3 ms·

Oh, Priceonomics, always looking for a slightly ham-fisted angle! I am very much looking forward to gaining a degree from some fringe yet accredited online uni

by rdancer 11y ago

Oh, Priceonomics, always looking for a slightly ham-fisted angle! I am very much looking forward to gaining a degree from some fringe yet accredited online university, and everybody who cares about that sort of thing will have to address me as 'Dr.' Precisely because caring too much about letters before and after one's name is asinine, vapid, and ultimately delusional. Strive to be the best person you can be. And if you really want a better seat, why not embrace your inner arsehole fully, and get a disability badge?

Loughla 11y ago
I don't know about that last line, but everything before that rings true. My graduate school mentor told this story quite a bit, and it has always stuck with me: I grew up poor, like dirt poor. Dirt floor, no shoes, backwoods poor. I did well in high school, I was well known around town, and people liked me. They knew I was a good kid with good intentions, who just happened to come from poor folks. I knew that graduating from high school would make me a big man. My parents had never finished high school. I knew people would look up to me. Then I heard about university. I knew that if I graduated with a bachelors that I would be it. People would respect me. People would look up to me. My parents didn't even know about the university system, let alone what getting a bachelors meant. So, I went to college, I did well. People knew me around campus, I was involved in clubs and sports and worked. People liked me. I knew I was going to be a big man. Then I heard about graduate school. I had to get a masters. I knew for my career it would bring me respect. I knew personally it would bring me respect. People would know me. Well, by that time, I knew about the PhD, so you can probably see where this is going. I knew that when people had to call me Doctor, they would respect me. Doctor La___. It sounded good. People would know me, people would respect me. So I went to graduate school and I worked on my doc. I was well known in my classes. I worked on interesting and exciting research that led me to my current career. I am a leader in my field. And I tell people not to call me Doctor. I want them to call me Jim. It wasn't until my last semester of post-graduate work that I realized it. People didn't respect me because of my degrees; they respected me because of who I was and what I did. I had been treated the same since high school. People had always known my name, I had always received choice assignments at work, I was always greeted with friendly smiles and genuine enthusiasm when I traveled to see old acquaintances. And none of it had to do with my degrees. The moral of the story: If you rely on titles and public accolades to feel big, more than likely you spend too much time making yourself feel small.

by rdancer 11y ago

Loughla 11y ago

I don't know about that last line, but everything before that rings true. My graduate school mentor told this story quite a bit, and it has always stuck with me: I grew up poor, like dirt poor. Dirt floor, no shoes, backwoods poor. I did well in high school, I was well known around town, and people liked me. They knew I was a good kid with good intentions, who just happened to come from poor folks. I knew that graduating from high school would make me a big man. My parents had never finished high school. I knew people would look up to me. Then I heard about university. I knew that if I graduated with a bachelors that I would be it. People would respect me. People would look up to me. My parents didn't even know about the university system, let alone what getting a bachelors meant. So, I went to college, I did well. People knew me around campus, I was involved in clubs and sports and worked. People liked me. I knew I was going to be a big man. Then I heard about graduate school. I had to get a masters. I knew for my career it would bring me respect. I knew personally it would bring me respect. People would know me. Well, by that time, I knew about the PhD, so you can probably see where this is going. I knew that when people had to call me Doctor, they would respect me. Doctor La___. It sounded good. People would know me, people would respect me. So I went to graduate school and I worked on my doc. I was well known in my classes. I worked on interesting and exciting research that led me to my current career. I am a leader in my field. And I tell people not to call me Doctor. I want them to call me Jim. It wasn't until my last semester of post-graduate work that I realized it. People didn't respect me because of my degrees; they respected me because of who I was and what I did. I had been treated the same since high school. People had always known my name, I had always received choice assignments at work, I was always greeted with friendly smiles and genuine enthusiasm when I traveled to see old acquaintances. And none of it had to do with my degrees. The moral of the story: If you rely on titles and public accolades to feel big, more than likely you spend too much time making yourself feel small.