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Why can't the university take back the degree? They can't take back the knowledge, but assuming the certificate itself is actually worth anything they could al

Why can't the university take back the degree? They can't take back the knowledge, but assuming the certificate itself is actually worth anything they could always revoke the diploma. And employers are already oddly adept at checking boxes, "actually has a degree" is just another checkbox to them. Anyone that says they have a degree and doesn't is untrustworthy and why would you hire that person? If someone has a job they have no need to do so. If someone doesn't, then assuming that person went to school with the intention of getting a job afterwards, then it seems the school failed (either in educating the student or choosing to accept a student who is unlikely to accept a job). It seems utterly bizarre to me anyone besides the university should be on the hook for this. If they're accepting the money, they should also be accepting the risk. It feels like nobody is willing to be held accountable for anything anymore and push the risk off onto those who are most vulnerable. This is a cancer in modern capitalism.

likpok 6y ago
There are only some places where that actually works. For nursing, teaching and other basically-vocational degrees this works okay: you need the paper to get the degree. But a lot of degrees aren't like that, and a lot of places don't care which degree you have once you've had a similar job. Why would all employers buy into this? They can get someone with equivalent knowledge a little cheaper. It's a pain, but the graduate can certainly still launder their lack of degree into a job (or even just lie about it! people do that all the time, and are only sometimes caught). The idea you're suggesting sounds something like an ISA: no cost upfront, X% of your income when you get the job. Those have other problems: universities will be incentivized to get the most employable students. They're also more expensive (since the downside risk is all on the university).
orangecat 6y ago
Why can't the university take back the degree? Employers don't care that your "has_degree" field is set to true in the college's database. They care that you demonstrated a sufficient level of IQ+conscientiousness by showing up and passing tests for several years, and in some cases they may care that you acquired relevant knowledge. Universities can't revoke either of those things because they're historical facts.

likpok 6y ago

There are only some places where that actually works. For nursing, teaching and other basically-vocational degrees this works okay: you need the paper to get the degree. But a lot of degrees aren't like that, and a lot of places don't care which degree you have once you've had a similar job. Why would all employers buy into this? They can get someone with equivalent knowledge a little cheaper. It's a pain, but the graduate can certainly still launder their lack of degree into a job (or even just lie about it! people do that all the time, and are only sometimes caught). The idea you're suggesting sounds something like an ISA: no cost upfront, X% of your income when you get the job. Those have other problems: universities will be incentivized to get the most employable students. They're also more expensive (since the downside risk is all on the university).

orangecat 6y ago

Why can't the university take back the degree? Employers don't care that your "has_degree" field is set to true in the college's database. They care that you demonstrated a sufficient level of IQ+conscientiousness by showing up and passing tests for several years, and in some cases they may care that you acquired relevant knowledge. Universities can't revoke either of those things because they're historical facts.