[annonymous]

Lately, particularly in the circles I socialize in as well as those I attend professionally, it is assumed that I have my degree. Typically, when I mention I have returned to school, the person with whom I am speaking inevitably asks whether I am completing my master's degree. I am both flattered and admittedly a little embarrassed, as I am completing my bachelor's. I have been told that I am articulate, intelligent, obviously a reader and socially aware. Does this response imply that there is an assumption that only formally educated individuals possess these traits?

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Name : annonymous, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[John K.]

I think your inference is correct. We live in a world of massive ignorance. Most people are only aware of the most obvious scientific, economic, religious, political, etc. information, and most of that comes from questionable sources. We assume that anyone with a good grasp of logic and information has to have learned how to find and process information. Some problem-solving ability usually comes with the package, and those skills are hard to come by without a college education. So in general, we assume that the intelligent and informed would have some kind of a degree. Of course, that is not always true, in either direction. I know plenty of people who never went to college and are extremely well-educated, and others with doctorates who seem to fail to grasp even the most obvious concepts.

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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 26, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Crystal]

I am in the same position as you (working toward my four-year degree) and I would have to say my findings are the same: Educated automatically is assumed to equal smart, and no degree is automatically assumed to equal less smart. I think people make assumptions based on surface knowledge without bothering to get to know the individual, out of laziness and indifference. Fortunately, at my age I have ceased to care what most people think of me.

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Name : Crystal, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 30's, City : Oakland, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Office manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Christopher D.]

On of my favorite artists, Yanni, has no formal training in music, nor does he have an advanced degree. Instead, he developed his own way of writing and composing music. I credit him as being very intelligent.

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Name : Christopher D., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : Arlington, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samuel]

I would have to say that, based on personal experience, the answer to your question is yes. I have often been accused of possessing the same traits you have described, and I happily plead guilty. The question that accompanies the assessment is usually not "Did you go to college?" but "Where did you go to college?" In a society that was allegedly formed to eliminate class divisions, or at least lessen their importance, it is disturbing to see that something so basic as education has remained a tool for class segregation.

Should a formal (and usually very expensive) education be believed to be the only source of personal enrichment, along with acquisition of skills and knowledge? Conversely, why should someone who displays an apparent wealth of knowledge and culture be assumed to possess a certificate of "higher learning?" I work in a field where my comrades hail from all ranges of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, yet we all wear the same uniform and are expected to perform with the same level of dedication and courage when called upon. I doubt that if we're pulling someone's child from a burning building, the grateful parents will wonder whether we received a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago.

Education and personal enrichment can come from various sources; or, as Forrest Gump might say: "Educated is as educated does."

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Name : Samuel, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Crystal]

I come from a position very similar to yours: I too am well-read, articulate, aware and haven't completed my bachelor's degree. I would say that yes, definitely, there is that assumption. If you are smart and like to read, you have ipso facto completed at least four years of college; on the other hand, if you do not have a degree, you are only fit for reading True Confessions magazine and watching Jenny Jones. There are many people out there who are smart and have no degree, and conversely there are many degreed people who are thick as a plank. Intellect and education do not necessarily go together.

User Detail :  

Name : Crystal, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 30's, City : Oakland, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Office manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Augustine23665]

I gain great fulfillment from conversing with intelligent people who actually have something original to say, regardless of their educational background or lack thereof. As an educated man (bachelor's and two master's degrees) I find myself bored to tears with 'small talk' about what other people's kids are doing and how much things cost at Sam's Club --- though I do love gardening because I'm teaching myself a hobby about which I knew virtually nothing three months ago! First of all, Zawadi, if you are in the process of completing your bachelor's degree, you ARE formally educated, just becoming moreso. I would take it as a compliment.

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Name : Augustine23665, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 38, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Annisa]

I believe it may have more to do with your age (34) and wording 'going back to school.' The fact that they believe you to be articulate, and intelligent only gives them more evidence to jump to the conclusion that you are naturaly in a masters progam. However, I do believe there is a snobbish attitude among higher-educated people. When I was in college, there was a letter written to the editor of the campus paper from the gardener. This was a man in his 40s who was constantly being patronized by students and faculty because, after all, he was only the gardener. He went on to say that people assume that he doesn't have a brain and doesn't know anything because of his work. He also went on to describe his job, which required compl,ex thinking skills and lot of plant knowlege and why he loved his job.

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Name : Annisa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 37, City : Southern California, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Andrew]

Obviously, some people, like you, manage to be articulate all by yourself. My mother, whose post-secondary education is just two years of secretarial school, is routinely mistaken for a much more educated person. She speaks well, reasons well and is a voracious reader. Actually, she is educated - but self-educated instead of formally educated.

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Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[SR28479]

It sounds like an honest mistake to me. Do you have a job that normally requires a bachelor's degree? I think a lot of people would assume that a job in publishing - are you a professional? - would require a degree. I think most people know that not all articulate, intelligent and socially aware people are college graduates. There's also the possibility that the people who are asking you if you're getting a master's are taking care not to downplay your achievements, i.e. they wouldn't want to ask if you're getting your bachelor's if you were, in fact, getting a master's degree.

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Name : SR28479, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 21, City : Austin, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Student, 

[B Leavitt]

There's lots of different ways a person can be 'smart'. I, for example, have a genious-level IQ (not bragging, just the facts), but I also have learning disabilities, which seem to make people think I'm not too bright. A person can also be an 'Educated Idiot', meaning, of course, that person is foolish, lacks common sense, etc., but is very educated. It's a matter of book smarts and street smarts. Sounds to me like you're a little of both. :-)

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Name : B Leavitt, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Mormon, Age : 19, City : Sugar Land, State : TX Country : United States, 

[Bud]

This is an over-reaction. We live in an age when a majority of Americans attend college. I worked part-time as a gardener at my school, and yes, some of the people I knew there were among the most intelligent I ever met, and yes, many of our so-called best and brightest on college campuses are dimwits, but by and large, formal education correlates with intelligence. If you were 18, I could see you being upset, but 34 and 'back to school'? Come on, it's natural for the first guess to be that this is referring to graduate school.

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Name : Bud, Gender : M, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, 

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