Is it possible to be over-educated?

[msc545]

I don't think it is, but as an educated person myself, I am probably biased regarding this. What do you think?

Updates

+1 y

This is not about getting a better job or making more money. It's simply about accumulating knowledge. I should note that Albert Einstein worked as a postal clerk for many years.

Updates

+1 y

Patent clerk. I stand corrected.

[WindAtMyBack]

Yes and no. I think you can never have too much knowledge. But when it comes to formal education there can be a couple of negatives.

For one thing, time spent in formal education means you are not using that time for something else. You have to pick between multiple things to spend you time on, and education might not be the best option.

More education than what is needed can make it difficult to get a job. They either assume you want more money than they want to pay, or they think this is only a temporary job until you get something in your specialty.

This also applies to changing careers. Employers might seriously question why you are taking a job outside your field of specialty. Plus, if you change careers, all the time you spent in formal education might be considered wasted. Many years spent in education might even deter you from changing careers even though you don't like what you are doing.

I've known multiple people with PhDs who regretted getting them.

[FilmGuy93]

I imagine it’s probably a situational thing. You can definitely be over educated to load trucks at UPS. Probably not so much to manage experiments at the Hadron Super Collider

[Anonymous]

maybe to the extent that you get in so deep that you stop seeing what a layperson can from the sheer ignorance of not being influenced by what you know as an expert in the field

[Opinion Owner]

it’s like the wisdom of kindergarteners from sheer lack of life experience

[msc545]

"the sheer ignorance of not being influenced by what you know as an expert in the field" - NOT being influenced?

[msc545]

Do you believe kindergartners are "wise"? Or just innocent?

[Opinion Owner]

the expert might discard certain ideas or solutions because through his rigorous training and studies, he has been conditioned to think within the narrow box of his field—a box he doesn’t even know he’s locked himself inside—whereas the layperson is unencumbered and free to consider just about anything, however crazy or outlandish, which might just be the key to solving a problem

[msc545]

what you just wrote still makes no sense.

[Opinion Owner]

ok maybe the expert will overthink things that the kindergartner or layperson won’t

[Opinion Owner]

if it still doesn’t make sense, i tried and accept defeat

[msc545]

wait - how is it possible to "overthink" anything?

[Opinion Owner]

overthinking is a computer overheating

[Opinion Owner]

and then getting glitchy and weird

[Opinion Owner]

I understand what you’re trying to say though. You see the act of thinking as binary—i. e., you do it, or you don’t—whereas I see the act of thinking as occurring on a sliding scale depending on the amount of effort that goes into analysis of an issue. So to “overthink” is impossible given your definition of thinking, but possible given mine if you compare it to what happens when a computer “thinks” about too many things at once (ie, programs) and then gets glitchy. It’s the same thing as when the human brain gets overwhelmed.

[msc545]

I definitely do not see it as binary. Consideration of complex things like quantum mechanics can be temporarily overwhelming, but backing up and taking it a qbit (joke) at a time is very enlightening.

[Opinion Owner]

then overthinking should be easy peasy to consider. anyhow, very lively debate here we’ve had here. thank you for that.

[Opinion Owner]

i didn’t think i’d get mho here but thank you so much

[inkyvampire]

Employers will often use this as an excuse to not hire you.

[msc545]

The y will also often use not enough education as a reason to not hire you.

[inkyvampire]

Yup. They’ll say anything.

[Sun_Kim-Ai]

It is, when someone simply amasses degrees and qualifications upon degrees and qualifications and never makes anything worthwhile with them; or is simple not capable of applying said knowledge.

I know a woman, always been top grades, two degrees and a good 7-8 different qualifications on her CV (what you call resume in the US) and that's all that there is to her. She's been employed in two companies, and has been laid off for each of them after barely one year there. All the people I've talked to relayed the same story - she was just plainly incompetent, and all her degrees can be justified as her either buying them or just learning and repeating stuff like a parrot.

So there we have an overeducated and completely worthless individual, one I wouldn't even trust to watch my chicken pen.

[DryGermanGuy]

Not by the additional classes or content, but I know two PhD graduates whose degrees did not translate into better jobs. Given the amount of work and time (income loss), it could be considered a form of "over-education".

[msc545]

A better job is not a valid metric of intelligence.

[exitseven]

@DryGermanGuy I got a second Masters Degree because I was trying to get my career to the next level. It never materialized but I am still glad it did it.

[msc545]

This is NOT about jobs!!

[exitseven]

RE Update Einstein was a patent clerk, not a postal clerk.

[msc545]

@exitseven true. my error, sry.

[exitseven]

so' kay.

[CaptainSmartass]

I'd say it depends on the circumstances. If you're working in a retail job but have a degree in theoretical quantum mechanics then yes, you're over-educated.

If, however, you're managing a team of post graduate researchers and have the above degree, then no, you're suitably educated. And probably fairly well-paid.

Simples...

[exitseven]

No, anything that you learn will eventually come in handy.

[Justneedtokno]

No not necessarily. There is always something new to learn or a different perspective

[goaded]

Probably not, but it would be a shame to learn lots but never contribute back to the pool of human knowledge from what you've learned.

[goaded]

I think he worked in a Patent office.

[msc545]

yes, correct.

[USLegionary]

It's more used in a employment role such as working in subway with a masters in quantum physics.

[SnowedIn]

Yes if it starts to get in the way of normal conversations or relationships.

[Jamie05rhs]

Only if you get to a point of being out of touch with the real world.

[msc545]

Why is that a problem?

[Jamie05rhs]

@msc545 Well, I don't know. How do you feel about it personally? Are you okay with being out of touch?

(I don't think you are out of touch, by the way. We have our differences here and there, but I think you're a decent person.)

[msc545]

Temporarily I find it restful.

(Thanks - I think you are too).

[Jamie05rhs]

Okay; cool.

Thanks!

[KrakenAttackin]

I think it is possible to be overly indoctrinated.

[msc545]

Yes, but there is a difference between being educated and being indoctrinated.

[KrakenAttackin]

Absolutely agree. Otherwise I don't think it's possible to be overeducated. One should always seek to learn, whether it's from a formal classroom setting or a homeless guy has something real to say.

I think certifications will quickly replace the four-year degrees as colleges and universities have priced themselves out of value.

[msc545]

Yes, but that is false knowledge.

[Anonymous]

It is if you never put it to any good use, because when you die, it's all gone.

[NathanDavis]

yes, I was... at some point

[msc545]

how so?

[NathanDavis]

just by definition... at a way higher level, than the standard

[msc545]

explain please?

[NathanDavis]

okay... education

the standard education requires for most people to learn the basics, through 18 years of school, right? till you graduate high-school... and then you can start college

well, by the time I was 8... almost 9 years old, I had already learned through all those books, and pretty much by myself

so, over-educated... meaning, learned to a higher level than the standard levels

[Anonymous]

Sure plenty of places won't hire you if you are too educated for them

[msc545]

Many more will not if you are not educated.

[Opinion Owner]

True, being utterly uneducated you won't have a chance of employment

[Guardian45]

Education is never wasted, but might be useless

[msc545]

how could it ever be useless?

[Guardian45]

Well, if your degree doesn't turn into job, that can be useless.

[msc545]

A job is not a measure of the value of knowledge.

[Guardian45]

True, but after you've spent all that money and invested all that time in your education, it would be nice to have a tangible reward, a job! How many baristas are philosophy majors or work at Starbucks?

[msc545]

It might be nice but it is not expected or necessary. Education and knowledge have intrinsic non-monetary value.

[Guardian45]

Granted, but my bank is NOT interested in that.

[msc545]

I understand but the two things are separate.

[Guardian45]

True, but one cannot pay rent or eat with intrinsic non-monetary value.

[msc545]

Try to separate jobs and education.