The issue is one of understanding what a college degree represents. George Carlin is correct. In our modern world the educational focus is to teach us to work for someone else. This means that every year thousands of young people are loosed on the job market and employers must find a way to filter the crowd of applicants down to a manageable number.
For technical jobs there is often a test given to determine the applicant's knowledge and skill level in the specific discipline. If you can pass the test, then you are considered competent to compete for the open position. If you can’t pass the test then you are filtered out of the selection process. A key point here is that no one cares how you got the skill. No proof of 'formal' education is required other than a High School diploma which is a minimum level of education to demonstrate that you should be able to read, write, and do simple arithmatic.
However, for management, support staff, and administrative positions the skills sought after are often broad and difficult to measure, like report writing, oral presentations, computer expertise, ability and willingness to blindly follow instructions from 'upper management', and other ‘soft’ skills. The ‘Degree’ is used in place of a specific skills test to filter applicants. The assumption is that those who have ‘earned’ a degree have had to successfully perform the desired functions or possess most or all of the desired traits. After all, there is little difference between an academic institution and a large corporation. The student is little more than an employee required to fulfill specific assigned tasks to the professor's or supervisor's satisfaction. The only difference is that in the university we pay for the privilege of being graded on our willingness to submit and bend to the will of others, rather than being paid for this sacrifice. In both the academic and corporate worlds the individual is much like a member of the Borg on StarTrek. They must fit seamlessly into the whole organism and have little ambition other than to help the whole achieve its goals.
I do not have a college degree but I do have a marketable skill and trade which I was passionate about. I earned a very good living when I was working and had no trouble advancing to first line supervision where my technical skills were still needed to do the job. However, even though I worked for the same company for 33 years, I could not advance into a position with a title of Manager unless I was willing to get a degree, as this was the primary filter used to exclude applicants. The focus of a technical worker or supervisor in a technical field revolves around the technical discipline. The focus of a manager is attending meetings, creating and managing budgets, preparing and giving presentations and other activities where technical skills are at best secondary or not needed at all.
I’ve been very fortunate and quite happy with the career choices I made throughout my working life. One thing I would caution you young folks about is that as you get older your desires will evolve and change. What you thought was important in your 20’s will not be your priority in your 30’s, and your priorities will change roughly every decade for the rest of your life. Don’t assume that because you have no interest in something today, that that same issue won’t be important to you tomorrow. You may not feel now that a degree will open many doors of interest for you, but it can keep doors from closing as your future unfolds and your life priorities evolve and change.
Edit: Another thing of interest for many of you may be how I handled my children’s education. My focus was on their learning to read and write well (at least 12th grade level) and understand math up to and including algebra. To me this gave them the foundation to become or do whatever they wanted in life. I didn’t even suggest that they go to college, but made sure they had the skills to succeed if this is the route they chose. As it turned out, my son didn’t like school and decided to join the military upon graduating from high school. He just retired from the Navy after 21 years. My daughter decided to go to college and get a degree in Marketing. Upon graduating she went to work for Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral and has been the director of marketing for the Hour of Power television program for about 15 years. I also insisted that my children pay their own way through college if they chose to take that route. I felt that the commitment to continue their education should be strong enough for them to be willing to pay for it themselves. This made sure that the academic experience would be properly focused on gaining the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen discipline and not on frat parties and social events. When you pay for something yourself, you tend to want to get your money’s worth.
Lex
Topic: School Sucks (Read 10120 times)