RE: RE: 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'm just speaking from personal experience and the experience of many peers. Today's high school graduates with no work experience aren't going to find a job without a college degree."

Speaking from close to forty years of continuous employment, that is simply not true. In fact, a college graduate with no work experience is worse than useless. They expect higher salaries and better benefits right out of the gate. In return, you get nothing.

"It was intended for an elite few, but has become necessary for everyone in order to even be considered for employment."

Once again, that is completely untrue. How many restaurants and retail stores require college degrees? How many construction companies require college degrees? How many trucking firms require college degrees?

"A college degree has become the high school degree of 20 years ago."

That is solely the fault of the utter and complete failure of public education as an institution. I doubt you want to go there.

"I've had an extremely hard time finding the type of job I want because I don't have a graduate degree. My husband just completed his MBA last year and has since been promoted twice. I'm sure he would argue that a graduate degree has been beneficial to his career."

Do you realize how wide the gulf is between what you said here and the statement that college is a prerequisite for employment? You are talking about desire, I am talking about necessity. A really ugly old British guy once said, "You can't always get what you want..." That is the essence of what I mean about women staying at home with their kids. Couples want one set of things, but what they need is much smaller. Your generation was never taught the difference between wanting and needing.

"I did not say that only high school goof-offs don't go to college. I said that they SHOULDN'T go to college if they aren't going to take it seriously. They are just taking space from someone more deserving."

I don't like taking this to personal example, but it is apropos here, so I will. I was the biggest high school goof-off you ever met. However, I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree. You have the education system's outlook on college and higher education. College and the degrees it confers are tools, nothing more. A degree in and of itself is not even worth the very nice vellum on which it is printed. I have hired dozens of people with and without college degrees. I have also turned away dozens with and without degrees. The only thing the degree does for me is let me know that a candidate has been introduced to the discipline and that there is a higher chance that he/she will know something about what I'm asking them in the interview. I would hire someone with a positive work record and no degree long before I would hire someone with no work record (or a questionable work record) and a degree. I am not unusual in that regard.

The sole case, outside of professional and managerial positions, where a post-graduate degree is not actually a hindrance is in the field of higher education. In my opinion, we have plenty of college professors out there, maybe a few too many.

College is great. Everyone who can, should attend. However, it is, and always will be, a luxury.