I happen to agree with pretty much all of Elizabeth's email regarding college and a career in some sort of computer-related field.
I noticed a serious case of "credentialism" in Israel from the time I made aliyah. It is so endemic that there are different unemployment offices for those with and without college degrees. In America, the emphasis on college degrees has a different origin. Many years ago, it was common for employers to test prospective employees with intelligence and other tests. Eventually such testing was banned as a result of one or more lawsuits. Yes, it's absolutely preposterous. So, college degrees are used as a sort of proxy, because the assumption is if you have a degree, you must have some measure of aptitude for the job you are applying for. There's more, of course. Many companies in America will no longer give references, good or bad, out of fear of defamation lawsuits. They will only confirm employment history. Still, I have seen companies hire people without any formal training, even though it is not common. I have a good friend who, in fact, has no college degree, and only some community college, but is an absolute programming wizard. He has no problem finding work, even in Israel. Scott Weisman -- Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. - Benjamin Franklin _______________________________________________ Perl mailing list [email protected] http://perl.org.il/mailman/listinfo/perl
