Originally Posted by
Dan64456
College is just a scam... A way to keep 18 to 22 snot nosed kids out of adult’s hair, and the school makes money and the economy gets stimulated in the process... (Loans force people to work to pay them back... Keeps banks in business as well, and employs more people, etc, etc., Most importantly keeps these kids in check so they can't protest on the streets of DC, etc.) It's all a system. What 19 yr old kid is really going to take their job seriously?
It's just a time killer/money maker IMO... I know some real idiots that managed to get a degree. Doesn't mean you are smart or more capable of anything at all. Some of my friends are living proof of that. Nothing wrong with it, they are still good people, and to each is own... But you get my point.
So no, I don't believe it should be a requirement. Some people are free thinkers and like learning about what interests them... Not what is laid out in their course catalogs under the section of whatever "Major" they choose.
Not saying that everyone who goes to college is not a free thinker, I'm just saying that the working world needs to open their minds a bit, becuase there are some brilliant minds out there that for whatever reason didn't end up taking the common upper middle class and higher trail in life (didn't end up in college).
I respect someone that worked their whole life much more than some spoiled brat that drove a car on their parents dime and went to school on their dime as well... Degree or not. But I also respect people who worked their way thru college as well...
It shouldn't matter in some things... As a pilot, you gotta know your stuff... I don't think there is much of a way to fake that. I know there are bad pilots out there and all, but again, you probably get my point. There is an exception for every rule I guess...
And the argument about being well rounded, and more professional, well I know some people with whatever MBA or MS that are far from well rounded and professional. I work with them. They were mostly all the types of kids I'm talking about. Everythign handed to them from day one, every advantage from day one, and they grow up to become the biggest cry baby/unprofessional/ignorant/disrespectful whatever people. They never had to work other lowly jobs to learn the ropes of real life... Their first jobs were at age 23 when they did their first internships. Pathetic in my opinion.
Going to a place full of kids from the same age/race/income level/class whatever isn't the best way to get 'educated' or to get exposed to the most 'diversity'.
So why should a degree automatically earn someone’s respect? Usually it's the people who had an easier life that 'earn' these degrees. Some of these degree holders arrogance baffles me.
But this is just my opinion.
A degree proves that you started something difficult and finished it. And yes, it expands your knowledge of many different subject areas, which makes you a better "rounded" person. When you say that college doesn't expose someone to "diversity", apparently you haven't been on a college campus in the past 30 years. My graduating class had students from MANY countries including Iraq, India, and Afghanistan.
By the way, you don't have to be a "spoiled brat" to attend and pay for college. There are multiple programs to help people pay for college, and by that I mean FREE money. Federal grants, scholarships, and tuition assistance from the military just to name a few.
So your bitterness about the college degree requirement for a job at a major is misplaced. It is no secret that you need a degree to get a job flying the big stuff, that is just how it is. Getting a degree is an accomplishment that shows that someone is educated in a variety of subject matter, follows through with a task, and has some level of determination to accomplish a goal.