10 Comments

Education is collectively wasteful but individually beneficial for signaling. Caplan makes this clear. I don’t know why this would motivate not going to university but developing skills which are hard to signal. This guy was fortunate to get a job without the credential. I find this story a little confusing.

Expand full comment

Same thoughts lol Im confused about this, especially because at the end he even admits he got passed over for 5 jobs he was clearly qualified for because he lacked the paper credentials. Maybe that’s the whole point, that these companies were overlooking someone who has demonstrated the ability but lacked the degree? I mean I’m happy for the guy and I’m glad it all worked out but I don’t know why that would serve as an affirmation that he made the right decision. By his own account he would have significantly more options if he had the right credentials, all else equal, and the only reason he ended up where he did was because he met someone who hooked him up.

Expand full comment

An example of something that would happen more often if education was not so subsidised?

Expand full comment

I’m confused why this person behaved the way they did given knowledge of Caplan’s book. That makes sense as an explanation why Caplan highlighted it.

Expand full comment

Well he specifically references points made by Caplan in another forum that now is a good time to try to skip the credentialism, presumably because of labour shortages.

The person had also tried university before, so they had tried to follow the normal signalling route, but given a stable economic situation felt it was worth a risk to try something different.

I don't think you argue that it is impossible to get desirable jobs without credentials, just that it is far less likely. And that likelihood depends on labour market conditions.

Expand full comment

Yes, that part makes sense to me.

Expand full comment

Applying for a bunch of jobs is tough, but getting a four year degree might be harder. It might have been significantly cheaper to trudge through the interviews than get a four year degree.

Expand full comment

And, now that you have that Product Engineer position on your resume, getting another, more senior, engineering job will be a cinch - since once you're in your 30s employers mostly look at your past employment history and don't pay much attention to education.

Plus, once you have a network of colleagues and co-workers who respect your abilities, most if not all of your future jobs will come through them; with a personal recommendation hardly anybody will give more than a glance at your CV.

Source: Personal experience - I had PhD-level jobs for decades as a college dropout. I never lied but allowed people to assume I had a PhD. (On my resume I listed the university I attended, the dates [18 months], and the major. Never mentioned a degree.)

Expand full comment

YOU LOVE TO SEE IT.

Expand full comment