1

It takes1 a B.A.2 to find a job as a file clerk3

Atlanta4 – The college degree is becoming the new high school diploma: the new minimum5 requirement6, albeit7 an
expensive one, for getting even the lowest level job.
Consider de 45-person law firm of Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh here in Atlanta, a place that has seen tremendous8
growth9 in the college-educated population10. Like other employers11 across the country, the firm hires12 only people
with a bachelor’s degree13, even for jobs that do not require college-level skills.
The prerequisite14 applies to everyone including the receptionist, paralegals15, administrative assistants16 and file
clerks. Even the office “runner”17 – the in-house18 courier19, who for $10 an hour, ferries20 documents back and forth
between the courthouse21 and the office – went to a four-year school.
1. it takes [ ] extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity.
2. B.A. [ ] number of people who live in a certain area.
3. file clerk [ ] a need or necessity.
4. Atlanta [ ] person or company that employs people, especially for a salary.
5. minimum [ ] Bachelor of Arts (undergraduate degree in subjects such as languages or history.
6. requirement [ ] to give someone a job.
7. albeit [ ] something required as a prior condition.
8. tremendous [ ] undergraduate course of study that normally requires three to five years of study.
9. growth [ ] who provides various kinds of administrative support to people in business.
10. population [ ] it’s necessary.
11. employer [ ] utilizing an organization's own staff or resources rather than external facilities.
12. hire, to [ ] the least quantity or amount possible.
13. bachelor’s degree [ ] a messenger, bearing urgent news, important packages, diplomatic messages, etc.
14. prerequisite [ ] an attorney's assistant, trained to perform certain legal tasks.
15. paralegal [ ] a public building in which courts of law are held.
16. administrative assistant [ ] person who keeps files and documents organized for a company.
17. office runner [ ] to carry or convey back and forth over a fixed route.
18. in-house [ ] a messenger, who visits places to take and get documents from a place to another.
19. courier [ ] development; natural increase.
20. ferry, to [ ] the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia.
21. courthouse [ ] although, even if.

1. What does it take to be an exchange student?

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2. What does it take to get a job as a file clerk?
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3. What’s the abbreviation for Bachelor of Arts?
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4. What do we call a person who keeps files and documents organized for a company?
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5. How often do you clean your computer in order to keep your files organized?
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6. What’s the capital of the state of Georgia?
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7. How does the author refer to the least amount of something you should have to get even the lowest level job in
Atlanta?
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8. Explain what the author means when he says the college degree is becoming the new high school diploma.
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9. What business organization is the author considering when providing some example of his point?
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10. What law firm is he mentioning?
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11. How many people work there?
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12. Where is the firm located?

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13. What has happened to the college-educated population of Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh?
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14. What specific group does the word “population” refer to?
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15. Write about someone that you have tremendous respect for.
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16. Is the growth of population in this city faster than the other cities in this area, or is it slower?
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17. What word does the author use to refer to the firm, concerning the fact they give people a job?
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18. What’s another way of saying “to give someone a job”?
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19. What kind of people is Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh hiring?
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20. Is this firm the only one doing that or do other employers across the country do the same thing?
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21. What’s the prerequisite to get a job at that firm?
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22. Besides the receptionist, who else does the prerequisite of having a bachelor’s degree apply?
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23. Who’s in charge of providing various kinds of administrative support in a company?
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24. What does an office runner do?
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25. How much does he make?
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26. Do they mail documents at the post office, or do they have an in-house courier to ferry them?
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27. Is a courier’s job the same as paralegal or is it the same as office runner?
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28. What does the in-house courier do at the law firm?
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29. Where does the courier take the documents and files to?
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30. Does the courier have only a high school degree or did he go the college to get his job?
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“College graduates are just more career-oriented,”22 said Adam Slipakoff, the firm’s managing partner23. “Going to
college means they are making a real commitment24 to their futures. They’re not just looking for a paycheck25.”
Economists26 have referred to this phenomenon27 as “degree inflation28,” and it has steadily infiltrating29 America’s
job market30. Across industries and geographic areas, many other jobs that didn’t use to require a diploma – positions
like dental hygienist31, cargo agents32, clerks and claim adjusters33 – are increasingly34 requiring one, according to
Burning Glass, a company that analyzes35 job ads from more than 20,000 online sources, including major job boards36
and small – to midsize37 - employer sites.
“When you get 800 résumés38 for every job ad, you need to weed them out39 somehow40.” said Suzanne Manzagol,
executive recruiter41 at Cardinal Recruiting Group, which does headhunting42 for administrative43 positions at Busch,
Slipakoff & Schuh, and other firms in the Atlanta area.
22. career-oriented [ ] a remarkable occurrence.
23. managing partner [ ] a specialist in the science of economics.
24. commitment [ ] to separate, remove, or eliminate.
25. paycheck [ ] to examine critically.
26. economist [ ] progressively.
27. phenomenon [ ] to gain entrance gradually.
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28. degree inflation [ ] person who is responsible for all of the logistical aspects of transporting materials.
29. infiltrate, to [ ] in some way not specified, known, or mentioned.
30. job market [ ] recruiting professional who focuses on filling executive positions within companies.
31. dental hygienist [ ] a website or a board in public places which posts jobs supplied by employers.
32. cargo agent [ ] the leading global resource on law firm management
33. claim adjuster [ ] person who knows the position s/he wants and how to get there.
34. increasingly [ ] trained professional that focuses in the prevention and treatment of oral disease.
35. analyze, to [ ] pertaining to the administration; executive.
36. job board [ ] brief account of one's professional work experience and qualifications.
37. midsize [ ] the act of searching for new employees, especially for professionals or executives.
38. résumé [ ] person whose job is to investigate insurance claims.
39. weed out, to [ ] persistent increase in the level of prerequisite to get a job.
40. somehow [ ] of intermediate size.
41. executive recruiter [ ] dedication to something like a person, a job, or a cause.
42. headhunting [ ] the interacting between workers and employers.
43. administrative [ ] salary or wages.

31. If a person has an idea of the position s/he wants and what s/he needs to get it, how can you describe him/her?
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32. Who’s Adam Slipakoff?
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33. According to him, what are the employees making when they go to college?
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34. In Slipakoff’s opinion, what aren’t his employees just looking for?
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35. What’s Slipakoff’s opinion about people going to college?
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36. Is this situation normal or is it a phenomenon in the opinion of the economists?
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37. What do the economists call this phenomenon?
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38. What do we call the persistent increase in the level of prerequisite to get a job?
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39. Is it decreasing or is it infiltrating America’s job market?
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40. What’s the first example of a job that didn’t use to require a diploma in the text?
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41. Who’s the professional in charge of all the aspects of transporting materials, client communication, tracking?
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42. Who’s the person that investigates insurance claims?
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43. Are the firms saying diplomas are not important, or are they increasingly requiring one?
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44. What kind of company is Burning Glass?
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45. Does the company only analyze jobs at newspapers?
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46. Do they only analyze jobs at small employer sites? Where else do they look?
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47. What do the companies get from candidates for a job, before hiring someone?
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48. If a company gets 800 resumes for one single job, do they read all of them? What do they have to do?
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49. Should they do it in a specific way, or will they do it somehow?
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50. Who’s Suzanne Manzagol?
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51. What does Cardinal Recruiting Group do?

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52. What kind of positions do they do headhunting for?
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The risk with hiring college graduates for jobs they are supremely44 overqualified45 for is, of course, that they will
leave as soon as they find something better, particularly46 as the economy47 improves48.
Mr. Slipakoff said his firm had little turnover49, though, largely50 because of its rapid expansion51. The company has
grown to more than 30 lawyers from five in 2008, plus a support staff52 of about 15, and promotions53 have
abounded54.
“They expect you to grow, and they want you to grow,” said Ashley Atkinson, who graduated from Georgia Southern
University55 in 2009 with a general studies56 degree. “You’re not stuck under some glass ceiling57.”
Within58 a year of being hired as a file clerk, around Halloween 2011, Ms. Atkinson was promoted twice to positions
in marketing59 and office management60. Mr. Crider, the runner, was given additional work last month, helping with
copying and billing claims61. He said he was taking his opportunity62 to learn more about the legal industry63, since
he plans to apply to law school next year.
44. supremely [ ] the number of workers that have left a workplace or industry.
45. overqualified [ ] advancement in rank or position in a company.
46. particularly [ ] activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer to the
47. economy consumer.
48. improve, to [ ] extremely.
49. turnover [ ] unseen barrier that keeps minorities from rising to the upper positions.
50. largely [ ] especially.
51. expansion [ ] people at an organization to keep it running, not involved in its main
52. support staff business.
53. promotion [ ] to send or present an account to payment.
54. abound, to [ ] inside an area, period of time, etc.
55. Georgia Southern University [ ] to a great extent.
56. general studies [ ] profession involving office supervisory positions.
57. glass ceiling [ ] system or range of economic activity in a country, region, or community.
58. within [ ] a public university located in Statesboro, Georgia.
59. marketing [ ] an undergraduate degree offered by many colleges in the Western world.
60. office management [ ] jobs and careers related to laws.
61. bill claims, to [ ] to get / use the chance.
62. take the opportunity, to [ ] to raise to a more excellent condition or quality; to make or become better.
63. legal industry [ ] to occur or exist in great quantity or number.
[ ] educated or skilled beyond what is necessary or desired for a particular job.
[ ] an increase in size or amount.

53. Are the people they hire just a little better than the jobs requirements? Explain.
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54. Do you think a receptionist with a B.A. is enough qualified or overqualified for the job?
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55. What’s the risk of hiring college graduates for jobs they are supremely overqualified for?
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56. Does it happen all the time or especially when the job market gets better?
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57. When is the risk of losing their employees particularly present?
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58. What does Mr. Slipakoff say about his firm, when it comes to employees leaving their jobs?
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59. Why does Mr. Slipakoff think his firm had little turnover?
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60. What kind of employees does the firm have, besides the 30 lawyers?
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61. Do all the employees have the same job since they were hired, or were there many promotions?
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62. Were there a few promotions or is he saying they abounded?
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63. Where did Ashley Atkinson graduate? What degree did Ashley get?
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64. Does Ashley have a B.A. or a B.G.S.?
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65. What expression does Ashley use to convey the idea that there isn’t a barrier preventing you to grow and rise to
an upper position?
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66. What happened to Ms. Atkinson within a year of being hired as a file clerk?
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67. What work was Mr. Crider given since last month?
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68. What did he say he was doing?
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The firm’s greatest success story is Laura Burnett, who in less than a year went from being a file clerk to being the
firm’s paralegal for the litigation group64. The partners were so impressed with her filing65 wizardry66 that they
figured she could handle it.
“They gave me a raise67 too,” said Ms. Burnett, a 2011 graduate of the University of West Georgia68.
The typical paralegal position, which has traditionally69 offered a path70 to a well-paying71 job for less-educate
workers, requires no more than an associate degree72, according to the Labor Department’s occupational
handbook73, but the job is still a step up74 from filing. Of the three daughter in her family, Ms. Burnett reckons75 that
she has the best job. One sister, a fellow76 West Georgia graduate, is processing77 insurance claims78; another, who
dropped out79 of college, is one of the many degreeless80 young people who still cannot find work.
64. litigation group [ ] done according to traditions.
65. filing [ ] an increasing by degrees.
66. wizardry [ ] belonging to the same class or group.
67. raise [ ] request to an insurance company asking for a payment.
68. University of West Georgia [ ] a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia.
69. traditionally [ ] to withdraw from participation in a group such as a school, club, or game.
70. path [ ] the entering of a legal document into the public record.
71. well-paying [ ] undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges, usually lasting two
72. associate degree years.
73. handbook [ ] an increase in salary.
74. step up [ ] very profitable, productive.
75. reckon, to [ ] manual providing specific information or instruction about a subject or place.
76. fellow [ ] having no academic degree.
77. process, to [ ] to calculate or consider.
78. insurance claim [ ] to handle by organizing, recording or making notations.
79. drop out, to [ ] group of attorneys in charge of prosecuting or defending.
80. degreeless [ ] a course of action, conduct, or procedure.
[ ] exceptional creative ability

69. Who’s Laura Burnett?

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70. What happened to her in less than a year?
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71. What were the partners impressed with? So, what did they figure?
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72. Besides the promotion, what else did they give her?
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73. Where did Laura Burnett graduate?
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74. What does the author say about the paralegal position? What does it offer?
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75. What does a paralegal position require?
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76. Where can we find the specifications for job requirements?
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77. Do you think a manager is a job a person gets as soon as s/he is hired or is it a step up from lower positions?
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78. What does Ms. Burnet reckon?
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79. Did Ms. Burnett and one of her sisters graduate in the same university? How do you know?
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80. What does her sister do?
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81. What do we fill out to request payment from an insurance company?
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82. Why is her other sister incapable of finding a job?
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Besides the promotional81 pipelines82 it creates, setting a floor of83 college attainment84 also creates more office
camaraderie85, said Mr. Slipakoff, who handles most of the firm’s hiring86 and is especially partial87 to his fellow
University of Florida88 graduates. There is a lot of trash-talking89 of each other’s college football teams, for example.
“You know, if we had someone here with just a G.E.D. or something I can see how they might feel slighted90 by the
social atmosphere91 here,” he says. “There really is something sort of92 cohesive93 or binding94 about the fact that all
of us went to college.”
81. promotional [ ] accomplishment.
82. pipeline [ ] dominant intellectual or emotional environment or attitude.
83. set a floor of, to [ ] an American research university located in North Central Florida.
84. attainment [ ] tending to unify, harmonize, or be consistent.
85. camaraderie [ ] section in charge of giving new people a job.
86. hiring [ ] imposing or commanding adherence to a commitment, an obligation, or a duty.
87. partial [ ] a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations.
88. University of Florida [ ] potential for change in financial factors.
89. trash-talking [ ] somewhat; in some way.
90. slighted [ ] favoring one person or side over another or others.
91. atmosphere [ ] a spirit of familiarity and trust.
92. sort of [ ] related to promotion or progress; related to advertisement.
93. cohesive [ ] treated with discourteous inattention.
94. binding [ ] to adjust as the minimum required.

83. What does requiring a diploma create?

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84. Does the firm accept any degreeless person or did they set a floor of college requirement?
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85. What does setting a floor of college attainment create besides promotional pipelines?
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86. What do we call a section in charge of giving a job to people at a company?
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87. Where did Mr. Slipakoff graduate?
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88. What’s there at the office, about each other’s football teams?
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89. What kind of people does Mr. Slipakoff reckon won’t feel comfortable in his office? How will they feel?
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90. In this part of the article, is Mr. Slipakoff talking about graduation or about the atmosphere at his firm?
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91. Since there’s an harmonic atmosphere there, what word does he use to describe it?
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92. What does he say about the fact that all of them went to college?
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