To think just because you have a degree does not make you superior to those who don't?

[carocaro]

Two ladies I know, one lawyer and one scientist.

I am also a PROFESSIONAL in the creative field, with no degree, a route I chose on purpose.

We are all professional, but is one automatically better than the other? They seem to think so and have said as much. Of course you can only get to be the above via Uni.

In my mind, you can't compare most jobs, like chalk and cheese eg: truck driver V nurse, creative director V charity worker, we all have our own sills set and talent for jobs, but why do SOME think a degree makes them better?

Your thoughts ladies?

"foolish to state nothing makes anyone more superior" - not sure if that was in response to me..but...my point was about the idea of generic superiority. It's not twee to say that no-one is superior. And it is horrendous to say, without qualification, that some people are superior to others. we're all people. and, as people, have equal value.

however, I agree, that some things (degrees among them) may indicate that someone is better (or, if you like, superior) at something in particular.

degrees are a crude measure of academic ability - they certainly can;t be used to divide people into the brilliant and the thick. but I don't think it's tenable to say they're wholly unconnected from such ability

You can be intelligent and talented without being academically qualified, and vice versa.

Just because someone has a degree, it does not automatically follow that they will be more intelligent than the next person - just that they spent X number of years studying something at university.

I have an Honours degree and a Masters degree - I am proud of them and of the I put into them. DH Has NO Degree, as he says (Higher National Diploma, is it?). We both earn healthy salaries, although his is substantially more than mine - by virtue of being very good at what he does, working hard, and being in the right place at the right time for certain promotions.

Who cares? Neither of us is better or more superior than the other...

"we're all people. and, as people, have equal value" yes sounds nice if you say it quickly.

very right on and wrong

value is of attributes/merits usually externally applied according to societal/social norms.

not all humans have equal value attributed to them.bonkers to say otherwise

i dont value someone who is a paedophile or rapist.i find their behaviour henious and reprehensible.thats why socie such ty generally decrees such individuals have a lower value and lose their liberty for those actions

the trafficked and dispossessed are not valued, they are reduced to commodities and dehumanised.sadly not ll people are given same value

i value human potential, but we all judge upon demonstrable behaviour, contribution to estimate worth.and attribute value

we live in an unfair society and world were worth and value can be wrongly applied.thre trick is in trying to tackle such prejudice

I get the point about the contrast between theory and reality. but the basic point about equality is actually more than pc. it's entrenched in international, regional and domestic law, including in many treaties signed by hundreds of states. it's at the heart of why the UN was created. its also been core to the thinking of many a philosopher and political thinker. but I'm taking this thread too far away from its original intent. I had to respond to the pc and wrong thing but I'm going to shut up now

I'm going to add my 2pence worth. A work friend commenting about a colleague who wasn't very good at her job but kept on about having a degree. He would always add the phase 'she's like a lighthouse in the desert' I love it love it love it sadly he died of cancer I miss him.

Superior how? I think it is hard to say without defining what criteria we're talking about.

Academically? Probably. In general good person/worthwhile human being stakes? DOesn't follow. If money is what you think makes a person superior (which I would find amazingly depressing)then again, it doesn't follow that a degree will help you do this. Traditionally maybe, but not always now. On the whole people with degrees can expect to be paid more. But not always.

Hah, I love the ladies who say they don't have a degree but who "got the job" above others who did! Who's got the superiority complex now?

But serious, a degree's a degree. I have 2. I also have great respect for anyone who doesn't decide to go down that route of education, and prefers to learn on the job or take other forms of learning.

Learning and study is still pretty cool though. A lust for finding out new things and developing ideas should never be sneered at, whatever form it takes.

DH ex has a degree but in no way is she a better person. She can't possibly be because she always walks around a with a miserable expression on her dish.

A person with a degree really shouldn't feel smug or superior.

this is risible.i am lovin all the

i went to school of hard knocks and degree aint all that.

oi my mans ex/my sister/my neighbour has a degree and a face like a riveters mitt.aha so there it is face like a well skelped bahookie and you must be a graduate

and the i have 29o levels,17 highers,33 a levels and never wanted to go to uni

i got job of chief of surgical directorate and never went to uni or nuffink

I have a degree, but it's not in a 'real' subject [creative type moi]
i would never dare say i was better than anyone, i hugely admire more practical people, they seem to get further quicker IMO!
it's smuggery within degrees.
i once was told that my degree was easy, and that anyone could do it, from someone with a law degree. total bitch she was.
i replied with 'well, i know you couldnt do it, as you are not creative enough to recognise thee significance in SILENCE.'
grrr.

and FYI, you cannot compare how hard a degree is. with my degree, you either HAD it or you didnt. same with maths, science etc. and i worked damned hard for mine and had the time of my life and learnt a lot and i dont care if you think it's 'easy', i'd like to see you create anything good!
[it wasn't art, btw.]

Media? :D

ooh no, i'd never do such a 'doss' subject well, it was that area, but with other stuff thrown in, film, writing etc.

yeah, its not as immensely academically hard as biochemistry or something. but its hard creatively, its more personal [at least mine was] and i worked bloody hard.
and i know PLENTY of people who would have really, really struggled with my degree. and my daughter has gone on to do something similar and her friend has just dropped out because it just didnt...'click' with her.
we're not all Shakespeare or Van Gogh, or Einstein or Hawking!
i could never have done science or law, wayyy to much fact involved! i dont do memorising, i make it up as i go along

I've got a really good degree from a really good university and I had a fantastic time there.

doesn't that just sound like the smugest thing you have ever read? IT is true, but like others have said, you can't go round shouting about it! I don't think it makes me better than anyone, but it is something I Am proud of. But for fear of sounding like a complete tosser, I would never in a million years say that out loud in real life!

hypocrite moi???

A degree is a measure of achievement and indicates that the person has a certain degree of capability in that sphere. It is important because it is an easy way for employers and society at large to assess a person's capability in a particular area. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the degree-holder is better in that subject that another non-degree holder.

Lagrange is one of the world's greatest mathematicians, and was self-taught in that sphere. Men of letters like George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway and Gore Vidal had no degrees. The author Jack London, who left school at 14, has probably been on the syllabus in the past for those aiming to get degrees. Malcolm X was serving time in prison when he met a fellow prisoner who inspired him and encouraged him to learn. Malcolm X began to devour the works of Socrates and Plato and began educating himself. I bet he could have taught a few of them a thing or two when they invited him to speak at the Oxford Union.

reallylostitnow
im glad you did have a good time, thats what its all about!
students get such bad press. "should go out and get real job" etc etc.
orrr....we could spend 3 years doing something we love, and partying away from our parents as well! each to their own, but i loved my route!
although massive respect to those launched themselves into the world of work, i was far too immature!

'im glad you did have a good time, thats what its all about!'

abride
yes, and?
personally i prefer to try and have fun with my life...
university is not just about the degree...