Perhaps it is just me, but I don't see much of a problem with the fact that Marilee Jones, the former Dean of Admissions at M.I.T., did not have any degrees, and lied about her qualifications. I think that if she is able to do a good job and is competent with her position, then it really doesn't matter if she went to school or not.
Too many people are worried about having credentials. A degree doesn't mean that you will do a good job at anything; just like, not having a degree doesn't mean you can't be proficient at jobs. Especially, when we're talking about a non-technical job that isn't science based, medically based, or something where training and theoretical knowledge is useful.
I said that I don't see much of a problem. It does, however, seem to be a problem that she lied about her credentials. That is unfortunate for her. Otherwise, who cares.
UPDATE: Saul Levison, at the University of Chicago Law Blog, has a much better post on this topic.
Friday, April 27, 2007
(Not) An Issue
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1 Comments:
While I agree with you, the truth of the matter is that our society does judge people based on whether they have reached this level of education. Even if it has very little to do with their ability to do the job well, applicants will be judged by the perception of whether or not they are college-educated. I also don't think that it will eventuallynot matter which field a person is working in. Even the gaming industry, in which many are self-taught, will be affected. The demand for people with degrees is displacing people without them. This causes those without degrees to be immobilised in their current positions making it harder for them to transition into other fields that they may be qualified for, but the doo is forever closed to them. The person without a degree may have years of experience and qualifications, but a little piece of paper will beat them every time, even if the person with a college degree doesn't possess the requisite experience. This wasn't true 20-25 years ago. People without degrees could move further up in their fields than they can now. Marilee Jones fits within the time period of the age group of people who will be most affected by this trend.
By 
, at
12:30 PM, May 02, 2007
