nanog mailing list archives
Re: list problems?
From: "Patrick W. Gilmore" <patrick () ianai net>
Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 15:00:20 -0400
At 02:42 PM 5/23/2002 -0400, Henry Yen wrote: > >On Thu, May 23, 2002 at 06:22:50AM -0700, Rachel K. Warren wrote: > >[ snip ] > >> Of course, there are exceptions to every rule - I've had managers and >> executive officers in the same companies I worked at who did not have >> degrees. But more often than not, the degree was there. > >i was once taught that causation and correlation are different.Stating as fact a causation simply because of a correlation (e.g. degrees == promotion) is probably not a good idea without other evidence. However, lacking evidence or hypotheses to the contrary, it is not unreasonable to tentatively assume a causation given a strong correlation.
Assuming correlation and causation are completely unrelated is probably worse, since if there is a cause / effect relationship, correlation is bound to show up.
Given that we *do* have other evidence (e.g. HR department which ask for degrees when hiring & promoting), why would it be wrong to make a leap such that "a degree will help more than it will hurt".
As one person said, all else being equal (as it frequently is), a degree (or certification) is a great way to differentiate yourself. Especially to the non-technical (like CFOs and HR departments).
The interesting thing about this long (and sometimes interesting) thread which keeps appearing here every year or two is that people without degrees seem to have value experience only, while people with degrees have a relatively high opinion of experience and degrees.
IOW: The people who have been to college tend like it, those who have not, do not.
Of course, that is just a correlation, and not even a 100% correlation at that.>Henry Yen Aegis Information Systems, Inc.
-- TTFN, patrick
Current thread:
- Re: list problems?, (continued)
- Re: list problems? Leo Bicknell (May 22)
- Re: list problems? up (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Richard Irving (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Craig Partridge (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Steve Gibbard (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Paul Vixie (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Leo Bicknell (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Richard A Steenbergen (May 22)
- Re: list problems? Rachel K. Warren (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Henry Yen (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Patrick W. Gilmore (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Henry Yen (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Shawn Solomon (May 22)
- RE: list problems? Christopher J. Wolff (May 22)
- RE: list problems? Eric Germann (May 22)
- Re: list problems? + Certification or College degrees? Mark Kent (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Richard Irving (May 23)
- Re: list problems? Robert Beverly (May 24)
- Re: list problems? Richard Irving (May 24)
- Re: list problems? Petr M. Swedock (May 24)
- Re: list problems? Richard Irving (May 24)