RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: WINNING EMAIL OF THE DAY ON THE LEFT'S FRENZY OVER POPE BENEDICT

Steve Brenneis responds to Behethland B. Clark:

I see. Only high school goof-offs don't go to college. That is incredibly narrow-minded and elitist. I hate to be the one to break it to you but the vast majority of productive, happy Americans do very well with nothing more than a high school diploma. More than a few Americans are happy, successful, and even wealthy with nothing more than a GED. But don't take my word for it. Here's something from a Bully Pulpit lurker:

"I know plenty of people without college educations -- even several in the high-tech IT field -- who are not college educated and do quite fine for themselves and their family. In particular, one of my non-college educated friends works in IT, has a wife and two children, and his wife hasn't been employeed since they had their first child seven(?) years ago. Sure, you can argue that's an isolated anecdotal piece example, but the truth of the matter is that it shows that it is possible for a family of four to live off the income a working father who doesn't have a college education."

You said, "If one wants any chance at success in this day and age, one must have a college education. It's almost to the point that a bachelor's degree isn't enough. Most employers are looking for graduate degrees now."

There is not a single true statement in any of that. While it is true that the average lifetime salaries of individuals with undergraduate diplomas is higher than those without, the converse is true among non-professionals with post-graduate degrees. Most companies will avoid hiring post-grads for anything other than executive management because of the higher expectations in salary. I can tell you that a post-graduate degree gets you absolutely nothing in IT. It looks good on a resume, but it isn't worth a dime of extra salary.