Why do people wave their qualifications around so much (details)?

I come from a weird background. In my country, during communism, one did not got to school to make money; one went to school to simply educate himself or because he really liked a certain profession. School did not guarantee a job in that field as bribes and connections were (and still are) the way to land a job.

In the US I find most college kids go to school in order to get a job, make money and live the American "dream". I did not say all, now, so take it easy, thumb police. But, it's how the system works here. In Europe, even if you don't have a job, you can live with your parents. You don't need medical insurance because the state provides it for you. Extended families are the norm. Here, most parents expect their kids to get out of the house when they're 18... or after college. Here, it's a shame if you're 30 and still living with mom and dad. There, it's the norm. Perhaps this is why divorce rates are lower in Europe, and not because we are all so submissive.

Also interesting is the fact that in Europe you can go on vacation, meet another family on the beach, socialize for two weeks with them and never know what they do for a living. We are not so hung up on work; life is more than just jobs and degrees. So, why the degrees and diplomas?... Because in some countries or within certain social circles that's how one's worth is measured.

You just did the same thing! :-)

Sometimes it's worth pointing out that a person has spent some time actually studying something, as one of the claims often made to 'hurt' others is "what would you know anyway".

A good example is that recently, the media reported (out of context, how surprising) some comments Germaine Greer made in a speech about Shakespeare. In the fuss and flurry that followed, there was no media follow up mentioning that she is a renowned Shakespearean scholar who has written a dozen scholarly articles and books on the very subject she was speaking about.

That's why saying "I've got a degree in ..." or "I've taught undergraduates ..." can sometimes be important, so people who continue to promote ignorant beliefs they've picked up from the ignorant media don't continue to circulate them as 'truth' without any challenge at all.

Most people here seem to wish to learn as well as share what they know, and even if they don't agree with one's own point of view, have something worthwhile to say, whether they have a dozen degrees or none.

Of course, regarding those who consider all education and personal learning to be some sort of personal insult, it's not worth the bother anyway, lol. They can always read the Bud labels for what they really need to know.

Cheers :-)

Someones degree means very little to me unless I know what University it was obtained from.

And while it cannot be verified on the net, the manner in which people present ideas, especially how they cross reference information and how they present it lends credibility to the belief they have a degree.

I occasionally state my qualifications, but hardly ever on this forum where they are of almost no relevance to the discussions which take place. I mention my time and experience of university much more.

Sometimes people state their qualifications as a prop to their credibility, not always for egocentric reasons. Some weight should be accorded to a qualified opinion where the qualification is relevant to the subject matter.

While possession of a degree does not equal quality of thought, the two are often correlated, especially where the degree in question has been obtained from a university which sets high standards for its awards and admissions.

As far as common sense goes, nobody has a monopoly on it, but I don't believe that uneducated people magically possess more of it than educated ones.

*edit - you say judging by university is irrelevant and provide an anecdote to support it. The reality is that universities with tighter admissions and awards teach to a higher standard and accept students with better grades. They produce more nobel prize winners. Graduates tend to be more successful within their fields. That isn't pompous it is simply factual.

Further, it stands to reason. If someone cannot get the grades to enter an academic course and take the same subject in a university that offers easier admissions, that university will teach to the level of the entrants, who will typically be less academically able.

That isn't rocket science, and it is especially relevant when these days perhaps 30% of people are obtaining higher education qualifications, many of which are not worth the paper they are printed on, even to the students who get them.

As for IQ levels, people seem more prone to brag (and probably lie) about these online far more than they do about degrees. IQs are about standard deviations from the norm. Only about 2% (I don't know the exact figure) of the population are supposed to have an IQ of 130+, yet I recall a couple of questions where just about every poster who quoted a figure was quoting over 130.

I suspect when Oxford or Cambridge cite the average IQ of its students they are actually telling the truth.*

You raise a good point. Sometimes, the best person for the particular job (in this case, discussion of GWS issues) may not be the one who is formally qualified, but has general life experience, common sense and logical reasoning. Waving around a diploma is useless if you've been conditioned to textbook learning - what you know, anyone could get out of a book. Its what you don't know but learnt via real life observations that matter.

However, having qualifications is an advantage - especially if challenged by someone who says something you know is wrong. If someone quoted a well known academic fact to me and proved what I said was wrong, I wouldn't immediately back down, but I would re-consider my initial position.

I usually don't quote my law qualifications unless it is something very law specific and I know I can apply my knowledge to the question. Otherwise, if its something regarding society or gender generally, I use my common sense. I've got no relevant qualifications in those areas any way.

**Edit: Oracle - you made me spit out my coffee. Bootkissing? Are you serious? It seems to me that the more boot (or A**) kissing you do, the more you are teased and bullied. Stand up for yourself and then you are respected.**

I have always loathed people who do that; I mean, why not wear it around your neck in big letters so everyone will know what an incredibly bright human being you are? A girl I used to work with did that and talked about her education and her degree non stop until we all felt like strangling her. Ironically, some us had more education but never got into an "I have more than you have" battle because we didn't feel the need and also because it is childish. If it comes up or I am asked, then I answer about my education, but I don't volunteer the info. All the degrees on the world can't measure up to an ounce of common sense.

Show a piece of paper

and that is all I will see!

Bring the subject before and

stuff your bureaucracy.

A person's worth must measured by deeds not dids.

Freud may have said something interesting about this!

ADDED well said 'Char'

ADDED

I have to say that a lot of the people I met Uni though being of the acidemic type could have made much better of there lives than a lot of people I know who have naver been.

In my everyday life i find myself meeting people of many walks of life and I am constantly surprised by the stupidity I find in some people even though with a PHD in some cases!

a degree in many cases should have an expiry date.

That is to say that information learnt at one moment in time nay not be valid a few years later.

It must also be understood that this piece of paper is in fact only the ticket which allows you to get on the ride, I doesn't mean that you have ridden.

Or that you where capable of staying seated.

That is the reason for my first comment!

Is there much more that I need to explain!

Hell's bells. I went to college; I am degreed; I have teaching experience. My life experience, innate intelligence and empathy are what I use to answer questions. I would be out of my league in an academic forum. I don't consider this one.

It seems to me that the words alone will carry or bury the opinion. To list credentials as support, one must think that his words are not enough proof of merit and that he must impress. You know what I value that someone volunteers? It is when the person writing about grief says she lost her child last year or the person offering hope explains how he overcame mental illness. Those are credentials you can trust, even on the internet. Some things ring true.

C. :)!!

If there was any doubt, here's a point of disagreement. There's nothing wrong with multiple degrees. (But if only I could finish that thesis.)

But there's much truth in the dubiousness of supporting claims with credentials, particularly on the Internet. Even were one's CV available for all to see online, how would we know that the poster was the individual in question?

It is also true that degrees do not guarantee clear, reasoned, or careful thinking.

EDIT

ROTFLMAO at yahoo! censoring "***" in "*** laude"!

EDIT

Incidentally, my degrees don't qualify me for anything, save discussing the intellectual history of Central Europe or the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, explaining abstruse points of logic and semantics, or debating the finer points of Wittgenstein and other philosophers. Hardly a basis for authority!

If the qualifications are relevant to the topic of discussion, I think it lends a measure of credibility to the answer. And if I were asking the question, I would use that information in selecting a Best Answer (as if the points actually matter).

But when someone flaunts their credentials outside of their area of expertise, it seems like they are just compensating.

Good Question.

If you cant wow them with the equivalent of the "peacocks tail" then dazzle them with your overinflated cranium"bull shite". Being educated is a grand thing but there are those who think they are so very superior even though they have to convince the rest of us that they are! Has anyone ever done a study as to why the ultra intellectuals have an almost non existent common sense? Maybe it is a side effect, like how the blind hear so much better.

I personally am working slowly toward becoming multi-degreed in the arts, let my skill speak for me....