I'm always willing to look at people who don't meet the
"paper" qualifications. At the same
time, a list of qualifications and expectations helps
set the context for the types of responsibilities and
the kind of experience we're expecting. I've seen some
devs and testers with no product management experience
come over and be highly successful. At the same time,
I've seen some very qualified product managers be highly
unsuccessful when placed in the Microsoft environment.
Setting some kind of baseline is just a way to help
everyone understand the kind of person we're looking
for.
John: I agree. My (hidden) point was going to be the
degree thing, which is not even under MS's control.
I haven't read the original post, but I can infer from
the comments what it was about.
I hate the must-have-a-degree issue myself, but I could
never go against the flow on that issue (plus, it could
prove very intriguing ;P).
I start my BSc studies next Wednesday.
Going one step farther is working in the glass ceiling
beyond the degree. Degree or no degree, some companies
are not past the glass ceiling holding back qualified
individuals from excelling any further.