Anonymous wrote:I speak well, I have travelled, I like to read and learn new things, but I
only have an associates degree. I feel like people look down on me, so I have thought about going back to school for my BA just so people see me as "educated."

Be honest, would you consider someone with an associates to be uneducated?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you speak a foreign language, give the dates of the French Revolution and the American Civil War, recite a classical poem, name at least five operas and their composers, solve a system of linear equations, explain how a microwave works? Have you read a work of fiction in the last year? Read any work of fiction considered a "classic" outside of school?

If you answer no to any of the above, and especially if you claim that one of the above is not necessary because you specialized in something else in college and graduate school, then I would consider you uneducated even if you have a PhD.

Now excuse me as I run to Wikipedia to read up on microwaves should any of you decide to call me on it.

My sister has a JD and my brother is an MD. I have an asosciate's degree. My siblings know how to say "I'm sorry, Where's the bathroom? and Another beer, please." in Spanish. Other than that they don't speak a foreign language. They might know the approximate dates of the American Civil War, but that's a big maybe. All three of us can recite a classical poem. None of us could name five operas, maybe my brother could solve linear equations. We could all mumble about a microwave oven but only because our dad is an engineer. We all read lots of fiction, but are not fans of classic fiction. How often do you need any of that stuff?

This is really sad. You don't learn this stuff because you need to, you learn it because it enriches your life. You need not have learned it in school (some of the most well-read people I know have highly specialized educations in math and science) but if you have any intellectual curiosity you will pick most of it up eventually.

Anonymous wrote:The grandmother stories are touching but let's remember that they grew up in a time when women were not necessarily expected to go to college. Lots of smart women didn't in those days. I don't think that experience translates as well to today when a college degree is the minimum level of education expected in many professional fields.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you speak a foreign language, give the dates of the French Revolution and the American Civil War, recite a classical poem, name at least five operas and their composers, solve a system of linear equations, explain how a microwave works? Have you read a work of fiction in the last year? Read any work of fiction considered a "classic" outside of school?

If you answer no to any of the above, and especially if you claim that one of the above is not necessary because you specialized in something else in college and graduate school, then I would consider you uneducated even if you have a PhD.

Now excuse me as I run to Wikipedia to read up on microwaves should any of you decide to call me on it.

My sister has a JD and my brother is an MD. I have an asosciate's degree. My siblings know how to say "I'm sorry, Where's the bathroom? and Another beer, please." in Spanish. Other than that they don't speak a foreign language. They might know the approximate dates of the American Civil War, but that's a big maybe. All three of us can recite a classical poem. None of us could name five operas, maybe my brother could solve linear equations. We could all mumble about a microwave oven but only because our dad is an engineer. We all read lots of fiction, but are not fans of classic fiction. How often do you need any of that stuff?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When snobby teenage me made some comment about people without education, my father mentioned being jailed during the Civil Rights Movement with a man who had only a 3rd grade education. He was the one to come up with the legal argument that they all then pursued. The guy with the 3rd grade education.

A couple of decades later, my father's heart closed to the asshole I'd married after he mentioned quite proudly that he didn't read. In my father's eyes this meant that he was---without a doubt---beyond redemption. (And, Daddy was right.)

The bigger piece in what you're asking, OP, is do you make an effort to think without regard for the herd; do you make the effort to expose yourself to things outside of your everyday circumstance? Are you thirsty?

Many of the women of the mother's generation are largely "uneducated" because they married (as expected) before attaining a degree. This doesn't mean that they haven't sought out knowledge in other areas of their lives or haven't made judicious use of the NYTimes reviews and a local library card. It doesn't make them ignorant.

I needed a Ph.D., it suits me. I wanted it. Here I am. If you want a degree, go for it. Enjoy getting it. Have the classroom experience, bond with a professor if you can, debate classmates every chance you get....if you want a degree. Find a place that will allow you to take the courses you want, subjects that interest you. I think it's great if this is about you quenching a thirst. But, if this is just about you trying to erase a disparity you think others may hold against you, I'd recommend a big can of Fuck You. Carry it in your purse. Use as needed. DC's a ridiculously competitive town. Someone will always try to find a way to out do you.

Either way, I wish you success!

1) You still call your Father "Daddy"?
2) You needed a PhD and it "suits" you? What the heck does that mean?

Anonymous wrote:I think it's so interesting how many people here think that educated = formal education. By that token, many of America's greatest minds were uneducated.

OP, you don't sound uneducated at all to me - you just sound largely self-educated, and probably with a lot of valuable life experences. In my mind, that's extremely educated.

Anonymous wrote:Can you speak a foreign language, give the dates of the French Revolution and the American Civil War, recite a classical poem, name at least five operas and their composers, solve a system of linear equations, explain how a microwave works? Have you read a work of fiction in the last year? Read any work of fiction considered a "classic" outside of school?

If you answer no to any of the above, and especially if you claim that one of the above is not necessary because you specialized in something else in college and graduate school, then I would consider you uneducated even if you have a PhD.

Now excuse me as I run to Wikipedia to read up on microwaves should any of you decide to call me on it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The grandmother stories are touching but let's remember that they grew up in a time when women were not necessarily expected to go to college. Lots of smart women didn't in those days. I don't think that experience translates as well to today when a college degree is the minimum level of education expected in many professional fields.

This is what I was thinking as I read through all the previous posts. So OP, I was going to ask, "How old are you?" I had 3 grandparents who went to college and 1 who did not; were she still alive, she'd be 84 today. So, if you are in this age group, ok. Any younger than this, however, I do think people should at least get a 4-year Bachelor's.

Not everyone has access to college. Especially today.