Re: ANNOUNCE: Vacant Job Positions

cpearson@$IMAPSERVER wrote: >The discussion in this thread so far has been (for the most part) >that a degree is just a slip of paper given to you after four years (and >X amount of $$$). Often that is exactly the case ... especially if one thinks a degree makes them intellectually superior ... the opportunity to devote one's time to serious study in preparation for a lifetime of continued learning is certainly a good way to start ... the lack of such formal education is merely another obstacle to overcome. >I can go on and on, but my main point is: > A degree is a heck of a lot more than just some piece of > paper that says you went to collage and drank a lot of > beer! Hmmm ... and all this time I thought a collage WAS a piece of paper! grin! Unless of course, you have the taken to the currently fashionable usage of nouns as verbs, in which case, you're talking about an arts major ... >I'm sure that there ARE many people who can out "program" me who don't >have degrees, but there are many, many more who are wandering around >thinking that all there is to programming is "hacking" together code >in a few hours....... The bottom line is ... those that can, do ... computing is probably the last area where one's ability is more important than one's formal education ... it'll be a shame when that disappears, as it surely will. >Like I said, I am in school so I have very strong feelings about this >subject! ;-> Be thankful for the privilege and your good fortune! But don't for a second think that "degreed" is a synonym for "educated". This is a relatively new concept of the last half century, and I fear that society is denying many individuals the opportunity to make significant contributions by reaching their full potentials (in spite of their lack of formal education), and therefore denying itself the benefit of such contributions ... in the past the genius of man was evidenced in his accomplishments, but today we look to standardized tests ... My children (teenagers) will of course, go to college ... but as for me, I'm a self-made man, one of the last of a vanishing breed ... my lack of a degree has most certainly kept some doors from opening, but never has anyone accused me of being uneducated, uninformed, and incompetent in my field ... nor has any employer, once opening the door, ever had cause to open it again to toss me out ...