Is education overrated?

Question

If there is one thing that always gets to me, it's when people put education equal to intelligence.

Now I've a pretty high IQ and I don't brag about things that I don't have, and I've never even as much as finished my secondary school - because education there was not good enough to my standards.

that would make you think, if standards are so low - and the standards here are said to be some of the highest in Europe - and people can get their certs with no problem, what use does education still have?

I am currently enrolled back into secondary school (home schooling because I work for a living) just because it is impossible for me to get a better job, regardless of my intelligence, without a degree of any sort!

Would you rather hire someone with brains without a degree or an eejit with a degree? If I was an employer my choice would have been easily made.
But employers still go for the education, blissfully unaware they hire eejits as well.

Is education not overrated?

Playa; ever heard of IQ tests? They generally measure people's intelligence quotient. Several ones I have taken (and no, don't worry to you, this one is one you can't possibly fail...) all over, including in school and at Mensa, told me how high my quotient is.

As for you, playa, you obviously need some education because the grammar in your answer is sh**e. Not to mention spelling.

So maybe the use of education is to make eejits look more intelligent than they are... thank you so much for clearing that one up for me, playa!

Pablo, I don't disagree with your opinion, however...

Knowledge is nearly equally important as intelligence, but you need intelligence to put that knowledge to good use.

Teachers today are under-educated for their position, and that's a harsh thing to say, but it's sadly enough true. They have the necessary knowledge, but some of those 'teachers' I've met in my life did not have the required intelligence to understand what they were teaching. Now if the educational system qualifies such a person, who does not understand his or her courses, but just learns them off the top of their head, to teach other people what they've learned, wouldn't students be better off buying a text book and going home to read it all by themselves?

That's what happened to me. I'm in favour of education for everyone, but not when those who educate, cannot cut it themselves.

Answer 1

Education at the collegiate level is over-rated in my opinion for many fields but it is still necessary depending on what field of expertise you plan to pursue. Obviously a doctor or an engineer needs to be educated regarding their subject but being a marketer or a designer, from experience, you dont REALLY need to goto school. Dont take me wrong though, that piece of paper is what people want to see. That you went through the trials and tribulations of High School Part II (read: college). As an employer, I would much rather higher an educated person who is intelligent. However, if I come across someone who is highly motivated, extremely intelligent, and at least has an understanding of what I do - then I will at least give them a shot, albeit not getting paid as much as the person who went to school because of the risk of failure.

The Educational system is a very vague area because not enough emphasis is put on guiding children through their goals or their dreams. Its more placed on stuffing them with numbers and letters, then letting the little rats decypher the mess themselves. So many good teachers are overlooked due to the rarity of even finding one nowadays. But even with all its problems, an educated person has the ability to develop their minds to a much better level and become knowledgeable about their surroundings. Look at the Dark Ages. Why do you think they called them Dark? Certainly not because it was cloudy for a long time, but because of a lack of educated people and a stagnant spread of knowledge. Educational systems just need to be reinforced and parents need to step in and help their children where an overburdened system cannot.

So to answer your question, is education over-rated. NO. If anything it's under-rated. The educational SYSTEM is over-rated and too much profiteering is currently occurring in the industry, which is overlooking eduction to place this facade that people are being taught by the best.

Answer 2

No, education is not overrated. To answer your last question, I would rather hire someone with a degree simply because they showed drive and desire to excel. You are overrating intellegence, which, unto itself, is completely worthless. If you do not have knowledge to accompany that intelligence and the communcation skills to convey your ideas, then you are of little use to an employer.

And even aside from all of that, let's just say you're right. Suppose education is overrated and intelligence is really the most important thing. How is an employer to know if you are intelligent or not? In our society, the only way we really have to measure this is through our educational institutions. There are myriad flaws in the system, to be sure; but even still, a person with a degree is more likely to be intelligent than a person without one. This is simply because many of the unintelligent people are unable to get a degree, since at least some measure of intelligence is necessary to get a degree.

Answer 3

Something that is not really measured in league tables is sociabilty and personal development - these skills are essential for life so though education is ,over rated in my opinion , the process of education - ie: large groups of peers meeting and collaborating is important and justifiable. My own life experiences have given me as much access to employment as any degree.

Answer 4

No its not overrated its people like you why our children are soo dumb, w/ out an education where would we be today, now com'on u cant be serious how in the world do u think u got a hi IQ duh!My opion is u need one of those things called edumacation for asking such a retarded question.

Answer 5

IQ just measures how well you will do in higher education. School would teach you this. Your logic is flawed. Educate yourself on what and IQ is. I have a high one. Also, I am a doctorial candidate.

Answer 6

it is, in some cases... but because school=skills, employers will hire those who have had a education.
of course, that's not to say people with high iq's don't have any skills!
i'm just saying that going to school will gurantee that you are prepared to face the tasks that are going to be set at whatever job you are applying for.

Answer 7

education is highlt overrated. i dropped out of high school and i am now making big bucks. i work at a chicken joint making 8 per hour. i just bought a used honda civic automatic with the dough. education=effort and intelligence=genetics.

Answer 8

nicely while you're talkin bout people whining bout no longer entering into oxford then definite- omg its annoying. if approximately coaching as an entire and why various of persons have become it then nopee (: