pjd@pjd.ces.cwru.edu (dr. funk) (01/11/89)
There are really two issues here: credentials and education.
Credentials. Some positions, like a tenure track faculty job (an extreme
example :-), typically require a credential. Like it or not, American society
depends on credentials. If you want a job where the credential is mandatory,
then get the advanced degree.
Beware of the class system, however. Not all credentials are created equal
and of course, we are speaking of "big name" versus "unknown" schools. (There
is a class system in industry, too, just to be fair to the academics.) If
academic research is your game, then you need the "big name." Believe me,
it is an uphill struggle to gain the acceptance of reviewers without the
contacts and the "big name."
Education. Sometimes, credential and education actually correlate. Universities
teach from a particular point of view, often theoretical. (Theory isn't always
bad :-) It's good to periodically renew and keep from getting stale.
One thing that's good about going back to school (especially as a full-time
student) is TIME TO THINK. Students really are a "privledged class" -- just
feed your head. (I know it's poverty, too....) Faculty members do not have
as much time as students to freely explore and without the demands of making
money for the dean, etc.
If I get flamed about anything here, this is it. As a people, we just don't
take enough time to think and to introspect. Sure there's a lot of pressure
(economic and otherwise) to be "productive." The really long term gains are
obtained when people can step out of the game and invent. Students are about
the only people in our society who can do that.
paul j. drongowski usenet: {decvax,sun,att}!cwjcc!pjd!pjd
case western reserve university csnet: pjd@alpha.ces.cwru.edukaram@sce.carleton.ca (Gerald Karam) (01/12/89)
In article <372@cwjcc.CWRU.Edu> pjd@pjd.ces.cwru.edu (dr. funk) writes: > >There are really two issues here: credentials and education. > >Credentials. Some positions, like a tenure track faculty job (an extreme >example :-), typically require a credential. Like it or not, American society >depends on credentials. If you want a job where the credential is mandatory, >then get the advanced degree. > >Beware of the class system, however. Not all credentials are created equal >and of course, we are speaking of "big name" versus "unknown" schools. If >academic research is your game, then you need the "big name." Believe me, >it is an uphill struggle to gain the acceptance of reviewers without the >contacts and the "big name." If you have good research it doesn't really matter where you get your degree --- quality results get published (with rejections it's easier on the ego to assume that reviewers are prejudiced in some way; if you are truly afraid of this, then ask for a blind review). However, employment in universities, is like industry; e.g. if you don't have a degree just try to get a job in industry these days --- it ain't easy being green :-). The degree does establish credentials to get your foot in the door. Similarly a PhD from a better known school will bring your CV to the top of the hiring pile. But just remember two things: (1) the few really big name schools likely don't produce most of the published research (scan through the last 24 months of IEEE or ACM journals and check the author affiliations). although, i suppose this depends on how "big name" is defined. (2) having a friend on the inside will always get your CV moved to the top of the pile, no matter what school you graduated from. gerald karam