So back to what I was saying yesterday. I think that most of the 4 years I spent at college were pretty much wasted. I learned everything I needed to learn about microbiology in less than 2 years. All of the other stuff I was required to take was pretty much just useless fluff. Is the system of higher education so old-fashioned and inflexible that they can’t see this? Do they still operate under the illusion that their method produces well-rounded graduates? In reality, no matter how many required general education classes you make someone take, they’re not going to retain that knowledge unless they cared about those subjects in the first place. In order for your mind to stay sharp on a topic you have to contemplate it on your own initiative every now and then. I was required to take one Psychology class and I have never once thought about it in the 9 years that have passed since I finished the final exam and walked out of the lecture hall.

I would have preferred to have been allowed to choose multiple programs of study while throwing the general education requirements completely out the window. It would have been beneficial to my current intellectual well-being if only I could have forgone the worthless experience of sitting in a psychology 101 lecture with 200 other students in favor of an additional art or English class. Those facts I learned in Psych, geography, and meteorology (all taken to fill gen-ed requirements) are largely forgotten but I might have made use of skills learned in a drawing or painting class.

When on the topic of higher education as it relates to employment, one story I always like to share with people is that of a guy my sister knew back when we were in college. He didn’t go to college or any form of education after high school. He spent the 4 years following high school just working part time jobs and generally having a good time. When he was 20-something he decided he wanted to work for a major computer company (I’m obviously not going to say which one.) He falsified a resume that included a college background. He applied and was hired into an $80k per year sales position. His knowledge of computers was no better than that of a layperson but he learned and adapted fast enough to keep the job.

Imagine that it’s your senior year of college (If you didn’t go to college first imagine that you’re there and it’s your senior year.) A couple months before graduation you are approached by a mysterious man who tells you that you’ve been selected as a member of a global secret society. They have extensive resources and the power to falsify references, transcripts, credentials, certifications, and so on. He tells you that one of the perks of membership in the society is that you will be allowed to choose any profession you want, regardless of your chosen major. The stipulation is given that you will not be allowed to choose professions where incompetence puts peoples lives at risk such as airline pilot or doctor.

In short, you can apply for any job you want, put anything you wish on your resume, and when the employer does a check to see if you’re legit, the mysterious secret society will see to it that somehow everything checks out.

Putting myself in this fictional situation results in the conclusion that I’m probably smart enough to adapt to virtually any work environment fast enough to perform the assigned job. It follows that I need to know my own limits. For example, I’m not dumb enough to think I could waltz into an accounting firm and start doing peoples’ taxes or walk into a classroom and start teaching algebra.

The point is, after 7 years in the workforce I believe that personality, general intelligence, ambition ,and raw talent account for 90% of an individual’s ability to establish themselves as an expert in a field. Maybe a college education should focus more on helping an individual cultivate these characteristics. I know it does for some people but the decreasing value of a bachelor’s degree these days tells me that it’s not doing a whole lot for most people.