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Post by Julian on Mar 6, 2009 5:26:32 GMT -5
In 3 - 4 years I should have my MBA; the state of Texas says you only need a master's to have a professorship at any public college, and so at that point I can go into academia if nothing else has panned out for me yet. Sky, Sky, Sky. I don't know what is sadder. The fact that you are taking the fastest track to a "professorship" that you can, the fact that there is an actual chance that you may attain such and be given instructorial status over live human beings, or the fact that you believe you can vault from a paper route to an executive position merely by 4-yearing an MBA. MBAs are a dime a dozen, and while I applaud your efforts to educate yourself, experience counts for more. A direct-track to an MBA is rarely the route to employment. Rather an already-employed individual persues the MBA for advancement. No one gets a position because of an MBA, especially since so many programs have become so watered down they don't even require real experience or a thesis. And as everyone here knows, Sky, you do not do real well with merely theoretical knowledge. Hell, you still believe that most municipalities have multiple print news outlets. Huh? Do you mean the fact he's trying to get a degree? Cite one example ever of Sky learning something... He's not trying to educate himself, he's trying to convince others he knows what he's talking about, and since he can't do it with the quality of his argument or work, he's going for a - as you pointed out - rather worthless rubber stamp. One could learn something from an MBA if one tried and one put in an effort, but oh so tragically and oh so typically, he's not trying to learn anything. It's a means to an end, and in fact he seems determined to come out the other side of the sausage factory dumber than when he entered! (and that's saying something!)
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Post by Death on Mar 6, 2009 8:10:17 GMT -5
Are you saying that not everyone starts off equally to begin with and therefore don't have the same opportunities. What on earth could you be advocating? Sorry, but I don't go for questions wherein people try to bait me. I was hoping for a more affirmative responce.
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Post by JonathanE on Mar 6, 2009 10:04:42 GMT -5
Yep, Socialism for the multibillion dollar companies, Capitalism for the people at the bottom of the pile. QFT!
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Post by schizophonic on Mar 6, 2009 11:47:27 GMT -5
Yep, Socialism for the multibillion dollar companies, Capitalism for the people at the bottom of the pile. But it's not socialism for the rich, it's the free market! Because capitalism is all about using public funds for the benefit of corporations!
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Post by the sandman on Mar 6, 2009 15:53:59 GMT -5
Sky, Sky, Sky. I don't know what is sadder. The fact that you are taking the fastest track to a "professorship" that you can, the fact that there is an actual chance that you may attain such and be given instructorial status over live human beings, or the fact that you believe you can vault from a paper route to an executive position merely by 4-yearing an MBA. MBAs are a dime a dozen, and while I applaud your efforts to educate yourself, experience counts for more. A direct-track to an MBA is rarely the route to employment. Rather an already-employed individual persues the MBA for advancement. No one gets a position because of an MBA, especially since so many programs have become so watered down they don't even require real experience or a thesis. And as everyone here knows, Sky, you do not do real well with merely theoretical knowledge. Hell, you still believe that most municipalities have multiple print news outlets. Huh? Do you mean the fact he's trying to get a degree? Cite one example ever of Sky learning something... He's not trying to educate himself, he's trying to convince others he knows what he's talking about, and since he can't do it with the quality of his argument or work, he's going for a - as you pointed out - rather worthless rubber stamp. One could learn something from an MBA if one tried and one put in an effort, but oh so tragically and oh so typically, he's not trying to learn anything. It's a means to an end, and in fact he seems determined to come out the other side of the sausage factory dumber than when he entered! (and that's saying something!) Exactly my point. He is not persuing the degree to educate himself, he is persuing the degree because he thinks it is a magic initiation card for some mythical thing he thinks of as "professional academia." The only thing he values is the actual degree, not the education.
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Post by schizophonic on Mar 6, 2009 17:18:49 GMT -5
Look at it this way: Maybe some things will stick by sheer chance.
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Post by dantesvirgil on Mar 6, 2009 19:47:38 GMT -5
"Professional academia" is exceptionally hard to break into, in any field. And I'm one of them. The degree alone doesn't cut it. But Sky is right that a Masters degree is all it takes to be called a Prof.
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Post by JonathanE on Mar 6, 2009 20:14:14 GMT -5
On the old board, I mentioned that the purpose of higher education is to teach critical thinking, primarily. I don't think that's even a part of any MBA program I've ever seen, and certainly not evident in any MBA grads I've ever talked to.
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Post by dantesvirgil on Mar 6, 2009 20:19:04 GMT -5
Critical thinking and integrative techniques. Damned straight.
We can thank all those fine MBA grads in part for the mess we're in economically right now. Critical thinking and questioning certainly was NOT welcomed when I had my finance and economics classes for my Econ degree even just five to six years ago.
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Post by JonathanE on Mar 6, 2009 21:01:01 GMT -5
Critical thinking and integrative techniques. Damned straight. We can thank all those fine MBA grads in part for the mess we're in economically right now. Critical thinking and questioning certainly was NOT welcomed when I had my finance and economics classes for my Econ degree even just five to six years ago. The lack of critical thinking is endemic and obivous. I don't even understand why the whole MBA program is even a part of the university milieu. If people like Skyfire are examples of MBA material, universities should probably rethink the entire program. Stick it back in the trade schools where it belongs, like they do with accountants.
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Post by Armand Tanzarian on Mar 6, 2009 22:15:34 GMT -5
Huh? Do you mean the fact he's trying to get a degree? Cite one example ever of Sky learning something... He's not trying to educate himself, he's trying to convince others he knows what he's talking about, and since he can't do it with the quality of his argument or work, he's going for a - as you pointed out - rather worthless rubber stamp. One could learn something from an MBA if one tried and one put in an effort, but oh so tragically and oh so typically, he's not trying to learn anything. It's a means to an end, and in fact he seems determined to come out the other side of the sausage factory dumber than when he entered! (and that's saying something!) Exactly my point. He is not persuing the degree to educate himself, he is persuing the degree because he thinks it is a magic initiation card for some mythical thing he thinks of as "professional academia." The only thing he values is the actual degree, not the education. I'd like to see him try. I'm pretty much taking some of the same courses he is (Risk managers still take a lot of business courses), and he's exhibited a stunning ignorance of some of the most basic business, economic and financial concepts. Which does actually make me wonder what it means for the rest of us who actually worked hard and learned something over 4 years of college. I'm graduating in December with a degree in (full name) Bachelor of Science and Business Administration in Actuarial Science and Finance. Problem is people see the idiots like Sky, and, well, there is this constant fear of my education being devalued. And its not only Sky, its the Wall Streeters, and Bush, who all hold MBAs and who all had a direct hand in destroying this economy. It's also people like that which make me rethink my future career path. Like him, I want a Masters in the future, and if I remain unemployed a year after I graduate, which is very likely considering my field of study, I might go straight into Masters and Professorship. I'm considering more obscure paths like a Masters in Finance and Banking, or Public Administration, since I feel the study of financial risk in public society is still a very exciting and unexplored field I can enter. The prospect of an MBA, no so much. Back to the topic, and relating to my field of study. I want to see the Obama administration control the instruments used more. A famous quote from Alan Greenspan about Credit Default Swaps (derivatives of incredibly risky Mortgages and mortgage-backed securities) goes something like "I have a PhD. I have 100 people on my staff with PhDs. None of us understand CDOs." We need to avoid that type of situation in future, basically restricting very risky and vague instruments in important portfolios like pension funds. Ban CDOs and submit all new future instrument types and how their risks are assessed to the government for study.And I bet with a bit of convincing, he can do that.
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