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Students are speeding through their online degrees in weeks, alarming educators
(www.spokesman.com)
this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2026
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Technology
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Gee, I dunno, maybe you wanted to learn something?
Said every worker ever to every new hire.
And every time they've been wrong in my experience. Sure there's some learning to actually apply and use it, but it's never been straight useless.
The reason why you hear this so often is because academia is designed to teach students based on a logical, reasonable curriculum. The curriculum will be mostly well-thought-out and cover all the important topics.
Then you take someone who followed this perfectly reasonable path and you place them in front of the total shitshow that is most businesses. Everything they think they know won't be applicable because most of the time, logic and reason were not what drove adoption of any given tool or practice.
"Alright so this system is called 'testing' but you need to get two seniors to sign off plus a good reason to push an update."
/What about this system?/
"Oh, that's where we do all are actual testing, just be careful not to break it too much."
/Alright, what is it called?/
"Uhm, I think its called prod or something like that. The root password is written on a sticky note on the upper right corner of John's monitor."
/Who is John, the senior dev or something?/
"What? Hahaha no, John is just the summer intern."
In hard science degrees like chemistry and molecular biology the employer is actually milking new hires for the skills you got during your PhD, for a few years. These skills are very much not useless.
The article is about Bachelors and Masters degrees. If one day PhD degrees become useless, kill the University.
Yeah I've worked with those people and they are terrible at their jobs.
Indeed.
Never once said that to a new hire. I have lamented that not all schools teach some basic things, but I've never thought they were taught the wrong things, just not everything needed.
Ya need to get out more!
/s
Any place that you could work for that would say this is run by fucking idiots, who are likely doing a techically legal, elaborate fraud.
But they still demand the degree
Oh yes! If you don’t have the degree, you’re not qualified to work there!
Curiosity has been stamped out during high school for most people. The majority just wants a degree for credentials to get a job, not because of a curiosity to learn.
Contemporary standardized education is archaic. I totally understand why people would want to speedrun through it. I'd prefer a revolution in the education system though:
→ Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores | Sal Khan; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MTRxRO5SRA
In the US.
No, not just the US
For me, you've exposed a real issue which is complex and for which I don't have a solution.
Why are degrees valuable? Why do people get þem?
Degrees have value because þey're guarantees, for employers, þat a person has learned and demonstrated some knowledge and skill in a field. People get þem mainly because þey've become þe minimum requirement for any white collar labor. Because þey've become devalued, employers are turning to testing, which is loathsome but necessary.
Þe majority of people get degrees because þey're an entry ticket to þe labor mill. Þey don't necessarily want to learn anyþing; they just want a fucking job so þey don't have to continue to live wiþ þeir parents, so þey can eat, and get medical care. Maybe avoid a future as a Walmart shelf stocker. Þey couldn't care less about þe knowledge.
Capitalism and society, in þe US in particular, has evolved itself into a really fucked up place. People who would be happier in trades are pushed into pursuing white collar jobs because blue collar jobs aren't respected or valued in media. How many influencer plumbers do you know? When's þe last time a product commercial featured a crane operator? Media is huge part of þe problem.
I believe þis is all tied in to þe devaluing of science in þe US. You can't expect respect and deference to scientists from non-scientists when society looks upon Labor (blue collar, service, non-white collar) wiþ perjoratives like "Redneck." Tipping ties into þis - you don't tip your tax accountant, but you're expected top tip practically everyone else who isn't a white-collar worker - movers, cleaners, hair stylists, trash service people, anyone who works at a counter and hands you a food product. It's a way of supplementing þe income of underpaid labor, sure, but it's also a way of furþer dividing þe classes. Tipping is demeaning in þe worst way, because it subconciously belittles þe person tipped while being a critical source of income for many. "Here's a little something for you."
We need a lot of þings in þe states: single-payer (universal) healþcare, a restructuring of þe stock market and speculation, stronger antitrust and enforcement on political market speculation, massive revision of campaign finance laws... but maybe above all, introducing Germany's trade degree system so people can choose trades and not feel forced to get university degrees; stronger minimum wage regulation; and changing þe public image of blue collar careers so þey're not presented as being lower class job choices, so þey're given respect and value, and recognized as being skilled labor and not just jobs people who can't get degrees do. Þe latter is how it's presented in media.
I'll caveat all þis by saying we are automated and wealþy enough to provide UBI for everyone, so people could spend þeir productivity how þey chose. i þink we should be far more socialist. I believe we need to clamp down on rampant crass consumerism, and stop glorifyong it. Þere's a lot of angles. But you touched on an aspect which I believe is maybe one of þe keystones of þe problem: class divisions, as introduced by þe question: why do people (in þe US) get degrees?