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Jezzedout
Member
09-07-2006
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 11:02 am
I'm glad to see some others make the point that I was going to make -- I don't care if you don't like Brendon, but education at any age is a great thing. I self studied and learned on the job when I was younger -- started working for a lawfirm at the tender age of 16. In my 20s most people assumed I already had my bachelors even though I'd never set foot in a college classroom. At 33 I decided to dip a toe in the water at the community college, realized immediately that I thrive in a classroom, and set out to pursue an advanced degree in anthropology. I was still at the JC four years later due to having to take some remedial math classes (math phobic), but eventually made my way through intermediate algebra and statistics. Never did make it to university as I was derailed by a catastrophic health crisis that is still ongoing. Still, most people seem to assume I've got a degree, and one of my bosses a few years ago wanted to recommend me for the MBA program at USC not realizing that I didn't even officially have an associates degree. So embarrassing? There are many things to judge people negatively on, and Brendon is a moving target, but please don't put all adult students in the same bucket. It takes a lot of hard work and more dedication that a most people realize to pursue an advanced education as an adult.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 12:14 pm
I admire people who go back and advance their education as adults. Frankly, having spent 20 straight years in school, I wish there would have been a mandatory break between college and law school. My education would have mattered more to me (instead of being more of the same ol' same ol'), and the courses would have made more sense if I'd had practical experience in the working world. I didn't really start to learn until I got out of school. (You should have seen the look on the face of the law school dean when I told him this at one of our reunions. He was horrified, but I was trying to explain the value/necessity of internships in the course of training a lawyer.)
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Jezzedout
Member
09-07-2006
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 12:21 pm
Well stated Goddess!!

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Puzzled
Member
08-27-2001
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 1:04 pm
What's really sad is the number of people with PhDs that can't get jobs in their fields.
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Kitkat
Member
08-23-2008
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 1:39 pm
The only one I can judge accurately is Brendon, having been there and done that. I don't think he is really motivated. If he were, he would have spent last summer and this summer in school working on that degree. Look at the major areas the other grad students are working in: Nuclear Medicine, Medical Imaging, Molecular Imaging, Therapeutic Medical Physics, and Molecular & Cellular Oncology. None of these are "easy" studies. I would bet that all of these students are in school, either classes or labs, all year around. That was the way it was when I was in grad school, also in the biological sciences. I saw a quote from him, something about when he finds a cure for cancer and makes a million dollars. That tells me he doesn't know reality. I don't know anyone who goes into medical research to make a million dollars, it doesn't work that way. Number one, that kind of money isn't there. And, number two, cancer is a complex illness of many causes, there will be no one cure for all the different types of cancer. I agree with Goddessatlaw, he definitely should not teach. And I am doubtful that he has the motivation to stick it out in a lab environment. I've seen numerous people with the smarts to pass the classes and do the lab work. However, when it comes to actually finishing, writing the thesis and passing the oral boards, they quit. It is a hard road to go down and many just don't have the motivation make it.
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Jezzedout
Member
09-07-2006
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 1:56 pm
Puzzled... it's a good point you make. Actually, up until I became fully disabled 18 months ago, I was actually earning more than some of my friends who had degrees, and a lot of people I know with advanced degrees aren't working in the field in which they hold that degree. I also find it interesting how many companies right now are looking for people with years of experience and bachelors or masters degrees but only offering $10 an hour. That said... I know some people with advanced degrees who have very little real world experience, and 4 year degrees seem almost a dime a dozen to me. I've met so many people in the past decade with 4 year degrees who have very little common sense and seem to have experienced big gaps in their education, particularly in the area of critical thinking. I acted as proctor for an MBA level real estate course at USC a few years ago, and there was a man in the class who was middle eastern, didn't speak any English at all, and just seemed completely lost. I mentioned this to my boss, who was the instructor, and he was telling me that they were essentially dumbing things down for him so that he could succeed. His point was that since the guy had paid so much to attend the school, they wanted him to succeed and earn the degree. My point back to him was, doesn't that then devalue the degree? Why lower the standard? That, in my mind, is why college degrees are not worth as much today as they used to be. The standard for earning them has been lowered over the years. It was an interesting conversation to say the least!
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Prisonerno6
Member
08-31-2002
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 2:55 pm
>>first year?? at His age?? thats embarrassing <<< You're kidding, right? I know a number of people who got their Bachelor's, took a few years off, traveled and/or worked, then got their Masters and then worked for some time before getting their Phd. Which is exactly what I did. I started work on a Ph.D. when I was 32, after having worked for several years. Most of my classmates were my age or older. I don't know what is so shocking about that. Most of the college students I now teach are returning adult students trying to earn a degree to better their lives. I don't see anything odd in that.
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Govols
Member
07-18-2005
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 3:12 pm
Wow~we sure have a great number of intelligent people here... and the some of the comics in here should be on stage! (being serious~not sarcastic)
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Holly
Member
07-21-2001
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 3:37 pm
first year?? at His age?? thats embarrassing How old is Brendon anyway? I'm guessing early thirties (at latest) so what's so embarrassing about starting your PhD at that age??? Very, very few people go straight through from BA to PhD without taking several years off between degrees, and, IMO it is probably the best thing to do, i.e take breaks.
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Prisonerno6
Member
08-31-2002
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 4:39 pm
According to his bio, 30. Younger than I was when I started mine.
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Puzzled
Member
08-27-2001
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 4:56 pm
I got my bachelor's in 1962 and my master's in 1990.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:01 pm
i'm going to fully read this page but after reading post after post trying to negate my opinion, i need to comment- NO i'm not joking. Its MY opinion that if Brendan didnt have a job and hasnt got any real schooling to get himself a job, then STARTING a long drawn out school process is a little embarrassing when you still dont have a clue what you job you want. rocket science? cancer researcher? who knows what brendan will end up doing. this isnt about YOU or ME or family members, i dont take it personally but it appears people are trying to convince me of something i already know. I posted about Brendan you know, the guy on BB
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:04 pm
i see a few posts repeating my points from page one. Glad to see my points about phDs and advanced schooling NOT ensuring jobs was noted.
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Oliviamimi
Member
05-30-2009
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:12 pm
Sunshyne I recently read an article about advanced education not paying off. Due to the economy and company structure. Seems to be a growing trend. Education is necessary to open doors but does not necessarily get you the highest paying job. Maybe when the economy changes so will this. God I wonder if the economy is ever going to change lol
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Marksman
Member
05-04-2007
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:24 pm
I don't know. Some people hide in academia as s way of avoiding the "real world".
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:24 pm
i'm canadian. i can imagine that in the usa there are tons of late bloomer? / older people changing careers. thats a neccessity and not what i was referring to in my anti brendan post. I supervised for years in my medical job. MOST had way more years of schooling then I as they took useless years of courses that doesnt change the job you will get. i've found years of extra courses doesnt give a person extra common sense or ability to do the practical work either. when a manager retired, the upper management filled the position with a 'tech diploma' only 3 yrs. this was given to her Over people with 5 yrs plus 3 yrs of advanced courses. as my years of experience has seen this occur again and again, thats why my opinion is so strong
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:30 pm
Brendon is what, 32 or so? If he's done nothing but go to school all his life I'd say just now getting in his first year of PhD work is a problem - professional student-itis. On a normal full-time schedule he would have completed his master's by age 25 or so, even taking the summers off. I don't know if he's worked and gone to school part time, though. Wasn't he a high school swimming coach last year?
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Chippy
Member
08-16-2007
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 7:34 pm
My hat's off to anyone furthering their education for whatever reason. I think the pantywad over Brendon's schooling is that he brings it up continually and "puts it on hold to do another season just for you", blahblahblah. If he didn't hold it over Rachel's head like a pointy 1000 lb. dumbbell, we probably wouldn't even think to talk about it. lol
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 8:39 pm
I agree. It's the fact that Brendon keeps mentioning it over and over and uses it to indicate that he is smarter than other people that makes it a subject of interest.
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Grendelsmom
Member
07-31-2005
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 9:06 pm
I hate to have to ask this, but I do. Is the only point of getting an education to get a job?
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Chippy
Member
08-16-2007
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 9:08 pm
I hope not cause there's an awful lot of college degrees flippin' burgers these days.
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Govols
Member
07-18-2005
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 11:10 pm
Jimmer~that's it!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 11:35 pm
I recently read an article about that very question - what's the purpose of a college education: learning or getting a job. He explains two theories. One says, "College is, essentially, a four-year intelligence test. Students have to demonstrate intellectual ability over time and across a range of subjects. If they’re sloppy or inflexible or obnoxious—no matter how smart they might be in the I.Q. sense—those negatives will get picked up in their grades. As an added service, college also sorts people according to aptitude. It separates the math types from the poetry types. At the end of the process, graduates get a score, the G.P.A., that professional schools and employers can trust as a measure of intellectual capacity and productive potential. It’s important, therefore, that everyone is taking more or less the same test." The second says: "In a society that encourages its members to pursue the career paths that promise the greatest personal or financial rewards, people will, given a choice, learn only what they need to know for success. They will have no incentive to acquire the knowledge and skills important for life as an informed citizen, or as a reflective and culturally literate human being. College exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing." You can read the entire article by CLICKING HERE
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Monday, August 01, 2011 - 12:39 am
It's the fact that Brendon keeps mentioning it over and over and uses it to indicate that he is smarter than other people that makes it a subject of interest. thx for agreeing with Me. My first post stated explains his need to Lord it over everyone and Lecture. the funniest part about it with Brendan, is how what he says is Wrong most of the time LOL Like earlier on the couch people were wondering the difference between Carmel and caramel. Brendan answered that one was a candy and the other is a TOWN ! No one tried to correct him LOL. carmel is like Carmelizng onions -- adding sugar. Caramel is adding sugar, Butter and cream sort of making a fudge.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Monday, August 01, 2011 - 12:48 am
the only point i dont think anyone has said its the only point but as most of us know, Advanced Degrees are EXPENSIVE!! In canada there are grants that Low Income people can get. Its also a way to Continue to Collect welfare for YEARS, because they wont cut you off while you are in school. our Elder College has TONS of special interest courses geared towards older/ retired people. I think Art History, Philosophy, computer tech etc are GREAT education at any age.
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