Do you think you are smarter than me because you have a graduate degree?

[Anonymous]

I have no idea how you got this idea from DCUM, incidentally. Hopefully it isn't projecting.

But to answer your question, no, I don't. I am a PhD scientist and a professor at one of the best universities in the country in a really technical field, but the smartest person I've ever worked with (in industry) was a college dropout, and no not Bill Gates. Degrees are personal betterment but jobs can be too and neither really changes your core smarts.

And just to reinforce the point I should say that I prefer to work with students as I find that my postdocs (who have PhDs) actually are often more brittle in their thinking and not necessarily more knowledgeable.

[Anonymous]

Quite a few things you got wrong OP:
Yes, it DOES make me better at my job. I chose a job in my field. If I didn't, I suppose it wouldn't make much difference.
Just because you may not value a graduate degree, doesn't mean that prospective employers do not. They do.
And lastly, I did not pay for my graduate degree. So there is not the 'only difference' between us. STEM baby.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think that I am smarter than you, not because I have a graduate degree but because I have the good sense not to post such a pathetic screed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many people in DC who are showy about their graduate degrees (and pretty much everything else).

As a college degree has become what a high school degree was in an earlier era, a graduate degree has become the gateway to the higher positions and salaries.

A college degree will get you to the middle class, but you will almost certainly need a graduate degree to get to the upper-middle class.

Poppycock and balderdash!

What are you nattering on about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I'm smarter. I do think I am more accomplished.

That's tautological, in the sense that people with graduate degrees have accomplished something (namely, a graduate degree) that people without graduate degrees have not.

On the other hand, a graduate degree is not the only possible accomplishment. Which means that a person without a graduate degree could well be more accomplished than a person with a graduate degree. What have you accomplished besides getting a graduate degree?

--Got scholarships for undergrad and a full ride to grad school paid for by my employer
--Steadily climbed career ladder from undergrad on, and now make six figures and set my own hours
--My byline has appeared numerous times in The Washington Post
--Two beautiful, healthy children, and a wonderful husband
--Homeowner
--Works of fiction published in literary journals
--Presented at an international literary conference
--Overcame a serious health issue for which I received a pretty grim diagnosis, and am healthy and happy
--Volunteer/donor
--Active member of my church

We good?

You forgot to add polished humble bragger

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quite a few things you got wrong OP:
Yes, it DOES make me better at my job. I chose a job in my field. If I didn't, I suppose it wouldn't make much difference.
Just because you may not value a graduate degree, doesn't mean that prospective employers do not. They do.
And lastly, I did not pay for my graduate degree. So there is not the 'only difference' between us. STEM baby.

FYI: I AM a prospective employer. (This is OP).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many people in DC who are showy about their graduate degrees (and pretty much everything else).

As a college degree has become what a high school degree was in an earlier era, a graduate degree has become the gateway to the higher positions and salaries.

A college degree will get you to the middle class, but you will almost certainly need a graduate degree to get to the upper-middle class.

Poppycock and balderdash!

What are you nattering on about?

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

Yes, until you prove otherwise. I have a Phd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have no idea how you got this idea from DCUM, incidentally. Hopefully it isn't projecting.

But to answer your question, no, I don't. I am a PhD scientist and a professor at one of the best universities in the country in a really technical field, but the smartest person I've ever worked with (in industry) was a college dropout, and no not Bill Gates. Degrees are personal betterment but jobs can be too and neither really changes your core smarts.

And just to reinforce the point I should say that I prefer to work with students as I find that my postdocs (who have PhDs) actually are often more brittle in their thinking and not necessarily more knowledgeable.

Well I do spend a lot of time on the money and schools forums which tend to be full of braggarts. Perhaps it's less true of the rest of the site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, until you prove otherwise. I have a Phd.

The only thing you know for certain about somebody with a Ph.D. is that they stuck around in graduate school long enough for somebody to decide to grant them a Ph.D.

-I have a Ph.D. too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally think a Ph.D in most humanities disciplines is worse than useless since the prospects of employment afterwards are so grim these days and the opportunity cost of spending some of the most productive years of one's working life in school is extremely high. So generally, I do raise an eyebrow when I hear of someone going into such a program now.... makes me think they are not very bright and/or have a really awful reckoning to face in 6 to 9 years. Or that they are independently wealthy (in which case, I can think of much better things to do with the best years of my life than being in grad school). I do know some people in academia who look down on people in professional fields -- i.e. biglaw, consultants, business, etc. I guess it often runs both ways though so whatever, right?

Where were you when I was deciding to go to grad school? This is the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not know you.

Have you always had an inferiority complex?

+ a million

I've never once worried if others think I'm intelligent. I know I am, and that's enough. My JD is just gravy. Similarly, I'm not spending any time wondering how smart you are or what your highest level of education is. Feel better now, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is confusing knowledge with intellect. An advanced degree improves your knowledge in a specific discipline, it does not make you a genius. Intellect is your ability to draw from your knowledge and experiences to solve problems.

Precisely.

OP, you are just another jackass with a chip on his/her shoulder.

[Anonymous]

No, I am not smarter than you but I don't have a chip on my shoulder about other people who have graduate degrees either.

You have self esteem issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, until you prove otherwise. I have a Phd.

The only thing you know for certain about somebody with a Ph.D. is that they stuck around in graduate school long enough for somebody to decide to grant them a Ph.D.

-I have a Ph.D. too.

Where the fuck did you get your Ph.D.? I worked my ass off for mine, and, based on how I have performed compared to my peers at all stages of life, I am confident that I am smart. I don't go around saying that in daily life, but anti-education threads like this are annoying and tedious.

OP, if you really were all that, you would not need to bash others to elevate yourself.