OK, I realize it's not scientific, but here's a little poll I put together, just to get some feedback, have fun, whatever. http://qtj.n3.net/writing_editing/articles/DegreePoll.html Disclaimer: just for fun... don't cite the results anywhere. Please don't peek at results before voting -- it's no fun knowing if you agree with the majority after you know what the majority feels. ------------------ Quinn
Forgot to mention.... the free polling provider requires JavaScript to be enabled. Keep in mind -- this is an anonymous thing. I don't know who answers what. ------------------ Quinn
I'll make a prediction. The people who are motivated to go and vote are those with strong feelings on this topic. So you'll get many "definitely no" and many "definitely yes" votes, with relatively few in between. The most interesting thing to my mind will be how many total votes get cast, which will be a reflection on the number of people browsing this board. If my opinion doesn't "win," I shall demand a recount!
Anyone in statistics will be able to tell you that a targetted poll will not be statistically valid. BUT ... fun anyway. ------------------ Quinn
One of the nice things about polls is that no one voice is any louder than any other. God himself, if he plays fair, gets only one vote. I considered a second poll beside the first that read something like: "Do you hold any non-accredited degrees from a US institution?" to correlate with the results, but it's too late now. Anyway, it's not a Statistics Canada poll... just a fun idea I came up with to see where opinions sit, more or less. ------------------ Quinn
I considered putting: "Abstain (I'm just here for the beernuts I was promised came if I answered this thing.)" ------------------ Quinn
Interesting poll, Quinn. By the way the question and the possible answers are framed, the poll is directed at an individual's capabilities - and not at the portability or utility of the degree. These are two separate things. I wonder how many folks who respond understand that. Often, our "discussions" center around utility - not the ultimate development of the person. Since we debate this issue so much on this board, I would expect to see the results you are getting so far. You're asking an important question that we don't dip into to very often. Is there another poll coming that says something like: "Is it possible for a person without any formal education to outperform even the most educated?" I have a friend I work with who has never spent a day in higher education. He is one of the most skilled, capable individuals I know. I've always liked Robert Greenleaf's self-assessment of himself: A good plumber ruined by a good education. Then again I have another friend who hasn't been formally educated. He is ignorant, unskilled, and will most likely ruin his body with hard manual labor. Barry Foster PS: I think informal polls are most interesting - esp. when they are conducted in a community such as this (a virtual community). Perhaps that's a feature that could be included in the new software?? Chip?
I don't personally view degrees in terms of their "utility" -- except for such degrees as the M.D., O.D., C.D., J.D. If someone says to me that they have a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, for instance, I am not thinking, "Aha! The next time I need someone to persuade someone for me, I'll hire this person! Oh, as long as it's regionally accredited." There was a time that I believed that a Ph.D. holder was someone who, at least for some brief glowing period around conferral time, was the world authority on some particular aspect of their discipline. I believed they were knighted with some nobility towards the field, trained by determination and self-direction to pursue truth above ... Anyway.... such is the fantasy. Somewhere along the line, it was decided that degrees qualified people for jobs, and things went downhill from there. ------------------ Quinn
