FauxPlomas and the watering down of college degrees
What is a FauxPloma?
I just read an interesting article on FoxNews about the FauxPloma industry. Basically, a Fauxploma is a fake diploma as the name suggests. Evidently “Diploma Mills” seem to be increasing in number as more people are looking for a quicker way to become a college grad - on paper anyway. Apparently it is a billion dollar industry.
According to Fox…
Degree mills are unaccredited organizations that charge a fee for a degree with little to no educational work required. These fraudulent institutions typically give credit for life experiences and often have no physical facilities. To be sure, not all unaccredited institutions are diploma mills–some may be striving toward accreditation, and others may simply be training schools.
The scary thing to me is that it doesn’t seem to be a black and white issue. Some of these institutions are in the shady gray area. They might think they are doing students a favor by giving away hundreds of credit hours in exchange for “life experience,” but ultimately it is a short-cut to a degree.
A nationally recognized University in my town now offers degree programs that can be completed in only a fraction of the time for night students. From my what I hear, the classes actually require a whole lot less work than the traditional classes. I think it is great that they are trying to accommodate them, but at what cost? If student A graduates with the traditional degree and student B gets a non-traditional degree, works half as hard, and walks away with the same degree, it is only a matter of time before the word will get out.
Employers are going to realize that the degrees can be earned easier than they could in the past and begin to slightly value them less. I could see how it could be frustrating to students who put in a lot of time, energy, and money into a degree that is slowly deflating in influence.
I wrote a few days ago about my thoughts on whether a college degree was still worth the money and I think this adds a bit more food for thought.
This article was featured in the Carnival of personal Finance
What do you think? Have you seen how degrees have been watered down in your situation?
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Comments on FauxPlomas and the watering down of college degrees »
I don’t know if Degrees have been valued by British employers at all in the last ten years. The question I would therefore ask is, if you can get away with a fake diploma, then why not?
Personally,
I don’t think that would be pleasing to God and even if there weren’t a moral issue with it - you can bet most people engaging in that activity are going to be found out and probably very embarrassed in the process
Your post made me think of this post: http://alfin2100.blogspot.com/2008/09/is-college-biggest-waste-of-all.html
I think the degrees in general are already being devalued because it has become the standard ‘requirement’ for a white collar job. How do you distinguish between the person who worked hard in college and graduated with a good GPA vs the person who coasted through doing the bare minimum. Both have the same degree.
“Here’s the reality: Everyone in every occupation starts as an apprentice. Those who are good enough become journeymen. The best become master craftsmen. This is as true of business executives and history professors as of chefs and welders. Getting rid of the BA and replacing it with evidence of competence — treating post-secondary education as apprenticeships for everyone — is one way to help us to recognize that common bond.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121858688764535107.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular
How many white collar workers could do their jobs just as well if their 4 year degree was replaced with a few intense courses on using MS office, particularly excel?
I have a 4 year degree that I probably shouldn’t have gotten. The main skills I use in my job, I already had before or I taught myself above and beyond my course work. Yet the idea that I needed a degree to earn a decent living pushed me to get one. If I had continued working full time for the four years of my degree I’d probably be making more right now and would have no student loan debt…
I think in the future certifications in specific skills are going to be more meaningful than college degrees. One reason will be because of these fauxplomas, but another will be because of the glut of people with real degrees that are as nearly as meaningless.
My co-worker just finished one of those “non-traditional” degrees and several other people in the office are going to the same place. This is one of the better ones, not a “faux”, but definately not as many hours as I put in at a ‘traditional’ school. My college does do a lot of evening and weekend classes to accomodate students who are working full time, but the total hours and requirements are the same as for the daytime classes and the classes are taught by the same professors.
Do I resent the fact that she has finished several years before me, has already been promoted over my head - yes. In the end, will my degree be better - I sure hope so. I do know that I have $0 in student loan debt, while she has several tens of thousands. That alone is enough to make it worthwhile for me.
I have a real degree which I’ll sell real cheap.