Hi

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by jts, May 10, 2011.

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  1. jts

    jts New Member

    I originally found this forum while researching for-profit private universities and their effect on higher education. DegreeInfo posts consistently ranked near the top of my searches, and contained a considerable amount of useful background information. I began exploring the site further, and learned some other facts (especially concerning the "big three") that have enabled me to help another member of my family in a pretty significant way.

    My continued interest has been fueled in part by a brief career crisis. I found myself at a fork in the road, pondering the possibility of leaving IT for good. It just wasn't fun or interesting and, given that the fun and interest are what have fueled my career thus far, that did not bode well.

    It turns out that my ennui was situational, and I've since decided on a slightly narrower focus for my career path (as opposed to being a complete generalist). It's been a couple weeks now, and I'm still motivated in that direction, so... I'll take it as a good sign.

    Another motivator is my curiosity about the phenomenon of credentialism and the symbolic meaning of degrees and academic awards. (This started with curiosity about degree mills and how they manage to successfully operate.)

    I've gone through my life thus far with an almost complete disregard (not disdain) of formal education... but as I've gotten a little older, I do see the value of having something that signals a work ethic and basic literacy in a topic to employers. (My ideas about degrees, certifications, and other credentials are not yet fully formed. There was very little about my disregard that could be called anti-intellectual; although I do have some very slight tendencies in that direction, they're far less pronounced (from what I can tell) than what you may find in the general population. I tend to value learning over education; my particular perspective has been influenced a great deal by an educational system that was, for me, boring/unchallenging and ineffective.)

    In any event, I think I'll hang around. At the moment, however, I should be getting back to work. I have two degree programs to slave away for... ;-)

    Tom
     

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