Paul Stone wrote: > ...The guys who own the local HVAC > companies all have nice big houses and shiny cars while the doctors, > engineers and professors live in a bungalows and drive 8 year old compact > cars. > **It's quite true -- my town is filled with them. But shouldn't the ideal be a where earnings and respect are derived from abilities and well accomplished, effective work (meritocracy), rather than based solely on inherent intellectual talent?? > Now, ironically, a lot of those who perhaps should have gone into a trade, > are back in exactly the place they "belong" [by their own admission in many > cases] -- factories/trades -- having wasted themselves tens of thousands of > dollars and four years of gainful employment. I know many classmates from > University -- even post-grads -- who are now working in factories and > doing trade jobs. I say that not because they are inferior, it's just that > they were fooled into believing that university was where they should be, > and it wasn't. Some people just simply don't belong, but you can't say that > today. **Yes. However, society should not only be able to say it -- but also redirect youngsters into an appropriate career path (whether that includes university education or not). > > The really sad part is not so much that they wasted years -- most of them > are probably more well-rounded for having been through the experience; but > it's that they took up spots for people who really DID want to go to school > and couldn't. It was the proliferation of these dozens of people going > through the motions, getting degrees, which on paper, said that they were > my Academic equal, and then basically throwing them aside because they > never wanted to go to school in the first place. It sure as Hell cheapens > my degree's worth. This is what made me quit my quest for a PhD: the place > -- Academia was full of people who didn't want, and in many cases, didn't > deserve to be there. My graduate degree is basically worthless. > **No, not worthless -- just cheapened. Undergraduate college has become a mere extension of high school -- frequently continuing learning that should have been accomplished sooner. > a bitter quitter, **You may wish to start again. It's not the comparison to others that might inform you, but perhaps the learning and achievement for you, yourself. TC, > p > > ########## > Paul Stone > pas@xxxxxxxx > Kingsville, ON, Canada > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html