Credentialism is the feeding trough of the upwardly mobile.
The Farm Manager, in her capacity as a Educational Assistant in her day job, today took a one day course that rendered her a "Behaviour Management Systems Practitioner."
What the fuck does that mean?
In practical terms, nothing.
But she gets a certificate she can hang on the wall.
When one of my mentors in the world of commercial real estate, Vic Tucciarone, got his real estate license back in the '50's, it involved a five dollar fee paid at the Government of Ontario offices, and that was that.
No courses, no nothing.
Today an aspiring realtor has to take multiple courses that take many months and cost many thousands of dollars.
Does anybody really think this has given us "better" real estate agents?
I had a college prof, Al Jeffries, who warned us about this credentialism racket. Keep your resume to one page, he told us over and over again. Anything above that reeks of credentialism.
Then somebody dug up a copy of his resume.
It ran to fourteen pages.
The takeaway?
Credentialism pays!
I remember sitting in my dear uncle Werner's office at the University of Waterloo and admiring the many certificates/degrees/diplomas festooning the walls.
Tucked in amongst them was a Province of Alberta fishing licence circa 1962.
At least he had a sense of humour...
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ReplyDeleteAt the risk of piling on, here's the official Bio of Nathan Rambukkana, the prof in the eye of storm at Wilfrid Laurier University: "His work centers on the study of discourse, politics, and identities, and his research addresses topics such as hashtag publics, digital intimacies, intimate privilege, and non/monogamy in the public sphere." ...Ummm..ok...yeah.
ReplyDeleteBut I bet he doesn't have a fishing licence.
Have a good weekend, Neumanns!
I suspect you're right!
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