Credentialism

Periodically, I need to just vent. I have decided to put together several posts for that very reason. I'm not just pushing myself to open up, but I'm actually willing to go beyond what I really think on a number of issues. This is one of these posts. Expect this to turn out as an incomprehensible irrational rant.

Credentialism: The idea that success should be bought rather than earned. To put it another way, requiring academic credentials is far more important than who we are or what we have to offer.

There is nothing that can be learned in school that can't be learned elsewhere. Credentialism can slam doors shut on highly capable individuals if their abilities are developed outside an educationally restrictive environment. There are also jobs that have different pay scales depending on which pieces of paper people have purchased.

Let's just say for a moment that colleges had the value that the colleges claim they have. You still wouldn't need credentialism. If opportunity and pay are based on ability, college graduates would still have better opportunities. This is because they would have better abilities. If colleges are so valuable, why are they so fearful of opportunity not tied to their precious pieces of paper?

I am admittedly not as well educated as I should be. This is primarily because I attended anti-educational schools. There is no question that I would be better educated today if I had never set foot in a school. Even so, I would say that my education exceeds my paper acquisition. Perhaps that contributes to my disgust of credentialism. I would personally be better off if I could make a living utilizing my abilities rather than acting as a schooling-certified mindless drone. I am so much better than that piece of paper.

Credentialism clearly qualifies as a form of discrimination. People whose educations are tightly controlled have far better opportunities than better educated individuals who learn elsewhere. Ultimately, this isn't about me. We are living in a society that openly values a stupid piece of paper far more than we value people. By contrast, the ideal world would clearly value people over paper.