I know... All anecdotal, right? Well, isn't anecdotal evidence, evidence nonetheless? Don't we collect known data, compile it and examine it to determine with reasonable assumptions what something is or isn't? Now this is a personal issue for me. I have a high school degree, and a Master's... Where's my bachelor's you ask? I don't have one. Don't want one, and the way I see it, I don't need one. Now, this may backfire on me... Indeed, I suspect many will rail against me and say I'm wrong, that I don't know what I'm talking about, that if I had a bachelor's, I wouldn't be saying this. Maybe... But I doubt it. Would someone please, please, please, explain to me why someone would need a class in biology for a degree in drafting...
Educational institutions have some leeway in determining what someone is qualified for in regards to fields of study. I took one of two tests that are nationally recognized. I took the MAT... It was used in lieu (a college word here) of an undergrad degree, or if a person with an undergrad doesn't have a high enough GPA. I scored nationally in the 87 percentile... that means only 13% of the population of test-takers scored higher than I did. My school accepted me. Was it hard? yep. Was I unqualified? no. A national standardized testing group tested me and said I was qualified. Even gave me my I.Q. score... Guess I'm purtty smart. Whooptee doo. Tests can determine a lot of things. What they can't gauge are things like skills, talents, common sense, and practical ability. I can test brilliantly on a test, but not be able to explain what I tested on because I really don't understand it. However, I can test poorly on something and be able to do something very well. For example. If you quizzed me on computer terms, I'd probably bomb it. I couldn't tell you the difference between an AMD benchmark and an Intel Benchmark for a 2.2ghz processor, but i can tell you which one runs faster.
It seems that there are many artificial impositions on education. What are we looking for? A piece of paper doesn't make someone smart. It makes them able to pass a test. By the same token, learning is essential to how we grow as people, and especially as Christians. It *is* a benchmark... The thing is, it is only *a* benchmark. There are others. Some are better than others, some are downright useless. Some should be paid more attention to. I'd rather have the guy who has a GED and knows people giving me counsel on relationships than a theologian who is out of touch with the real world and trapped in academia.
What am I really trying to say? I guess what I am saying is this... maybe we need to reexamine our educational standards, what is worthwhile and what is being over-inflated. Maybe we are placing our emphasis in the wrong place. Maybe...
