Negative reactions to your educational goals from others....

That is when I would not be able to resist and say, "Yeah, and you better pray you never lose this job because employer now require a degree - hang in there!"

 

My cowork has made comments like, "so what are doing now, working on a 3rd PhD?" and stuff like that. They just think I am an over achiever in general.

 

Not funny.

 

It's taken a while, but I have finally learned to keep most of my goals to myself. Alas, too soon old, too late smart!

 

Your safety manager is insecure because he doesn't hold a college degree. That's why he makes such remarks. He would not have you proofreading his emails if he didn't feel vulnerable. Unless he is under contract to the hospital, he can be replaced anytime, regardless of job performance.

Thank you for your service to our country as an Iraqi Freedom Combat Veteran. I'm a Vietnam Veteran and know what it's like.

 

I would have been tempted to post the lyrics of Fair Harvard as a reply. Otherwise, War Eagle.

 

That wouldn't happen, every time they increase the educational requirement, the existing staff are exempt and it only applies to new hires.

 

I believe he meant that if the individual lost the job due to some other factor, it would be difficult to find employment, as most employers now require a degree for new hires at that level.

 

They have mostly been good comments. I atttended a RA B&M CC for ten years, and everyone reacted well to this. I then started taking classes in the early days of DL. People reacted very negatively when I told them I was taking distance course at UOI, UCLA, UCI and U of Nebraska (to name a few). The good thing is DL seemed to get much more positive responses as people start to do it en masse due to working longer hours, crappier vacation policies, etc.

There is one Manager at work who is insanely jealous of my MBA. He has plotted against me a several times, but they have all blown up in his face. Let's just say his chances of being promoted are zero now. The reaction to a DL MBA has been great. Time are changing Thomas.

Abner

 

It's OK. They are largely a group of techno-nerds (sometimes I am too) who are all afraid for their lives because they only know how to do one thing. If that thing becomes devalued then they're on the street with a sign around their neck reading, "Will calculate for internet access" Most of them can't imagine a career that is based on face to face interaction with other (small) humans. Sometimes I ask them, "When you were a kid, who was your favorite Math teacher?" Each one has an answer. Then I say, "What if I became someones favorite Math teacher? Does it make sense now?" Then they stop laughing. It's all good.

 

Negative comments about education might stem from the fact that, at least in the United States, there seems to be a common and traditional strain of anti-intellectualism. Here is a relevant quote from author Roger Rosenblatt:

“Anti-intellectualism has been as integral a part of American culture as the drive for universal education, and the fact that both have existed concurrently may account for the low status of teachers. In America it is not enough to be smart; one must compensate for one’s intelligence by also showing the canniness and real-world power of the cowboy and the pioneer.”

"[ Einstein ] won his stardom in the only way that Americans could accept– by dint of intuitive, not scholarly, intelligence and by having his thought applied to practical things, such as rockets and atom bombs.”

Source: “The Age of Einstein,” Time, Dec. 31, 1999. p.90

 

Yes, I've heard of that before... In my view, you can safely ignore advice from those who report "being too smart to go to college"...

 

I agree with Randell1234. These types of dinosaurs get caught in a job, and lose track of the world around them. Here is what I see. Tons of employers scouting for the best, which means education AND experience. It is a buyers market as far as employers are concerned. They will only select the best cut of meat, and discard the fat. This wise guy may soon become the FAT. If he works in private industry, he can be let go at any time, for any reason, with no explanation. He better hope he does not cross the wrong person one of these days.

Here is what I have learned in my LONG journey to attain degrees. Those that want it will overcome, those that are lazy will not. During my B&M college days, I unloaded trailers that were 130 degrees inside, and the soot came out of my nose black at the end of my shift. I worked the night shift. I have done security at night clubs on the weekends to pay for books, and I worked my way up in the insurance industry from a gopher to some top positions. In short, it has been a long way back from hell. But the end result is pure nirvana. There will always be jealous people who do not want you to do better than them. Of course, these types live in costant fear that there jobs will be taken.

So the moral of my story? Don't listen to the haters. They will bring you down and try to play mind games with you. Also, don't share to much of your personal life at work. And finally, no trust funds for this guy. What I have today was achieved by old fashioned hard work, blood and tears.

P.S. I started shinning shoes and selling plants that I grew from the age of ten. My parents taught me well.

Abner