>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.
mike stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 'net geek..
been there, done that, have network, will travel.
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