# Did you just say education is a waste of time? (Lame) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 16, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373 "2007-09-16T03:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DellieM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/1 "2007-09-16T03:06:31Z")
I actually think you did. And you’re a lecturer. Background: Four years ago I decided at the ripe old age of 33 that I wanted to get a degree in Business Management to better my chances of getting out the job I (still) have, and maybe travel overseas for a year. Last week it was brought to my attention that I only have four units to complete (after the two I’m doing now) and I can graduate next year. The problem is that I’m doing Business Statistics (invented solely to drive up the share price of beer). Business Statistics is the hardest subject ever including Forensic Accounting and Corporate Reporting. It’s hard, it makes my brain hurt. Everything we do has to be manually calculated, not that you ever do that in ‘real life’ and we must learn the formulas, and turn in an assisgnment every two weeks, with a big assignment due in another two weeks, a mid-semester exam and a two hour final exam at the end. There’s lots to learn. Last week after the mid-semester exam, I mentioned to the lecturer that I’m struggling, and could he recommend a tutor to get me through the coming four weeks and prepare me for the exam, to which he replied “You know, at your age, I’m surprised you’re even here. What do you think you’ll achieve with this degree? Don’t you think it’s really a waste of time for you?” Pardon? :eek: He is of the mind that if you don’t graduate early, or have a shit-hot job by the time you’re 30, education is waste of your time (and I suspect his too). What the hell is he doing as a lecturer? Sure I’d rather be fishing or having dinner parties, or shopping or going to the movies, or being fed grapes by Viggo Mortensen, BUT if I’m paying for a frigging education, give the frigging thing to me! ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/2 "2007-09-16T03:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=DellieM] I actually think you did. And you’re a lecturer. Background: Four years ago I decided at the ripe old age of 33 that I wanted to get a degree in Business Management to better my chances of getting out the job I (still) have, and maybe travel overseas for a year. Last week it was brought to my attention that I only have four units to complete (after the two I’m doing now) and I can graduate next year. The problem is that I’m doing Business Statistics (invented solely to drive up the share price of beer). Business Statistics is the hardest subject ever including Forensic Accounting and Corporate Reporting. It’s hard, it makes my brain hurt. Everything we do has to be manually calculated, not that you ever do that in ‘real life’ and we must learn the formulas, and turn in an assisgnment every two weeks, with a big assignment due in another two weeks, a mid-semester exam and a two hour final exam at the end. There’s lots to learn. Last week after the mid-semester exam, I mentioned to the lecturer that I’m struggling, and could he recommend a tutor to get me through the coming four weeks and prepare me for the exam, to which he replied “You know, at your age, I’m surprised you’re even here. What do you think you’ll achieve with this degree? Don’t you think it’s really a waste of time for you?” Pardon? :eek: He is of the mind that if you don’t graduate early, or have a shit-hot job by the time you’re 30, education is waste of your time (and I suspect his too). What the hell is he doing as a lecturer? Sure I’d rather be fishing or having dinner parties, or shopping or going to the movies, or being fed grapes by Viggo Mortensen, BUT if I’m paying for a frigging education, give the frigging thing to me! [/QUOTE] Didja turn him in? What an idiot! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/3 "2007-09-16T14:29:24Z")
I would go over his head and complain. That’s inexcusable! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/4 "2007-09-16T15:02:32Z")
What do employers want? Strong real world experience plus up to date technical knowledge. A kid fresh out of school does not have the experience. Once the kid fresh out of school gets the experience, he or she is no longer current vis a vis the technical knowledge. That’s why executive MBAs are so highly prized. Too bad your lecturer is ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/5 "2007-09-16T16:03:24Z")
[QUOTE=DellieM] Last week after the mid-semester exam, I mentioned to the lecturer that I’m struggling, and could he recommend a tutor to get me through the coming four weeks and prepare me for the exam, to which he replied “You know, at your age, I’m surprised you’re even here. What do you think you’ll achieve with this **degree**? Don’t you think it’s really a waste of time for you?” Pardon? :eek: He is of the mind that if you don’t graduate early, or have a shit-hot job by the time you’re 30, **education** is waste of your time (and I suspect his too). What the hell is he doing as a lecturer? Sure I’d rather be fishing or having dinner parties, or shopping or going to the movies, or being fed grapes by Viggo Mortensen, BUT if I’m paying for a frigging education, give the frigging thing to me! [/QUOTE] [bold added] You’re equivocating two different things here under the rubric of education. Notice how the lecturer didn’t say anything about education. He was talking about getting a degree. There’s a vast difference between learning something and banging out classes to get a degree. When people are in learning institutions to actually learn something, their chances of catapulting their career is fairly high. But for people who are banging out classes to get a degree, their chances of catapulting their career is fairly low. And people banging out classes to get a degree are generally disappointed with what that piece of paper earned them because they don’t realize it’s not about the piece of paper but what’s behind it. That’s the reason the executive MBAs are highly prized. . . because they are people who are in industry who go back to school to use their experience to test out the theories and use the theories they’ve learned to try them out in the real world. Just from the few sentences you wrote about this class–that’s it’s invented to drive up beer prices and that manual calculation is not required in real life shows me that you’re in the latter category of someone trying to get this class over with. I would think it’s evident to your lecturer as well. It is to that he’s speaking. . . not to the process of education which I’m guessing he values highly. It may not be how you view this entire process, but he only knows you from this class. As to him giving education to you, it doesn’t work that way. You can pay for someone to lecture to you. You can’t pay someone to learn it for you or to be able to apply it in real world situations. And I’d have to say that business statistics applies to almost every real world endeavor. I’ve even seen it applied here at The Dope from time to time in different scenarios. ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/6 "2007-09-16T23:46:21Z")
Considuring that I am an autodydact and _ **far** _ more edjucated than all of everyone I hang out with (inclooding those that have for and six year degries), I am enclined to agree with the man in that probubly the _last_ thing you get in colledge is an edjucation. If it wer’ent for the fact that you absolootely need one in order to get a desent paying job in todays’ wurld, I’d feel pretty comphortable in saying that a degree can never be wurth half the amont of money that they charge you for it. In fact, I think it’s prakticaly wurthless. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/7 "2007-09-16T23:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=Heffalump and Roo] [bold added]You’re equivocating two different things here under the rubric of education. Notice how the lecturer didn’t say anything about education. He was talking about getting a degree. [/QUOTE] He suggested that the OP had no business being there, based on her age, And declined to offer tutoring information. I’d say that’s pretty much against the faculty code of ethics of any reputable institution. The instructor needs to be severely sanctioned. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/8 "2007-09-17T04:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] He suggested that the OP had no business being there, based on her age, [/quote] No, what he did was make a statement and asked a couple questions. The motivation for his statement and questions is the issue here. You and the OP interpreted it one way based on your experience. I interpreted it based on mine. > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > And declined to offer tutoring information. Really? How did you determine this from the OP? Are you assuming that the OP told us everything that the lecturer said and you’re inferring from the silence that the lecturer didn’t offer tutoring information? And even if he didn’t, do you know if that’s because he didn’t know it or because there was some purpose to it? > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > I’d say that’s pretty much against the faculty code of ethics of any reputable institution. The instructor needs to be severely sanctioned. Making a statement and asking a couple questions and then possibly not offering information that he may or may not have had is a violation of ethics? What rule does that violate? ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-just-say-education-is-a-waste-of-time-lame/419373/9 "2007-09-17T04:55:35Z")
[QUOTE=Euthanasiast] In fact, I think it’s prakticaly wurthless. [/QUOTE] You misspelled ‘facked’.