Fwd: RE: OT: Degrees and Certifications

[Transpower]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: OT: Degrees and Certifications
Date: 3/16/2005, 11:47 AM
From: Transpower <transpower at aol.com>
To: filepro at datadoit.com
cc: filepro-list at celestial.com
Organization: Transpower Corporation

DataDoIt wrote on 3/16/2005, 11:30 AM:

  > |-----Original Message-----
  > |From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com
  > |[mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf Of
  > |Jay R. Ashworth
  > |Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 10:33 AM
  > |To: 'filePro Mailing List'
  > |Subject: Re: OT: Degrees and Certifications
  > |
  > |On Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 10:28:31AM -0500, Fairlight wrote:
  > |> Thanks for the insight though.  It starts to explain the "why" bit
  > |> that I've wondered about for years.  I appreciate your
  > |taking the time
  > |> to detail it!
  > |
  > |And, amazingly, it concurs semi-exactly with what I've been saying for
  > |years:  A college degree is proof that you had the gumption to
  > |sit through 4 years of college, and were smart enough to give
  > |them what they wanted.
  > |
  > |It *still* doesn't mean much about what someone wants you to
  > |do, unless it's teach the subject you were studying, but it's
  > |not *totally* worthless.  :-)
  > |
  > |Cheers,
  > |-- jra
  > ----------------------------
  >
  > The oxymoron today, though, is that it's become seemingly more than just
  > gumption and intelligence.  It's become a measure of economic status,
and
  > thus the perception that if you have money, then you're apparently
  > smarter.
  >
  > Higher education today is simply getting too expensive for most
  > Americans to
  > afford.  In addition, the options that low income kids have for
  > getting an
  > education seem to also be dwindling.  Our social class statuses are
  > growing
  > farther and farther apart - those with money, and those without; those
  > with
  > an education, and those without.  The stats on this are staggering,
  > and thus
  > ultimately stymie our country as a whole - we ALL ultimately end up
  > paying
  > in some fashion.
  >
  > One of the things we fight here in Florida on a daily basis is giving
low
  > income parents the same options and opportunities as those with money
  > through the school choice/voucher program.  The public school system
  > in FL
  > has similar success and failure ratios as the social-economic
  > demographics.
  > Ie: if you live in a poor neighborhood, you likely have a horrifically
  > performing school.  If you live in a median income neighborhood, your
  > school
  > likely performs well (as measured by the federal No Child Left Behind
  > guidelines).  The school choice program allows parents the
opportunity to
  > send their child to a school outside of their neighborhood - in
essence a
  > better performing school (public or private).  Without options, tens of
  > thousands of kids are coming out of the Florida HS system barely
  > literate,
  > and thus unable to either perform at the higher education level, or
can't
  > afford it because there aren't many scholarship or grant programs
  > available
  > for 'average' students.
  >
  > Anyhoot, bottom line is I just believe the whole degree prejudism we're
  > discussing is attributed more to economic rather than educational
status.
  > If you don't have a degree, then you must be poor.  And if you're
  > poor, then
  > you must be stupid.  Pretty stupid huh?  :)
  >
  > -MikeR
  >

Rather than Jay and John dueling, I thought it would be better for them
(and us) to compare their academic and commercial achievements.  But
John hasn't replied yet.

The problem with the non-degreed and the non-certified is that they
don't know how much they don't know.  Do the following experiment:  go
to your local university engineering library or math or physics library
and attempt to read and understand the latest profressional journals.
Without a college education you will be completely lost in the stacks.
Ignorance is not bliss.

In my career I've used every course I ever took, save for one:  Soil
Mechanics.  Go figure.

Regards,
RWS
transpower at aol.com, www.transpowercorp.com