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Again you mis-quote me to suit your argument... But that's OK, guess that's just what you were taught in law school. Good day sir!
Could you just do me a favor and answer one question: what jobs do YOU think should require a college degree? Just give a straight answer so I don't misquote you
Could you just do me a favor and answer one question: what jobs do YOU think should require a college degree? Just give a straight answer so I don't misquote you
You always want others to do your homework for you? Tell you what, you go through the trouble of creating an exhaustive list of all jobs requiring a degree and I'll check off the ones that I don't agree with.
You always want others to do your homework for you? Tell you what, you go through the trouble of creating an exhaustive list of all jobs requiring a degree and I'll check off the ones that I don't agree with.
Where did you go to school? Must have been a sub-par program, because I didn't feel my two years of library school were a waste of time! We learned SO much in terms of practical applications, theories, history, even job placement and internships. Sad that you had a bad experience, but you seem to be in the minority on that. And no, it is not old-fashioned to require the degree... in fact I'd say it's even MORE important now, since most of what we do is technology-based. Maybe some kind of computer-related degree + something else could suffice, but again, it's easier and more streamlined to cram it into a grad program instead. JMO.
I won't state the name of the school, but it is ranked in the top ten nationally. Not a single academic librarian with whom I currently work believes that the MLS was anything more than a union card. I stand by the opinion that a well-read, thoughtful person could learn the job with on-the-job training within a good six months. However, a subject master's for someone in an academic library is very useful because truly understanding the research process helps one better identify both with the needs of the students and the faculty.
Technology, such as it is used in the library, is yet another practical thing better taught through a skills-based certificate program (not a degree program) or on-the-job training. I don't need to sit in a semester-long class to learn database structure; I'll learn it better by working on developing one with someone who has experience.
I won't state the name of the school, but it is ranked in the top ten nationally. Not a single academic librarian with whom I currently work believes that the MLS was anything more than a union card. I stand by the opinion that a well-read, thoughtful person could learn the job with on-the-job training within a good six months. However, a subject master's for someone in an academic library is very useful because truly understanding the research process helps one better identify both with the needs of the students and the faculty.
Technology, such as it is used in the library, is yet another practical thing better taught through a skills-based certificate program (not a degree program) or on-the-job training. I don't need to sit in a semester-long class to learn database structure; I'll learn it better by working on developing one with someone who has experience.
I do not dispute the necessity of the degree. I've already made that clear. But you are of course entitled to your opinion.
What I do wonder about though -- is the subject/academic librarians. I've seen some great jobs listed in my field that require the MLS but not necessarily the degree in my field. Personally, I think it should be the other way around. I think you really truly need a lot of experience and understanding and education in my field and not just any librarian could do it, yet the qualifier is usually the MLS.
I do want to get my library degree so I can get those jobs, but in this case it does seem like a formality as I believe it would be easier to train someone like me who is a SME, but I'll have to have 2 master's degrees to qualify, whereas I've seen these jobs listed in my field where a librarian simply with "experience" in my field could do it.
I don't begrudge it though.... personally I'd feel more comfortable myself getting the proper training. If I do it I'll probably eventually make less than I do now so its definitely something I'm looking at as a second career, not a money maker.
Some of the jobs though are not neccesarily for a librarian though, but perhaps just technical help etc. a lot of times they still prefer the library degree vs. the subject degree which I think is weird.
Most professions can be done without the degrees required to get them. And I'll go a step further...
Most jobs, even some that require many years of experience can be done by most intelligent people with anywhere from a day to half a year of training. Most jobs.
Could I be a librarian? Uh, yes. Could a librarian do my job if they didn't have my degrees (science, engineering)? Yes. The learning curve varies, but for the vast majority of jobs, it is not greater than six months.
There are few jobs that require so many hours of dedicated training that somebody could not do an adequate job at it.
Ones that come to mind are trained musicians, doctors, dentists, professional athletes, etc.
Actually, I don't think someone could just learn my job "on the job." I'm a Patent Agent for a law firm and I have a J.D. and an engineering degree. It is not the most exciting field in the world but it is interesting and sometimes stressful.
Actually, I don't think someone could just learn my job "on the job." I'm a Patent Agent for a law firm and I have a J.D. and an engineering degree. It is not the most exciting field in the world but it is interesting and sometimes stressful.
Actually, I don't think someone could just learn my job "on the job." I'm a Patent Agent for a law firm and I have a J.D. and an engineering degree. It is not the most exciting field in the world but it is interesting and sometimes stressful.
Well. I said most jobs, certainly not all.
I definitely can't do Tiger Woods job no matter how many years they train me. Well ... maybe if they trained me for 20 years.
As far as being a patent lawyer, I know a friend that does that on the Biochem side and it doesn't seem like something nobody else could do as an initial impression. It DOES seem like a job that requires a lot of hard work and attention to detail.
I'm guessing your undergrad is in EE, and my impression is that an EE is a job that would be harder to learn on the job than a patent lawyer. But that's just my impression. I'm definitely an outsider looking in.
It's definitely more of a union card thing...it helps the rich stay richer, b/c there aren't many or any funded MLIS programs. There is no real *reason* for needing it. If somebody had an undergrad degree in a similar field and had a 4.0, vs somebody who got into a second rate MLIS school with a 3.1 in undergrad... Sure they have 2 years of stuff, but there is nothing saying that smart capable person with the 4.0 couldn't pick it up.
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