This might sound impossibly old-fashioned, but I still like the idea that education is about learning: facts, skills, concepts, research, culture, analysis, inspiration. It’s supposed to enrich our lives and make us better citizens and independent thinkers.
But over the last decade and a half, the goal of learning has given way to proxies for learning: grades and degrees. The unfortunate result has been inflation of both. They rise ever higher; learning doesn’t.
I’ve written about degree inflation before — employers requiring a bachelor’s degree or more for work that really doesn’t need it. Fortunately, hiring managers have begun to learn that, and degree requirements have been dropping in many fields.
Read more at Los Angeles Times.
