By Any Other Nerd

In the last post, I discussed the ways that college education is like a car .  In extending this analogy, I also want to talk about elements of the vehicle (degree) that again, not all students really consider.  Vehicles can indicate a great many things about a person.  Some of these things might be true and some may not; and often, the car-owner’s opportunity to explain choices comes when being asked.  The person driving a new Porsche might be perceived as financially stable and potentially successful while the one driving a beat-up shitbox be poor or a slob.  The person driving the hybrid might be understood as an environmentalist or an elitist.  Driving a big-truck and tailgating people could be understood as aggressive and anti-social behavior or someone in a rush.  The clichés and stereotypes are endless; we all know them.  A person’s degree (and the transcript, resume, etc) are going to be interpreted in many different ways, often well-before the person has a chance to defend

A college education is like a car.  We own and use cars for a variety of reasons including (but not limited to): Travelling more efficiently (essentially reclaiming time) Getting to new places (Not entirely the same as reclaiming time—and that will make sense below). It is a requirement of where we live/work (Living in certain suburbs, it does become a practical requirement and some jobs do require or provide a vehicle). Cruising about to enjoy the sights (That is, merely enjoying the act of driving and what it offers). Before any of that can happen though, one needs a license, first.  The license is a great achievement; it indicates some sense of competency in driving (This is the same with a high school diploma or GED certificate.).  It doesn’t imply you will automatically get a car or that you will be a masterful driver; but merely that the state has deemed you knowledgeable to drive a vehicle (The student has proven a certain level of competency but it doesn’t guarantee the o

Unions Don’t Always Go Hand-in-Hand Of late, I’m feeling like Jurgis; the protagonist of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle .  Of course, my situation (as of right now) is not as dire, but the sentiment and issues still seem to be percolating. The concern over adjunct faculty and their place within higher education has certainly gotten attention over the last two months.  While the Boston Globe dedicates a full article, The Nation certainly talks about (or at least around) the subject.  Meanwhile both The Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed continue to make mention of and discuss some of the concerns of the ever-growing adjunct faculty nation in Academe.  Meanwhile, adjunct faculty are voicing their own  outright opposition to the status quo in hopes of creating a solidarity movement across campuses and secure rights for adjunct faculty who are largely left in some rather Kafkaesque situations . To read the full article, check it out here at Adjunct Nation . Did you enjoy this r

“That’s cheating.”  I hear it all the time, but I’m not listening.     And so what if it is?  I’m Rhett Butler and “I don’t give a damn.”  I’ve carried on with this illustrious affair for more than half my life now.  In fact, it’s been highly profitable and entertained me for thousands of hours.  It was a curiosity thing at first.  I simply flirted and fooled around.  But somewhere along the lines, it turned into something more; it got serious.  I never construed it as “cheating” because I believed this relationship afforded me something that I couldn’t get elsewhere at certain times and places in my life.  Quite honestly, it was a harmless endeavor that hurt no one directly and while it did on occasion cost me some money to add some gadgets to the mix, it worked out best for everyone in the end. Audiobooks--My Kryptonite I’m talking of my love for audiobooks of course.  Those hard-to-pinpoint products that some insist on as “it's not reading” while others swear (including Ste