Subject: Re: micro-rant  [Was: job opportunity ]



>Mm.  Both Bob and Urb have made some good points about the less 
>tangible benefits of a university education; Bob noted, for instance, that 
>possession of a degree shows an employer that you have self-discipline 
>and the ability to commit to a long, difficult task.  Valid point, and one I 
>hadn't really thought of.
>
>The original post in the thread objected to an ad that specified a degree 
>as a requirement for a Web-related job.


actually, the original post was an objection to my lithium levels being
unbalanced.. ;-)


i fully grant the validity of the experiences of those members who've
posted to say they enjoyed, and received benefit from, acquiring a
degree.   i understand that this was in fact the norm for higher
education not all that long ago.   counting my mother, father, and
sister there are six advanced degrees in my immediate family, and seven
more if you pull in an aunt and uncle who were both college professors.  
all of them speak eloquently and positively about their experiences in
college.

OTOH, i'm the only one in the family who's taken classes in the last
twenty years.

when my parents went to college, they discussed issues in class with
tenured professors who were internationally renowned experts in their
field.   from what i've heard, that was normal.   neither of my parents
attended a class with more than fifty students, or took a class taught
entirely by a TA or graduate student.   my own experience was entirely
different, significantly less rewarding, and much less valuable in daily
life.   it had little to do with comprehension or retention, and much to
do with conforming one's behavior to the monthly whims of a bureaucracy.


i'm happy to agree that a degree from 25-40 years ago demonstrates the
ability to think and to work, because the fact of it is so easy to
demonstrate.   my position is that institutional education has been
devalued to a such point that a degree from the last 15-20 years
primarily demonstrates endurance and the ability to conform.   that
characterization is laid only against the concept of the degree on the
whole, though.. specific individuals can dig out a good education for
themselves, even in college.   

my grouch is that the person who can make a contemporary college
education meaningful is very nearly self-taught.   that kind of person
could receive nearly as much benefit from reading a couple dozen books
on the subject at hand.