The Education Myth

[randomGuy]

Exactly, so those seeking a career in such industries have to get relevant degrees if they hope to work for premier organizations It may be possible to do the job w/o a degree, but the questions is how many organizations will give such people an opportunity? There is a gap b/w "Can" and "Will" as illustrated in the argument below: a) CAN Ind will the world cup? Yes b) WILL Ind will the world cup? :dontknow: Simply stated - A relevant degree increases the chances of getting the desired job, even though the person w/o the degree "could" be equally skillful. For those seeking a job, it is all about trying to maximize their chances of getting hired esp. when not everyone has the right connections and when you could be competing with a bunch of qualified candidates

if you have done computer engineering in India, you know that 70% of the subjects you study have zero connection with the job that you will get. Rest 30% can be easy studied w/o attending a single class. (Entire course lectures are available online too as I said). The usefulness of a candidate can be knowN just by asking relevant questions in the interview. Asking for a degree is only a tradition in case of s/w jobs.

[zen]

if you have done computer engineering in India, you know that 70% of the subjects you study have zero connection with the job that you will get. Rest 30% can be easy studied w/o attending a single class. (Entire course lectures are available online too as I said). The usefulness of a candidate can be knowN just by asking relevant questions in the interview. Asking for a degree is only a tradition in case of s/w jobs.

That would suggest that the courses selection may have to be evaluated .... At the end of the day, one still has to study relevant materials whether on his own or at school From what you have stated, if 100% of what is taught is also available on the internet, how will someone studying on his own decide which 30% is useful? If you say someone can give guidance, then that can be achieved by having the right courses in school as well Talking about interviews, many HR folks scan resumes in less than 10 seconds. Many short-list 5 candidates after going through 100x resumes. So getting an interview w/o the right degree is a challenge .... Also many companies hire at colleges In an ideal environment anything is possible, for e.g. if everyone understands stealing is a crime, not everyone would need to invest in security systems and guards, locking their houses, etc. Realistically, people steal despite understanding it is a crime :winky:

[randomGuy]

That would suggest that the courses selection may have to be evaluated .... At the end of the day, one still has to study relevant materials whether on his own or at school From what you have stated, if 100% of what is taught is also available on the internet, how will someone studying on his own decide which 30% is useful? If you say someone can give guidance, then that can be achieved by having the right courses in school as well Talking about interviews, many HR folks scan resumes in less than 10 seconds. Many short-list 5 candidates after going through 100x resumes. So getting an interview w/o the right degree is a challenge .... Also many companies hire at colleges In an ideal environment anything is possible, for e.g. if everyone understands stealing is a crime, not everyone would need to invest in security systems and guards, locking their houses, etc. Realistically, people steal despite understanding it is a crime :winky:

Like I said, its just a pattern that we have adopted. Otherwise there's no use of a btech degree for a s/w job. They just ask c++, data structures, puzzles, OS and database concepts etc for a fresher's job interview If u answer those questions, u really do deserve the job. degree shouldn't come into picture I am all for college education but mostly for the reason that one has to fill those years by mingling with people of similar age group.

[zen]

Like I said, its just a pattern that we have adopted. Otherwise there's no use of a btech degree for a s/w job. They just ask c++, data structures, puzzles, OS and database concepts etc for a fresher's job interview If u answer those questions, u really do deserve the job. degree shouldn't come into picture I am all for college education but mostly for the reason that one has to fill those years by mingling with people of similar age group.

Thanks for the info on s/w jobs For avg. students and discussing this from a broader perspective (the 68% within the first SD of the mean in the bell curve) - there are various learning stages that students have to pass through before they are "actually" good enough to learn a subject at depth on their own .... Therefore for policy makers and leaders in education sector, it would be about a) determining what areas and subjects can be learned online (and on your own), b) where an advanced education would be required (and going physically to colleges), and c) at what stage the students decide the direction they need to take, and what resources and guidance are available to help students decide on the direction Despite how easy it could be for employers to evaluate candidates through interviews - for most jobs, employers would need some kind of certification from candidates as many times the hiring managers' are scrutinized for the people they hire .... They do not want to be in a position where they have to say they hired x over y because of the interview when y had the right certification and if x happens to make mistakes on job .... The certification could be acquired by going to college (degree) or by learning on your own (online, books, etc.) and acquiring similar certification through recognized 3rd party based exams

[Autonomous]

Imo developing countries need to spend more on population control, employment, inflation control and raising incomes rather than education which will ultimately prove on to be worthless investment once you see your Mba jobless.