What does this mean?????

line6bassist · #1 10-06-2009, 12:59 AM

Today i had a meeting with my boss regarding any possible management postions. AGAIN i was turn Down....during the hour long meeting he told me that ("The "ONLY" way i was going to achieve my goal is with a formal education)

...i didnt understood what he meant by that, i mean had to admit i didnt go to college

... but out of 144 reps in the country i rank #6 for sales so i know its not my job performance..

so What Gives? im i taking it the wrong way? is he discriminating? Is he being a jerk? or im i taking it too personal?

Number27 · #2 10-06-2009, 03:26 AM

the only way he will hire you for the job is if you go to college. clear enough?

and remember: management and sales are very different and require different skills.

TrooperFarva · #3 10-06-2009, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

Today i had a meeting with my boss regarding any possible management postions. AGAIN i was turn Down....during the hour long meeting he told me that ("The "ONLY" way i was going to achieve my goal is with a formal education)

...i didnt understood what he meant by that, i mean had to admit i didnt go to college

... but out of 144 reps in the country i rank #6 for sales so i know its not my job performance..

so What Gives? im i taking it the wrong way? is he discriminating? Is he being a jerk? or im i taking it too personal?

Perhaps it's your spelling and grammar he's concerned with, among other things.

Also, if he actually said the only way you're going to get into management is with a formal education, and you didn't understand what that meant, that's kinda worrisome. He could only mean one thing.

**Eric Perry** · #4 10-06-2009, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Perhaps it's your spelling and grammar he's concerned with, among other things...

Not to come across as a jerk, but this is a very good point, based on the grammatical errors in your post. Remember, as management, you are a voice of the company. A paragraph laden with spelling and grammatical errors doesn't reflect the company in a very good light. Sorry, just speaking truth.

bass12 · #5 10-06-2009, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Perry

Not to come across as a jerk, but this is a very good point, based on the grammatical errors in your post. Remember, as management, you are a voice of the company. A paragraph laden with spelling and grammatical errors doesn't reflect the company in a very good light. Sorry, just speaking truth.

+1. I had the same thoughts reading your post. You don't even need a formal education to start working on your grammatical skills. Pick up a good book and begin reading.

RWP · #6 10-06-2009, 06:51 AM

Do not sweat it; there is more money in sales anyway. Management is over rated.

line6bassist · #7 10-06-2009, 07:03 AM

understood!!! its just how he said it.. while questioning my ethnic background

thanks for all the feedback guys!! maybe i just took it personal

**Eric Perry** · #8 10-06-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

understood!!! its just how he said it.. while questioning my ethnic background

thanks for all the feedback guys!! maybe i just took it personal

Did I miss the part about questioning your ethnic background? That might change things a bit.

line6bassist · #9 10-06-2009, 07:14 AM

yeah! i didnt want to bring it up....i was hoping not to take it the wrong way...but he question my etnic background first and then mention that the only way i would reach my goals is with a formal education....then he mention that he understands how it hard for us (referring to my hispanic background) to get a proper eduaction.

so maybe thats why i got a little personal about it!!

TheVoiceless · #10 10-06-2009, 07:22 AM

then he mention that he understands how it hard for us (referring to my hispanic background) to get a proper eduaction.

Can of worms has opened

Revvv · #11 10-06-2009, 08:02 AM

No matter the background, you need an education.

I doubt your employer meant any harm in what he / she said. However, they did not think before they spoke.

Bassguy61 · #12 10-06-2009, 08:09 AM

Wow... Just wow... A number of things here. As stated before, this could be a huge can of worms opening (for the company). Coming from 20+ years in management, one of the first things you have to know is that any questions/conversations/comments about an individual's ethnic background are completely off limits. Your boss has clearly crossed the line there. If you so desired, you could likely lodge a complaint based on his actions through your Human Resources department.

As far as the education piece, you may want to get some clarification. Is he saying that the company requires some level of education before ANYONE could be considered for a management level position, or just YOU need one? The first case is not uncommon. The company I now work for requires at least a Bachelors degree to be considered for management. No matter how good the employees, or their tenure, they won't even get a sniff without the degree. If, however, he's saying others might be considered for the position without a degree, but not you, that again is waaaaay out of line.

If I were in your position, I'd try to get a bit of clarification on the whole issue...

Din Of Win · #13 10-06-2009, 08:13 AM

Does the company offer any assistance in regards to paying for education? I know at my job we have hefty tuition assistance.

If he says you need a higher degree of formal education, but offers no way of going about it, i'd be pretty ticked...

line6bassist · #14 10-06-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassguy61

Wow... Just wow... A number of things here. As stated before, this could be a huge can of worms opening (for the company). Coming from 20+ years in management, one of the first things you have to know is that any questions/conversations/comments about an individual's ethnic background are completely off limits. Your boss has clearly crossed the line there. If you so desired, you could likely lodge a complaint based on his actions through your Human Resources department.

As far as the education piece, you may want to get some clarification. Is he saying that the company requires some level of education before ANYONE could be considered for a management level position, or just YOU need one? The first case is not uncommon. The company I now work for requires at least a Bachelors degree to be considered for management. No matter how good the employees, or their tenure, they won't even get a sniff without the degree. If, however, he's saying others might be considered for the position without a degree, but not you, that again is waaaaay out of line.

If I were in your position, I'd try to get a bit of clarification on the whole issue...

yup! everything said during meeting was crystal clear!

guys i didnt mean to open a can of worms on here..im just wanting some advice thats all..

but for the first time in a long time i never felt so low and discourage

......im a pretty easy guy to get along with and i have many friends ....dont understand if he was joking or being serious but the way it was said... was very very odd

acubass · #15 10-06-2009, 08:26 AM

Go to college, It's fun. mmmmmmmm college girls

**Eric Perry** · #16 10-06-2009, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

yup! everything said during meeting was crystal clear!

guys i didnt mean to open a can of worms on here..im just wanting some advice thats all..

but for the first time in a long time i never felt so low and discourage

......im a pretty easy guy to get along with and i have many friends ....dont understand if he was joking or being serious but the way it was said... was very very odd

Well, like bassguy said, did he refer to you specifically as needing more education, or is that a basic requirement for the management position you are interested in? If it's a requirement, then it's a requirement. If not (and especially if others without a higher education have similar titled jobs), then there might be more to it.

line6bassist · #17 10-06-2009, 08:38 AM

yeah maybe your right!!

now back to my bass playing

**Eric Perry** · #18 10-06-2009, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

...now back to my bass playing

THAT'S the spirit! Man, I need to bring a bass to work! haha

Stanley Design · #19 10-06-2009, 09:07 AM

Why are you taking what he said negatively? You're up there on the sales, performance is top notch from what you're saying. Ask him if he's willing to work a contract out where the company pays for your education, and you contract with the company for X amount of years after your education is completed. Might be a win win situation. I'm not sure where you live, but in Canada when people do that they can still get 60% of their paycheck from the government through employment insurance while doing that.

smeet · #20 10-06-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

yeah! i didnt want to bring it up....i was hoping not to take it the wrong way...but he question my etnic background first and then mention that the only way i would reach my goals is with a formal education....then he mention that he understands how it hard for us (referring to my hispanic background) to get a proper eduaction.

so maybe thats why i got a little personal about it!!

That is just plain unacceptable. I'm not sure what the legal implications are, but especially at a large company, I'm guessing what he said is against company policy. I would definitely find out if the educational requirement is across the board or only directed at you (or Latinos, or minorities in general).

I'm not suggesting taking legal action, but if you find that you are in a hostile situation without a fair chance of advancement, you may want to consider reporting your boss's comments to HR. Leaving the company might be a good thing also.