Is academic qualification ensuring success in life?

[Sci_Girl]

Should the question be geared towards today's population? What was then is definitely not now. Today that piece of paper is quite important in receiving many jobs which may have not required that sort of education numerous years ago.

[tchaikovsky]

I myself have a personal schism in my life goals because of this. I believe that, especially in today's world, having an education is paramount to being successful in a professional environment. However, the fulfillment I'd have from surfing the internet all day as a secretary for some oblivious company would still be just as much. People change, as does the world, though; and to presume that you can live off of a lower standard of living into the future, as you can see yourself now, is not an appropriate way to plan for the rest of your life. Getting an education is insurance for changes you might experience or shifts in your life that make you need a surefire backing to fall on when in a time of need, and is therefore vital to one who wishes to live life comfortably, inside the realm of their degree or not, on a long term scale.

[Khelddar]

just putting it out there, bill gates might be a dropout, but he dropped out of Harvard. He had quite a solid education for what he was planning to do before he dropped out.

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Also, i think the topic is getting flipped a bit. There are examples of people who have made it very far in life without a good academic foundation, but if a person has a good academic foundation are they guaranteed success?

No, while people who have a good academic foundation may have a better chance of success (im not saying they do or don't) it doesn't guarantee them success. Proof of this can be seen on almost every University campus across the world, when was the last time you saw all the professors at a university successful or even 50%. You may have different opinions on what success is but i can tell you that of all the Uni professors ive had maybe 1 out of 20 was successful maybe 3 out of 20 max.

There are many stories out their of people who have been totally illiterate that have had success and their are stories out their of people who have been in the top 1% of intelligence that end up living on the street

[tchaikovsky]

No, while people who have a good academic foundation may have a better chance of success (im not saying they do or don't) it doesn't guarantee them success. Proof of this can be seen on almost every University campus across the world, when was the last time you saw all the professors at a university successful or even 50%. You may have different opinions on what success is but i can tell you that of all the Uni professors ive had maybe 1 out of 20 was successful maybe 3 out of 20 max.

There are many stories out their of people who have been totally illiterate that have had success and their are stories out their of people who have been in the top 1% of intelligence that end up living on the street

That really depends on your measure of success. Going for an education has bigger implications than just enabling you to make money; and changes you into a better person equipped with the tools needed to lead your life. Whether you're making 20k or 150k right out of school, an education is still valuable in that it makes you /smarter/ as a person (if you're trying at least).

[Celestial]

Not really, it's all about what you do with it.

Universities aren't really about education, they're actually more research focused. This is why sometimes you'll find a really bad lecturer who can't teach for .... who still never loses their job. On the other side of the coin there are those lecturers who are excellent at teaching but never really progress in their university career.

As long as their research is good, they're secure.

[tchaikovsky]

Not really, it's all about what you do with it.

Universities aren't really about education, they're actually more research focused. This is why sometimes you'll find a really bad lecturer who can't teach for .... who still never loses their job. On the other side of the coin there are those lecturers who are excellent at teaching but never really progress in their university career.

As long as their research is good, they're secure.

That's right, tenure is a beautiful thing for that. Because the academic institution is fundamentally about cultivating NEW knowledge, or at least I think it should be if not. Students should go just to participate in that and learn from it; graduate school has a lot of involvement. With these skills, hopefully people come out of the experience has more positive contributors to society; and although that may work, it's arguable as to whether that's a benchmark to success. Although you're breaching upon humanitarian values upon bringing that up.

[OFWGKTA]

I don't believe it ensures success. I know a few ladies who have graduated from university and have the same job than I have. There have also been many people I have read about that have graduated university to only suffer within the economy and find themselves in a slump. Now I do believe that academic qualifications does help one progress towards success.

[janikanicolepi]

Is academic qualification ensuring success in life? I don't believe so.

There are plenty of factors that determines to one's success. Example, how smart you are, how quickly you can come up with a solution, how you handle a situation in particular under certain scenario, how well you are able to handle stress, your emotion, communication, etc (all from actual working experience). Being successful in academia only shows that you are able to understand the course material and regurgitate it during an exam. Those who truly are successful are those who are able to apply what they learn through academia and make something out of it. You do not necessary have to be smart to be successful, those who are hard working can also become successful.

I think we are all a piece of a puzzle, some of us simply has yet to find the right "spot" that fits.

I would also like to point out that the discussion of success seems to base solely through a materialistic point of view (I.E money). We are all successful, but we couldn't visualize it because our success are overshadowed by those who are far more successful than us. If you can look back on the thing you have achieved in your life, (graduating from high school, going to college, graduate from college....or even having a job, starting a family, etc) can be consider as a success as well.

[SpecialisAlio]

I personally believe that education only goes so far. I know it may sound hypocritical since I'm in a four-year university, but I honestly feel like I've learned more about my future career through shadowing a doctor and actually volunteering at a hospital. Sure, I learned about glycolysis and cellular components through biology class, but I learned about how to interact with patients and how to assess conditions and I even got a rough idea of medicines and what medicines don't work together.

I think education certainly adds to a profile, but I would rather hire someone who has experience than someone who got straight A's in college.

[torque]

I think it depends on the academic qualification. As more US employers move towards a master's degree for entry level positions (especially in saturated urban areas), the value of academic qualifications will continue to deflate. However, qualifications matched to supply/demand in a given geographic location can ensure success, especially in credential-heavy fields (e.g. healthcare, law, accounting, etc.). Even completion of an academic program requires extensive internship/job experience while a student to be considered for interview in the field. Small business and entrepreneurship is inherently free of the need for academic qualification; you do your own hiring, etc.

In my experience, only a few undergraduate degrees have any intrinsic employment value: engineering, nursing, accounting, and computer science. All other degrees are roughly equivalent and (sadly) require additional education; I think the situation will continue to perpetuate itself.

Part of the issue is the lack of practical job skills that most degrees teach--the above degrees are the exception. I think a shift from theoretical to practical knowledge would benefit most degree programs. Some argue that this would be making "technical schools" out of universities; I think they offer a look into the "real world" for a given field, which does not always match the theory.