Philhelm
01-20-2013, 12:59 AM
Poverty is often associated with negative stereotypes: lack of intelligence, laziness, and even immorality. However, due to the nature of free information and easy credit in which education can be obtained, we are developing a new class of citizen: the Educated Poor.
I will not confuse intelligence with education, but many also believe that intelligence is a causation of wealth, which is a false assumption. Certainly intelligence would be a valuable asset in wealth acquisition, but if the relationship were truly causational, we would encounter a drastic shift in wealth distribution. Not every individual's prime directive is the acquisition of wealth and status. Furthermore, if an intelligent being is more sentient than a less intelligent being, then it can be surmised that the intelligent being may be capable of a greater range of rationalizations and motivations. One with higher intelligence would certainly have an advantage in locating and identifying corruption, nepotism, favoritism, and every other distortion of the workplace that does not truly reward merit. Perhaps such an individual would realize that hard work does not always pay, or that he can never compete with a friend or family member of the employer.
Perhaps the more important issue is that of education versus training, which is a concept that has been widely forgotten. Indeed, I once had this conversation with a college classmate. I had asserted that there is a difference between education and training; while the two can overlap, there is a distinct difference. To simplify the matter, I said that, generally, professions ending with "ing" tend to involve training, rather than education. Accounting, Nursing, Engineering, Computer Programming, Plumbing, etc. In my example, I had claimed that the plumber is trained to perform a task, and that the knowledge needed to perform that task in not necessarily indicative of education. Of course, my classmate retorted that the plumber would be angry if I claimed him to be uneducated. She had missed the point. The plumber may or may not be well educated, but his primary career function relies more on training than education and enlightenment.
If you are in doubt, consider the job market. Which degrees and professions are more useful for obtaining employment? Which degrees and professions depend primarily upon learning how to perform a task? What does a classical education entail? Compare the historian to the computer programmer. Which one is primarily educated and which one is primarily trained?
Since some degrees and professions are more suitable for employment than others, there will be those that are less valuable in the job market. Of course, the nurse that is trained to perform a task is in higher demand than the most brilliant of philosophers. What does this mean? Well, it means that there will be many people with "useless" degrees and educations that will have a more difficult time finding employment or obtaining higher wage employment. Therefore, one's wage is not directly proportional to one's education or intelligence.
Of course, the argument would be that the more intelligent person would seek a degree or profession that is of greater market value. Again, that assumes that the intelligent individual's motivation and passion are aligned with that which is profitable.
So, what are the elements of the Educated Poor?
1. College Degrees. College degrees are truly the bane of our market existence, especially today. Nobody on this forum would argue against the fact that we are suffering from degree inflation. There are more people with college degrees than the market can handle. This is compounded by the fact that there are many jobs in which employers demand a college degree for a particular job, yet the job had not historically required such.
2. Easy Credit. Almost anyone can get a student loan. This, of course, has contributed to degree inflation. There are many college graduates that are unemployed simply because of degree inflation.
3. Easy Access to Information. It is a misconception that college is the only route toward education. With libraries, and especially the Internet, individuals are quite capable of self-education.
4. Lateral Career Shifts. This ties in with the requirement of a college degree for many positions. If you are in a profession that isn't branching out, how simple will it be to change careers?
5. "College Graduates Need Not Apply." Experience counts for much, but training and apprenticeships have fallen by the wayside. How does one gain experience when never allowed the opportunity at an entry-level position?
6. Government. Perhaps this should be placed at the very top. It's no secret here that government interference has resulted in higher unemployment.
7. Discrimination. This could be anything from racism, agism, and sexism, to preferring attractive employees. Of course, government hiring quotas would be included here. While no laws should inhibit the property-owning employee, human nature cannot be changed even if it is not just.
8. Nepotism. "It's not what you know, it's who you know. No amount of intelligence or education can compete.
9. "Damn You're Good!" This is more significant in professions requiring technical expertise. If you're so good at your job that promoting "the other guy" would result in a net loss of productivity, then what is the motivation to hire you?
10. "My Retirment Plan is a Bullet to the Mouth." With the ruined economy, fewer people are able to retire. This, of course, only hurts the younger waves of the Educated Poor.
What does this all mean? It means that the old order of supposedly uneducated, unintelligent poor is clearly out the window. The new class of citizen to emerge is the Educated Poor. These are men and women that have aspirations and have strived to better themselves but have been unable to do so because of factors beyond their control. These individuals may be worse off than the working poor, despite being possibly more promising candidates for receiving an employment position. While education for its own sake is noble, education alone will not bring financial success.
I will not confuse intelligence with education, but many also believe that intelligence is a causation of wealth, which is a false assumption. Certainly intelligence would be a valuable asset in wealth acquisition, but if the relationship were truly causational, we would encounter a drastic shift in wealth distribution. Not every individual's prime directive is the acquisition of wealth and status. Furthermore, if an intelligent being is more sentient than a less intelligent being, then it can be surmised that the intelligent being may be capable of a greater range of rationalizations and motivations. One with higher intelligence would certainly have an advantage in locating and identifying corruption, nepotism, favoritism, and every other distortion of the workplace that does not truly reward merit. Perhaps such an individual would realize that hard work does not always pay, or that he can never compete with a friend or family member of the employer.
Perhaps the more important issue is that of education versus training, which is a concept that has been widely forgotten. Indeed, I once had this conversation with a college classmate. I had asserted that there is a difference between education and training; while the two can overlap, there is a distinct difference. To simplify the matter, I said that, generally, professions ending with "ing" tend to involve training, rather than education. Accounting, Nursing, Engineering, Computer Programming, Plumbing, etc. In my example, I had claimed that the plumber is trained to perform a task, and that the knowledge needed to perform that task in not necessarily indicative of education. Of course, my classmate retorted that the plumber would be angry if I claimed him to be uneducated. She had missed the point. The plumber may or may not be well educated, but his primary career function relies more on training than education and enlightenment.
If you are in doubt, consider the job market. Which degrees and professions are more useful for obtaining employment? Which degrees and professions depend primarily upon learning how to perform a task? What does a classical education entail? Compare the historian to the computer programmer. Which one is primarily educated and which one is primarily trained?
Since some degrees and professions are more suitable for employment than others, there will be those that are less valuable in the job market. Of course, the nurse that is trained to perform a task is in higher demand than the most brilliant of philosophers. What does this mean? Well, it means that there will be many people with "useless" degrees and educations that will have a more difficult time finding employment or obtaining higher wage employment. Therefore, one's wage is not directly proportional to one's education or intelligence.
Of course, the argument would be that the more intelligent person would seek a degree or profession that is of greater market value. Again, that assumes that the intelligent individual's motivation and passion are aligned with that which is profitable.
So, what are the elements of the Educated Poor?
1. College Degrees. College degrees are truly the bane of our market existence, especially today. Nobody on this forum would argue against the fact that we are suffering from degree inflation. There are more people with college degrees than the market can handle. This is compounded by the fact that there are many jobs in which employers demand a college degree for a particular job, yet the job had not historically required such.
2. Easy Credit. Almost anyone can get a student loan. This, of course, has contributed to degree inflation. There are many college graduates that are unemployed simply because of degree inflation.
3. Easy Access to Information. It is a misconception that college is the only route toward education. With libraries, and especially the Internet, individuals are quite capable of self-education.
4. Lateral Career Shifts. This ties in with the requirement of a college degree for many positions. If you are in a profession that isn't branching out, how simple will it be to change careers?
5. "College Graduates Need Not Apply." Experience counts for much, but training and apprenticeships have fallen by the wayside. How does one gain experience when never allowed the opportunity at an entry-level position?
6. Government. Perhaps this should be placed at the very top. It's no secret here that government interference has resulted in higher unemployment.
7. Discrimination. This could be anything from racism, agism, and sexism, to preferring attractive employees. Of course, government hiring quotas would be included here. While no laws should inhibit the property-owning employee, human nature cannot be changed even if it is not just.
8. Nepotism. "It's not what you know, it's who you know. No amount of intelligence or education can compete.
9. "Damn You're Good!" This is more significant in professions requiring technical expertise. If you're so good at your job that promoting "the other guy" would result in a net loss of productivity, then what is the motivation to hire you?
10. "My Retirment Plan is a Bullet to the Mouth." With the ruined economy, fewer people are able to retire. This, of course, only hurts the younger waves of the Educated Poor.
What does this all mean? It means that the old order of supposedly uneducated, unintelligent poor is clearly out the window. The new class of citizen to emerge is the Educated Poor. These are men and women that have aspirations and have strived to better themselves but have been unable to do so because of factors beyond their control. These individuals may be worse off than the working poor, despite being possibly more promising candidates for receiving an employment position. While education for its own sake is noble, education alone will not bring financial success.