Comment by godelski
10 months ago
I think you missed the parent's point. Maybe consider this:
Why don't employers recognize the credentials of a MOOC to the same degree that they would a university degree?
We could similarly ask why employers value the degrees of some universities more than others.
I think it's important to realize that ultimately the decisions come from the employers, not the universities. No one is making the employers do anything. But at least the second question might have a clearer partial answer. In part, there is a selection of a tribe, an implicit "culture fit" that's happening. It isn't uncommon to see employer bias towards specific universities. This is especially true with prestigious universities.
But it's not the universities that are making anyone do anything and that's an important distinction.
I brought up that I think the root problem is employers in a different comment, so I’m not missing that point.[1] The distinction is that I don’t think it’s a dichotomous problem. While colleges may not be the root problem, they can still be a contributor to the problem. (Besides, if an employer is to recognize a MOOC, that course completion has to be documented, which means it’s just another version of credential)
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43890682
I was responding to the comment you wrote. But I also disagree with the other one.
It is a confounding variable[0]. The problem with trying to go after the confounding variable is you 1) don't solve the problem after fixing it 2) let's the current negative feedback loop continue growing.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confounding
Nobody ever claimed the best fix is going after the proximate cause and not touching the root cause. That’s a narrative you contrived. I’m in favor of fixing both (which is how systemic improvements ought to work).
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