5 ms·

Worthless? Probably depends on the degree. Miseducation is worse than the absence of education. STEM at least has some market value, but man does not live by br

Worthless? Probably depends on the degree. Miseducation is worse than the absence of education. STEM at least has some market value, but man does not live by bread alone and market value alone does not elevate the university above the level of trade school. Trade schools are a good thing. Turning universities into glorified trade schools (which they are) is not. People need more of the intangible but true. A consumerist society is condemned to wallow in mediocrity and misery. It does not rise to the level of human dignity and maintains a level of existence better suited to worms than men.

jimbokun 5y ago
American universities do not really seem to be playing the role of exploring deep questions or search for meaning or knowledge for knowledge sake, either. It's mostly about expanding the gravy train of administrative staff and shiny new dormitories and eating facilities and gyms, alongside a narrow ideological political indoctrination with little enthusiasm for debate or considering unpopular opinions. Without the trade school aspect it's difficult to see what value they still provide.
- edgyquant 5y ago
  You've never been to an american university, have you?
  - jimbokun 5y ago
    Graduated from one.
treesknees 5y ago
You may get as philosophical as you want on the topic of whether degrees are necessary. As someone who did college recruiting for my company I can say first hand that degrees don't mean anything about someone's skillset. I've talked to hundreds of students with a 4.0 and a degree that couldn't tell me the Big-O of a hash vs searching a list. But if you are working in a field where the job requirements list a bachelor's degree and you don't have one, you are automatically at the bottom of the list. If I have 3 positions open and 25 similar candidates, things like fulfilling the job requirements (like having a degree) start coming into play. Very obviously if you are working in a field that does not list that as a requirement, then of course you don't need one. But it's still not worthless. As someone pointed out in another thread, if you're trying to move up in a company, a degree can be the differentiator.
- sandworm101 5y ago
  A degree at least means a candidate can probably read and write. I meet too many 20-somethings who think they are hot stuff because they can make a website dance, but are totally incapable of creating a document explaining how they did it. My favorite legal recruiter question: give them a topic to research online, one where you know the wikipedia entry is wrong. Not many without post-secondary research experiance would pass that one.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - edoceo 5y ago
    If you know where Wikipedia is incorrect you fix it. They let almost anyone edit.
    - sandworm101 5y ago
      Edit yes, but whether your edit survives whatever person is king of that particular corner of wikipedia is another matter. Try making an edit from a brand new account. Correcting errors on a website isnt worth such fights.
      - throwaway2037 5y ago
        This is also my experience with Wiki. After having a few edits reversed that were obviously wrong (with sources!), I gave up. Ignoring the problem of edits, I still love reading Wiki.
- MAGZine 5y ago
  > If I have 3 positions open and 25 similar candidates, things like fulfilling the job requirements (like having a degree) start coming into play. The problem is when jobs don't truly need the knowledge granted from a degree, and is just used to thin the heard, because hiding managers don't know what else to look for. The value is thus generated by convenience to the hiring manager rather than possession of relevant job knowledge.

jimbokun 5y ago

American universities do not really seem to be playing the role of exploring deep questions or search for meaning or knowledge for knowledge sake, either. It's mostly about expanding the gravy train of administrative staff and shiny new dormitories and eating facilities and gyms, alongside a narrow ideological political indoctrination with little enthusiasm for debate or considering unpopular opinions. Without the trade school aspect it's difficult to see what value they still provide.

edgyquant 5y ago
You've never been to an american university, have you?
- jimbokun 5y ago
  Graduated from one.

treesknees 5y ago

You may get as philosophical as you want on the topic of whether degrees are necessary. As someone who did college recruiting for my company I can say first hand that degrees don't mean anything about someone's skillset. I've talked to hundreds of students with a 4.0 and a degree that couldn't tell me the Big-O of a hash vs searching a list. But if you are working in a field where the job requirements list a bachelor's degree and you don't have one, you are automatically at the bottom of the list. If I have 3 positions open and 25 similar candidates, things like fulfilling the job requirements (like having a degree) start coming into play. Very obviously if you are working in a field that does not list that as a requirement, then of course you don't need one. But it's still not worthless. As someone pointed out in another thread, if you're trying to move up in a company, a degree can be the differentiator.

sandworm101 5y ago
A degree at least means a candidate can probably read and write. I meet too many 20-somethings who think they are hot stuff because they can make a website dance, but are totally incapable of creating a document explaining how they did it. My favorite legal recruiter question: give them a topic to research online, one where you know the wikipedia entry is wrong. Not many without post-secondary research experiance would pass that one.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- edoceo 5y ago
  If you know where Wikipedia is incorrect you fix it. They let almost anyone edit.
  - sandworm101 5y ago
    Edit yes, but whether your edit survives whatever person is king of that particular corner of wikipedia is another matter. Try making an edit from a brand new account. Correcting errors on a website isnt worth such fights.
    - throwaway2037 5y ago
      This is also my experience with Wiki. After having a few edits reversed that were obviously wrong (with sources!), I gave up. Ignoring the problem of edits, I still love reading Wiki.
MAGZine 5y ago
> If I have 3 positions open and 25 similar candidates, things like fulfilling the job requirements (like having a degree) start coming into play. The problem is when jobs don't truly need the knowledge granted from a degree, and is just used to thin the heard, because hiding managers don't know what else to look for. The value is thus generated by convenience to the hiring manager rather than possession of relevant job knowledge.