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Seneca College in Toronto has a similar thing going for its Computer Programming diploma. Or at least, this was the case when I went there: 1) You can take an

Seneca College in Toronto has a similar thing going for its Computer Programming diploma. Or at least, this was the case when I went there: 1) You can take an exam for a class at the beginning of the semester if you think you know the material. There is a cost of this exam, but if you pass, then you save money on taking the whole class... and time too. 2) You must complete every single assignment to pass a given class. Your assignments must work 100%. You'll be graded on style. 3) Every class was offered every semester - even during the summer semester. And there was a section for most classes at night. There's just one issue: I thought universities were supposed to teach you how to learn, while community colleges were meant for specific job-related skills. Shouldn't doctors, lawyers, nurses, computer programmers etc... all be getting their job-specific diplomas, just like the mechanics and the electricians? And shouldn't 'degrees' be more research oriented anyway? Why are degrees more valued when whats needed in most cases is someone with a specific skill? Do people with degrees really think that people with diplomas are incapable of learning? Do employers feel this way?

barry-cotter 15y ago
Re: your last paragraph Degrees are less about learning than making sure you will do a certain amount of work for at least two years and more usually four, even if the work is dumb. So it signals intelligence and conscientiousness. Having a degree tells people you're at least capable of being a member of the middle class. You're intelligent and biddable enough. Elite university graduates also got some implicit training in the social norms of the upper classes, and by virtue of the intense competition to get in you can be sure anyone who graduated from them is smart. More accurately, anyone they accepted, the dropout rate for top tier US universities is very low (except for Caltech). And yes, people with degrees do think people without are dumber, and employers likewise, because its true. And alternative certifications for different modes of training/types of knowledge fall prey to the same problems. Having separate, respected educational systems, rather than one for the real people and one for the losers requires relatively low social mobility, or at least hard social mobility. Seneca College sounds real cool.
- gte910h 15y ago
  > the dropout rate for top tier US universities is very low The dropout rate for non-engineering schools is pretty low. Engineering schools are all over the map. Caltech is a bit silly to compare to larger schools due to the fact Caltech enrolls <1k undergrads.

barry-cotter 15y ago

Re: your last paragraph Degrees are less about learning than making sure you will do a certain amount of work for at least two years and more usually four, even if the work is dumb. So it signals intelligence and conscientiousness. Having a degree tells people you're at least capable of being a member of the middle class. You're intelligent and biddable enough. Elite university graduates also got some implicit training in the social norms of the upper classes, and by virtue of the intense competition to get in you can be sure anyone who graduated from them is smart. More accurately, anyone they accepted, the dropout rate for top tier US universities is very low (except for Caltech). And yes, people with degrees do think people without are dumber, and employers likewise, because its true. And alternative certifications for different modes of training/types of knowledge fall prey to the same problems. Having separate, respected educational systems, rather than one for the real people and one for the losers requires relatively low social mobility, or at least hard social mobility. Seneca College sounds real cool.

gte910h 15y ago
> the dropout rate for top tier US universities is very low The dropout rate for non-engineering schools is pretty low. Engineering schools are all over the map. Caltech is a bit silly to compare to larger schools due to the fact Caltech enrolls <1k undergrads.