Dual Identities?

Oh, and as to the "transformative effect" of graduate education, sure. I can easily see that but the biggest question for those who owe student loans is, can I get a job? And the answer for a very large fraction of Ph.D.s is "Yes, but it's a job you could have gotten without the degree." As to any prestige, well, what is prestige except the admiration of others? As a lawyer, I can tell you it exists. I can also tell you prestige doesn't pay the rent. I am not suggesting no one should go to law school or graduate school. I AM suggesting that before paying all that money and doing all that work one should adopt the jaundiced view of Dr. L. for a bit and make sure it's worthwhile.

 

Naturally, I'm speaking only from my own experience.

 

Welp, I had, after a long gap, logged into the other board, and stumbled across Dr. Levicoff's "farewell," and responded there, but then came here and realized that he was responding there to a post here. So aside from the personal asides to Dr. Levicoff, I had written,

All to say, on the one hand, yes, sometimes having qualifications which were completed exclusively by distance can create some difficulties, but on the other hand, it's not always insurmountable. As always, of course, numerous other variables would likely apply.

I am grateful, though, to a number of you on this thread, including Steve, and to dear, departed Uncle Janko, too. And, of course, to the DL Rebbe himself, Dr. Bear. The other board does, in fact, seem well and truly dead (though worth keeping afloat, if only for the long thread of Uncle Janko tributes), but even with its flaws, this will likely help those seeking a means to continue and further their education.

Peace,

Matt

 

Just thinking over my own experiences with resident and D/L degree programs...in law, at least, and especially in academic law (if there is such a thing in the U.S.) I think it's best for one's career to avoid anything other than the three year full time traditional J.D route. Now, as to how to pursue that traditional route, I would say in general that "cheap is good" so long as the degree will allow the graduate to do whatever s/he has in mind to do. I you want to be a law professor, it would be enormously helpful to get into Yale or Harvard. Wall Street firms and high level federal agencies prefer to recruit from a half dozen top schools. There's nothing wrong with attending one's state university (and maybe saving a ton of cash) so long is it's clearly understood that these paths will be much less likely of success as a result. It CAN be done but it's harder.

As always, know what you want the degree to do for you and make sure that a degree from "this" school will do it for your. Otherwise don't go.