QQQ, a recommendation for college

Quicksearch

Blog Administration

RSS Readers

Monday, February 18. 2013

QQQ, a recommendation for college

"Kollege was a necessary step towards the professional license, so I made sure it was a fun step. football on Autumn afternoons (marching to the Coliseum with the band to trash Notre Dame or UCLA, etc.), all the Animal House diversions, had a girl, car, pocket money from minor felonies, it was an idyllic life. I'd recommend it for anyone."

Our devoted reader Wirraway.

Posted by Bird Dog in Quotidian Quotable Quote (QQQ) at 12:53 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

thank you, this is an honor not had since that time down in Mexico.

#1 wirraway on 2013-02-18 18:24 (Reply)

I've lived in a few countries where professional degree programs such as Law are started right out of school, rather than requiring a Bachelor's as a prerequisite to entry.

Makes me wonder why that is considered important in the USA, and also makes me think that if one has to do it, then one should make the most of it. In my book that would be a "great books" program or a Bachelors from a Scandinavian or Baltic country, because:
- many of their degrees, especially techie ones and business, are taught entirely in English.
- If one has any EQ passport, then tuition is heavily subsidised or even free -- and lots of Americans qualify by heritage for a passport from some EU country.
- Even when paying the "foreign" rate the tuition is cheap by US standards
- you get to live in a fantastic city, rather than in a US college town.

This isn't a criticism of wirraway -- I think he has done this, I just think different things appeal to us as appropriate uses of time.

#2 Douglas2 on 2013-02-19 09:45 (Reply)

an undergraduate degree is required as a filter for the law schools and ultimately, as a necessary barrier to the profession which is already overrun.

otherwise, with some notable exceptions (some indirect, as an engineering degree would be for a patent attorney), an undergrad degree is of marginal use except to check off a needed box on the application form. a good legal secretary without an undergrad degree might make a competent attorney.

#2.1 wirraway on 2013-02-19 11:13 (Reply)

Ah, more details on the time in Mexico? Or did we miss something?

I agree that a good legal secretary, nurse, secretary/administrative assistant, household manager, etc. has saved the day for the many they serve.

In the early 1900's, one only had to "read" for entry into medicine or pass the bar. More recently, online degrees -- from divinity to Ph.D's -- cost dollars vs. learning. I know of several school districts whose entire hierarchy of overpaid bureaucracy received degrees without attending classes or confronting the thesis review.

Personally, apprenticeships seem most appropriate for those who have established their career interest and could be started in a "Doogie Howser, MD" fashion for some. I am a firm believer in "tracking" someone you admire and wish as a mentor.

Do any of you have up-to-date info on the use of I.Q., SATs, etc. to establish the appropriate career choice? I remember trade schools being excellent alternatives for some of my classmates until racial profiling and other such led to their demise. Some of my classmates have out-earned many of their fellow graduates who went on to elite schools.

#3 jma on 2013-02-19 13:17 (Reply)

my services to the Caudillo were trivial, barely worth notice.

California and some other states have an apprenticeship program where law school is avoided. California's doesn't even require a college degree and requires four years of study and supervision and much self discipline (one is a high school grad with service in the Marines).

I agree that these programs are a good idea, but they are likely to get opposition from the professional organizations like the AMA and ABA, who have a vested interest in restricting the number of practitioners in the market. they do this under the guise of saving the chilrun and public safety, but I'd personally trust an RN or PA in 2013 than a marcus welby-style MD from the marcus welby years. my personal knowledge of medicine is probably as good as any dude practicing in 1840, I'd certainly do less harm.

#3.1 wirraway on 2013-02-19 14:05 (Reply)

Add Comment

Name
Email	(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)
Homepage
In reply to
Comment	By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications. Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u], [url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here. Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (word), underscore are made via _word_. E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications. To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly. Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above: BBCode format allowed
	Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Maggie's Farm

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

RSS Readers

Monday, February 18. 2013

QQQ, a recommendation for college