[lbo-talk] the 50-word story

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

I wrote:
> I think there are several factors responsible for that:
> - the progressive idea of social advancement through education
> - the business practices of demanding college credentials  for routine
jobs
> - which in itself was a way of avoiding discrimination suits (you could
> always claim that the candidate you hired had "better education" - whether
> needed for the job or not
> - structural unemployment which pushed both young and older people to
> colleges
> - social status associated with credentials.

Gee, and I forgot a real important one - the degradation of skilled work
under capitalism.  Skilled work used to be the source of social status -
there was no need to top it with college credentials.  Thus college was
attractive mainly to the "geeks" and "brainy types."  With the degradation
of skilled work, first by taylorism, then by outsourcing - there was no more
"skilled work" only menial and managerial jobs.  No wonder that college
credentials became a means for social advancement.

I hope this does not count as a separate posting - is merely an addendum to
the previous one :)

Wojtek