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Subject:Comment: the value of a degree From:Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Fri, 3 Mar 1995 14:13:17 LCL
It's possible that a degree (particularly a higher degree) will get
you a job (particularly in academe, where a PhD is more or less
mandatory), but there are other reasons to get a degree. The best of
these are that (i) postgraduate programs really open up your mind to
new things because you meet many people far smarter than you in fields
of study you might never have known existed, and (ii) the academic
environment _can_ provide a combination of structured and unstructured
learning environments that you'll never find at work. This isn't to
say that workplace learning is less valuable: many academic programs
are far too theoretical to work well outside the university. My main
problem with workplace learning is the "who can find the time?"
phenomenon. The more the learn, the more they give you to do, which
leaves progressively less time for further learning. Maybe the nicest
thing about a full-time degree is that it provides you with time to
learn.
--Geoff Hart #8^{)}
"Whoever dies with the most letters after their name, wins."- anon.
