Opinion Mike Rowe - 4 Year College Degrees Are Now Shameful

[Limeade]

Is it because more and more people have an advance degree these days? It used to be fairly rare to see advanced and professional degrees. But now I see more and more people with undergraduate degrees and professional certification, which puts upward pressure for more education. So fewer people would be proud of the undergraduate degree and more proud of the advance and professional degree?

"Between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of people age 25 and older who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher increased by 7.5 percentage points from 30.4% to 37.9%.
From 2011 to 2021, the number of people age 25 and over whose highest degree was a master’s degree rose to 24.1 million, and the number of doctoral degree holders rose to 4.7 million, a 50.2% and 54.5% increase, respectively.
About 14.3% of adults had an advanced degree in 2021, up from 10.9% in 2011." Census.

 

[TankAbbott4Eva]

Is it because more and more people have an advance degree these days? It used to be fairly rare to see advanced and professional degrees. But now I see more and more people with undergraduate degrees and professional certification, which puts upward pressure for more education. So fewer people would be proud of the undergraduate degree and more proud of the advance and professional degree?

"Between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of people age 25 and older who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher increased by 7.5 percentage points from 30.4% to 37.9%.
From 2011 to 2021, the number of people age 25 and over whose highest degree was a master’s degree rose to 24.1 million, and the number of doctoral degree holders rose to 4.7 million, a 50.2% and 54.5% increase, respectively.
About 14.3% of adults had an advanced degree in 2021, up from 10.9% in 2011." Census.

I have an engineering degree and an MBA and in my industry (IT) it's very common, can't say I feel special ha ha.

At least an engineering degree is usually required for technical sales roles which is what I do, and usually a business qualification is a plus. Doesn't really help you hit your quarterly numbers ha ha

 

[USA!USA!]

Mike Rowe has a degree in communications and was an opera singer for years before earning 250k an episode for being a tv actor.

As someone with 20 years of blue collar work experience, mike Rowe can kiss my ass.

Yep 100% - as with most entertainers, they feel superior to people with real jobs, so they talk down to us and try to tell us how to think.

The guy was a fucking TV show host.

 

[nostradumbass]

I do. Thinks like interrogating sources and applying critical thinking is necessary for higher education.

They certainly should be, but they very clearly aren't. You'd have a hard time finding a worse group think atmosphere than a liberal arts college, and by your own standard of "sharing easily debunked articles", not only do they constantly fall for and share fake stories, they fall for and share the same fake stories.

 

[Stump]

It's hard to say, I think. There are clear-cut cases in hard-core technical applications where a degree is necessary, like in many forms of engineering. But the social sciences don't seem to absolutely require a degree for success in the field. I've seen both sides of it working in my field: Straight A graduates who are useless on the front lines and also uneducated people with the right sort of character traits and a toughness/worldliness earned through trying many different things at life who are some of the most valuable assets in social services.

It used to be true that it wasn't possible to educate one's self outside of the university system. This is not the case any more, everything is available online. In fact, there's too much available online, so now what's theoretically needed is education in the form of some kind of knowledge gatekeeper and critical analysis skills education. But with the crisis of confidence in the university system, this is hardly where we seem to want things to go.

They certainly aren't shameful, though. That's a grifter take. And silverspoon Hollywood phony Mike Rowe, the self declared patron Saint of blue collar, can go fuck himself. If you want advice and reflection on being a superficial bluecollar cosplayer and media content producer, lend an ear to Mike Rowe. On anything else he should probably be ignored.

 

[HunterAcosta]

So most stoners who were taught what they know by self and YouTube videos on their PC knows more than most computer science/ electrical engineering majors? Cool story bro . You know some genius stoners TS bro.

 

[HunterAcosta]

I wouldn’t say shameful, depends on the individuals and what exactly they are pursuing

As for me, dropped out 2mo into 10th grade and methodically completed my GED at 16 yrs old

I was enrolled in community college by my 17th birthday going full-time for EMT wanting to be a fire-fighter

The hiring lists and need for paramedics licensing (1.5yrs) made me do building trades early. I got an electrician job and worked my way into the I.B.E.W. and completed a world-class 5-year apprenticeship program by 25yrs old getting paid the whole time

I currently pull over 6-figs as an hourly paid maintenance electrician with great hours/conditions


There are many guys I know that traveled a similar path as I did, as a matter of fact most the guys I grew up did

No more pursuit of firefighting ?

 

[FIMN]

They certainly should be, but they very clearly aren't. You'd have a hard time finding a worse group think atmosphere than a liberal arts college, and by your own standard of "sharing easily debunked articles", not only do they constantly fall for and share fake stories, they fall for and share the same fake stories.

Any data to back up this opinion? I remember analysis from the UK referendum that showed a heavy skew towards older and less educated folks as sharing the most news articles that were outright false. Suspect you would see the same elsewhere.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

No more pursuit of firefighting ?

Brother,

I am too old to become a Fire fighter at over 40 now

I made a hiring list after a 4-part process for the Kansas City FD but not enough folks retired to make it to my number but this was in my twenties when I became an electrician and still pursued it

 

[SandisLL]

Definitely times have shifted and getting a degree in basket weaving doesn't do anything for you. Just being a person with a degree isn't the same impact as years ago.

Ofc it isn't the same anymore. A lot of ppl does have not 1 but 2-3 degrees etc.

__
In europe 3 years fulltime or 4 years fulltime = bachelor's degree.
Medicine: usually 6 years fulltime and after this you need to work under supervision and to do courses in specialisation, to do tests and get references before might get cert....( lic )...
Engineering with diploma usually is 4-4,5 years ( degree in enginnering and +diploma that you are engineer )
Associate degree = 2 - 2,5 - 3 years.......

Master's = these with bachelor's degree might get master's degree after 1,5-2-2,5 years .....

Dropout % in STEAM is high....
In other fields : depends from college/ uni.....
Concurrence might be from 0 till xx appliciants for 1 place...

 

[SandisLL]

So most stoners who were taught what they know by self and YouTube videos on their PC knows more than most computer science/ electrical engineering majors? Cool story bro . You know some genius stoners TS bro.

About computers reality is that most fundamental stuff had did ppl without degree in Comp Sci. Turing didn't had degree in Comp Sci, ppl who managed to break Enigma codes didn't had formal education in cryptography and ppl without paper nuclear science didn't had such niche degrees....
However yeah, there is big difference between the same " self taught " programmers: some are after 3-4-5 month bootcamp, some are with good fundamentals under belt despite doesn't have CompSci or SE degree....

The same electronics and electrical engineers, statisticians, math and physics guys are used as programmers and why not if they are capable to deliver?

 

[SandisLL]

BTW IMHO most important thing is this: is this position regulated by government ( then certain papers are mandatory to have and without them this job isn't possible to get ) or NO.
__
For example when we had inspection done by labour inspectorate, they didn't had asked about my education and had asked forklift operators to show their papers and had asked to show instructions journal.
In other case demanded electrician to show papers and checked in database does drivers have active lic....EU...

 

[EndlessCritic]

Are most degrees objectively useless? Yes.

However, I am part of the committee that does hiring decisions at my workplace. We absolutely use undergraduate grades as an important metric for candidate suitability.

 

[CantCucktheTuck]

Mike Rowe has a degree in communications and was an opera singer for years before earning 250k an episode for being a tv actor.

As someone with 20 years of blue collar work experience, mike Rowe can kiss my ass.

What exactly offends you about a man who has spent virtually his entire public career advocating for the need for and importance of blue-collar professionals?

 

[DoctorTaco]

What exactly offends you about a man who has spent virtually his entire public career advocating for the need for and importance of blue-collar professionals?

He’s a carpet bagger. He’s dishonest, a poser who’s made literally millions filming people do the hard work. He’s anti-union, anti-OSHA, and his hands are softer than a teenager swinging a hammer part time as a summer gig.

 

[DoctorTaco]

What exactly offends you about a man who has spent virtually his entire public career advocating for the need for and importance of blue-collar professionals?

Where has he advocated for better pay for these “hero’s” of blue collar America? Where is he advocating for collective bargaining? Where is he calling out the disappearing middle class and growth of the elite, corporate robber barons? Fuck that guy.

 

[CantCucktheTuck]

Where has he advocated for better pay for these “hero’s” of blue collar America? Where is he advocating for collective bargaining? Where is he calling out the disappearing middle class and growth of the elite, corporate robber barons? Fuck that guy.

He has literally done all that, multiple times, on video.......

 

[Scerpi]

Sort of

Bullshit degreees are bullshit

Like Jill Biden's Phd in English? lol...

Maybe Jill should have been home health care doctor for dementia patients instead?


Come along Joe... Its ice cream and nap time

 

[Scerpi]

Where has he advocated for better pay for these “hero’s” of blue collar America? Where is he advocating for collective bargaining? Where is he calling out the disappearing middle class and growth of the elite, corporate robber barons? Fuck that guy.

There's good money for Trade Skills... extremely good. And you don't have to go hundreds of thousands in debt for a useless degree.

Yeah, I know the idea of putting in a honest day's work is terrifying for some

Its simple supply and demand. There's a dearth of qualified blue collar workers....

 

[DoctorTaco]

There's good money for Trade Skills... extremely good. And you don't have to go hundreds of thousands in debt for a useless degree.

Yeah, I know the idea of putting in a honest day's work is terrifying for some

Its simple supply and demand. There's a dearth of qualified blue collar workers....

Yes, and? That doesn’t make Mike Rowe any less of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That “extremely good” pay comes from union organizing in those trades, something Mike Rowe is against.