Another GenX-er heard from

[Jennifer Jelinek <jlkraus -at- AMETEKWATER -dot- COM>]

As a recently graduated GenX-er myself (hate that term), I have to disagree 
with Matthew's view of degrees as a measure of intelligence. I went to school 
with some very intelligent people. I also went to school with a bunch of 
schmoe's who don't deserve the piece of paper that was mailed to them a 
month after the graduation ceremony. And I certainly don't look down on those 
who don't have a college degree. I work for a water filtration company, and I've 
come to respect the work that "Bubba the plumber" does. Like any other field, 
there are good plumbers and bad plumbers, but the good ones have a breadth 
of knowledge in their chosen area of expertise that is remarkable. My father-in-
law started working for GM as a welder when he was in his 20's; now he's the 
welding instructor for the entire company, and a damn good one. He makes an 
astounding amount of money, is constantly striving to learn new things, and 
has made suggestions that have saved GM tens of thousands of dollars (of 
which he gets a percentage). He never finished college, and often regrets it, 
but his knowledge, intelligence, and enthusiasm for his work have paid off, as 
they always will. On the other hand, my father received an engineering degree 
from Duke, has stayed in a job he's hated for years, and never took any steps to procure knowledge to let him move on to something else. 

My generation has had the importance of a university education pounded into 
us since we were in elementary school. Sure, many of us who went to 
school have been spurred had nightmares about working at McDonald's all our 
life. But individuals with gumption and smarts who for whatever reason were 
unable/unwilling to get a college diploma will STILL find success, and those 
who coasted through university programs without really trying (not all of us) will 
still be stuck in dead-end entry level jobs all their lives because they don't have the necessary drive. Most fortunate are those who have both the drive, the 
willingness to learn, and the diploma. Those who will prove a true success, 
though, will understand that a college diploma is not an all access pass to the 
good life. 

Just a side note...our very knowledgeable MIS consultant we work with is a 
non-degreed GenX-er. He sets his own hours, has to refuse jobs, and does 
great work. A friend of mine in the process of getting his degree ran a very 
successful Web Development company. Meanwhile, I'm only one of two 
degreed friends who have gotten a job with her diploma. Oops, make that 
three...my husband is a teacher (sha...like THAT's a real job. Working 9 
months of the year <grumping because he's home relaxing and I'm not>)


Jennifer Jelinek
jlkraus -at- ametekwater -dot- com   

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