College Opportunity Options

[brooklyneast05]

idk it's not that hard to understand. you said degrees are overrated because people still make mistakes despite having them. she said basically that that's irrelevant because degrees never equaled no mistakes to begin with.


either way, i don't see how a degree would be overrated. it makes perfect sense to me why someone would want them and why people hiring would prefer them. 9 times out of 10 i would probably never hire someone just on their good word when i had someone else showing documentation of their study and experience.

[-DressYourEyelid...]

idk it's not that hard to understand. you said degrees are overrated because people still make mistakes despite having them. she said basically that that's irrelevant because degrees never equaled no mistakes to begin with.
either way, i don't see how a degree would be overrated. it makes perfect sense to me why someone would want them and why people hiring would prefer them. 9 times out of 10 i would probably never hire someone just on their good word when i had someone else showing documentation of their study and experience.

i understand, but still, too much value is put on these diplomas and qualifications, and not enough on the people themselves.
i've had a stroke due to the idotic decision of my surgeon, who is beyond "qualified". if he actually had any brains, that would have been avoided, and my wellbeing wouldn't have been put at stake.

[brooklyneast05]

i understand, but still, too much value is put on these diplomas and qualifications, and not enough on the people themselves.
i've had a stroke due to the idotic decision of my surgeon, who is beyond "qualified". if he actually had any brains, that would have been avoided, and my wellbeing wouldn't have been put at stake.

it's impossible to guarantee things like that though.

there's no reason to think that him being qualified caused it or that if he wasn't qualified then wouldn't have made the mistake. there's only two options, you can go to someone who is qualified or you can go to someone who isn't. neither is going to be mistake free, one is just a lot more likely to be. honestly which would you rather pick? that's all it comes down to in the end.

shrugs, i don't know. you're not giving any reason that degrees are overrated other than that people with degrees can make mistakes too, which is a given. i don't think most normal people put value into that to the point that they think degrees mean a person is perfect. but i guess if i thought people actually put that level of value into it, then i'd agree with you that it's too much. it sounds like you personally put too much value in it.

[sixfive]

i understand, but still, too much value is put on these diplomas and qualifications, and not enough on the people themselves.
i've had a stroke due to the idotic decision of my surgeon, who is beyond "qualified". if he actually had any brains, that would have been avoided, and my wellbeing wouldn't have been put at stake.

So how would you go about determining if the person was qualified? What would prove qualifications better than degrees? Experience? How are you going to get hired based on experience if you have no experience? That's where degrees come into play. Also, just having a degree doesn't mean that you were able to learn what you needed to be adequate at your job. It shows that you committed two/four/six/seven/eight years of your life to higher learning and that you can in fact commit to something for more than say, a few months. That's why people with degrees that don't pertain to the job they're applying for can get hired for that job. The degree you have won't tell you how to do that job better no matter how much you learn. Congrats you have a degree in economics, but every company has their own way of doing things, their way of running things. You can be trained.

[batman]

i understand, but still, too much value is put on these diplomas and qualifications, and not enough on the people themselves.
i've had a stroke due to the idotic decision of my surgeon, who is beyond "qualified". if he actually had any brains, that would have been avoided, and my wellbeing wouldn't have been put at stake.

There is never a 100% success rate for an operation, not every decision is guaranteed to be the best one. Doctors with degrees are still bound to make mistakes, but a doctor without a degree might have done something worse. The entire reason there is an emphasis on a degree and where it comes from is because it takes a certain type of person to make it through med school and go through all the education necessary to become specialized in what they do.

I agree that a great doctor is more than just a degree, but having the documentation of making it through all the schooling still makes up his entire foundation. If somebody couldn't even make it through med school and get the proper licensing, I definitely don't want him or her operating on me.

[-DressYourEyelid...]

there is a big difference between a mistake and malpractice.

and with the onset of doctor shortages, it has been proven that many medical schools have passed students that should have otherwise failed. do these so-called doctors deserve or live up to their degrees and certifications? no. in which case, degrees mean everything and nothing at all at the same time.
i realize that it is easier to go with the odds and hire based on schooling, but is it better?

i'm sorry the debate topic was changed entirely. well, not really, this is far too much fun and insightful - it has given me lots to think about and has made my day :D

[batman]

there is a big difference between a mistake and malpractice.

and with the onset of doctor shortages, it has been proven that many medical schools have passed students that should have otherwise failed. do these so-called doctors deserve or live up to their degrees and certifications? no. in which case, degrees mean everything and nothing at all at the same time.
i realize that it is easier to go with the odds and hire based on schooling, but is it better?

Even if this is true and the people with degrees are getting increasingly more incompetent... what does this say about the people who couldn't get their degrees? Even with the standards lowered, it's still a safer bet to go to a doctor who got his/her MD from from a reputable med school.

I'm incredibly biased in the whole "does it really matter where you go to college" issue, since I did work hard all through high school to make it into my first choice. Of course I would hate to think that all that effort was wasted and means absolutely nothing in the long run.

I agree that Ivy Leagues are overrated (and a bit corrupt) on some level, but I don't think that getting a degree at an Ivy is meaningless. It's worth it to graduate from a prestigious university that's known for their selectiveness. It's sort of an instant recognition. People hear "Harvard/Yale/Princeton/etc" and they immediately think "smart" whether you graduated first or last from your class. In addition to the value of the degree you get, when you go to a well-known university, you're also making connections with future congressmen, lawyers, doctors, etc, which opens up tons of opportunities that you might not have had otherwise.

While that degree doesn't make you any better than the next person (i.e. "you need a degree to be somebody" is bullshit since nobody but yourself can tell you what you're worth), I think it's worth it in the sense that it adds prestige to your name. And tbh, with all the work that goes into getting a degree,... it better mean more than just a certificate.

[queen]

^ one of my professors once said, "if you graduate from a 1st tier law school, regardless of whether you're in the top 10 of your class, firms will come to you. if you graduate from a 2nd tier law school, you'll more than likely get a reply of this sort: "why the f*ck did you go to a 2nd tier law school?!""

i know he was exaggerating, but he makes a good point. what school and what degree does matter, to an extent. however, this may be more of an american viewpoint. the ways of canada may be slightly different, correct me if i'm wrong ;o

[ley]

there is a big difference between a mistake and malpractice.

and with the onset of doctor shortages, it has been proven that many medical schools have passed students that should have otherwise failed. do these so-called doctors deserve or live up to their degrees and certifications? no. in which case, degrees mean everything and nothing at all at the same time.
i realize that it is easier to go with the odds and hire based on schooling, but is it better?

i'm sorry the debate topic was changed entirely. well, not really, this is far too much fun and insightful - it has given me lots to think about and has made my day :D

Internship, Residency, Fellowship.<--the reason some doctors get pushed above the bar.
Even some doctors aren't great test takers. This does not mean they will not make good doctors. If they couldn't cut it they would not make it past their intership. Hospitals wont do the same favors for them that schools did. So I really dont think it matters if someones grades were raised a few points.