Job Discussion Forums

[funakoshi]

the education is worth very little, the piece of paper is worth a lot, unfortunately. My tesol class, mostly ppl with degrees, me with none, was full of fools and ppl who could not pass a high school english course. I was reading at a higher level than any of them. I'm no genius, but how can these ppl get degrees. My whole philosophy in life right now is to be as successful or more than ppl with degrees, and so far i'm succeeding with flying colors. Not to say that ppl are stupid for getting them, because that pretty slip of paper will open doors, but i'll hire someone with a great work ethic and attitude over a big bad degree 365 days of the year!!

[justcolleen]

[GeminiTiger]

[Aramas]

Education is worth what you make of it. I'm frequently informed that education has no value except in that it can help you make a lot of money. Personally I would consider wasting all of that time, money and effort on something inutterably dull just for the pay off, to be...well, whoring.

I'm an education consumer because I'm a curious sort and I want to learn things - provided that they're things that interest me. I don't need a better reason than that.

Self-directed study can only get one so far. Graduates of the 'University of Life' tend to be bitter old farts who don't know enough to realise just how little they know.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

The stupidest people I've met in my life were the ones I've met in university.

Some of the smartest people I've met had no university at all.

I think it was pretty much useless and a waste of a lot of money and something I now know I could have done on my own - ie. reading and following the news.

However, that being said, I have been granted privileges overseas and have been given jobs based merely on the fact that I hold certain certificates.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

It is my experience that most people who say university is a "waste of time" are those who couldn't go, either for financial, academic or familial reasons. I often get the feeling that these people have a chip on their shoulder, and spend a good deal of their time trying to "outdo" those with degrees (in whatever facet). I wonder why that is? I could speculate, but I would be more interested to know why that is from one such person (such as the earlier poster who basically wrote as much).

I'm happy I attended university, because, among other things, it helped me to better fomulate my thoughts in a (relatively) coherent manner, organize my time, think critically, and experience how to coexist in an environment with people from divergent backgrounds. I like to think I learned a bit about history, literature, sociology, astronomy and a variety of other subjects, too.
I don't think college is necessarily for everyone, and I certainly don't believe having a degree is always an accurate measure of intelligence, but I do think it shows that a person can start something challenging and finish it.

[Spinoza]

[jpvanderwerf2001]

[GeminiTiger]

[justcolleen]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[Gordon]

[OzBurn]

My degree in English has helped me get jobs as a writer, as a teacher in the US, as an executive, and as a teacher of EFL. In my present position, I make considerably more money than teachers who have a non-English degree with or without a CELTA, DELTA, or PGCE.

I also took a lot of good courses from intelligent professors who encouraged me to think deeply about things and develop a foundation of factual knowledge before making judgments.

I did have some dull or even counterproductive courses from untalented teachers in classes with unmotivated and sometimes rather stupid students. But that was the minority, and I could usually withdraw from those courses in time (although occasionally with a "W" on my record). Also, my experience was that if students were sincerely motivated by interest in the subject and engaged actively with the professor (having done the reading and required research as well as additional research of their own), they got their money's worth and more.

Unfortunately, most (not quite all) humanities departments of American universities have since been taken over by fanatics, fools, and left-wing ideologues who cannot even write readable English. My professors were the last remnants of a more civilized era. If you go to school now and study the humanities you will probably be taught by dogmatic poseurs who are mainly interested in indoctrinating students rather than cultivating their minds. These people viciously abuse those who oppose their politicized agenda or expose their inane babble, and they themselves have so little ability to think clearly or objectively that they cannot even begin to teach such skills to students. More, they often hate literature, hate good writing, and hate Western society, America in particular (though they are often fascinated by Latin America, and will idolize one Latin dictator or rebel movement after another). Anyone who questions their agenda will be condemned as a fascist, racist, sexist, etc., and informed challenges will excite an even more savage rage.

If you study under such people, you are likely to emerge brainwashed or in psychological turmoil, and unless you are just naturally very smart, you certainly will lack the skills you need for professional work in any field. I would suggest, then, that you set about educating yourself. Your college years probably were largely wasted, but there is nothing you can do about that now. Serious study will yield a lifetime of benefits, and you don't need a class for that.

[Spinoza]

[Spinoza]