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Besides Having a Few Letters In Front of Your Name, of What Good Are University Degrees?
A case for autodidacticism
As humans, we love labels.
With labels, we send powerful signals to the wider world about who we are and what we are about.
With labels, we seek to distinguish ourselves from those whom we deem inferior to us socially, politically and intellectually.
Our sense of self, self-esteem and self-worth are inextricably linked to these labels.
It is fair to state that this thinking has permeated every nook and cranny of our society. And universities I am afraid aren’t different.
Why have I written this?
The fall-out from the Felicity Huffman saga is an interesting case in point on the degree to which people would cheat, lie, and bribe to have their progeny attend ‘elite universities’.
And it is also a major example of how much we have commodified and marketized the acquisition of a university degree.
Which brings me to the all important question: Besides the University’s enrichment and having the stupid letters in front of your names, of what good is attending a tertiary institution?