science or climate change deniers.
So crass. Every person I’ve spoken to with a degree says they didn’t need it. My mom abandoned me at 17, leaving me to fend for myself while still in high school. I worked full time sand blasting navy ships at a shipyard for a year just to get a job in their back office, from there I used every tool I could think of to teach myself the skills and knowledge I needed to qualify for entry level roles and landed a contract role at Nike and have worked my way up to full time in global leadership before 32. Grit and education two different things and both worth a lot.
Credentials and Education don’t always indicate someone will be good at a job - especially people with field experience (Eg professional athletes who move into product). Putting limits on needing an MBA is a bias that’s not helping the company- especially when so many people who made Nike what it is came from alternative backgrounds and were more self-made.
I know plenty of top tier MBAs at Nike who make a pretty deck but don’t understand how to lead people or connect with athletes, that’s actually some people’s opinions of why we are in the situation we are in today.
Corporate hiring practices are very different some core industries. Unless otherwise required by law, they can hire whomever that fits the vague profile. Designers don’t necessarily have design credentials. But more of creative touches. It’s certainly better to hire designers with 4 year designer degree. But they cast a wider net, to capture a wide array of talent.