Key EDS Witness Bought Internet Degree 258
An anonymous reader writes "EDS's key witness during the firm's court case against BSkyB was shown to have bought his degree online – but still managed to get a worse mark than a dog. Joe Galloway said he had a degree from Concordia College in the US Virgin Islands and gave detailed evidence on how he took plane journeys between the islands and attended a college there. But while questioning Galloway in court, Mark Howard QC managed to obtain exactly the same degree as Galloway from Concordia College for his dog 'Lulu' with one key difference – the dog got a higher mark."
Re:Diploma mills prove the worthlessness of degree (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Diploma mills prove the worthlessness of degree (Score:2, Interesting)
It's hardly stupid that HR people look for degrees (an indication that the applicant has completed a course of study)
Which is quite meaningless. In this case it's not even true. I remember hearing about a study that found half of the civil service managers hired in the US lied about having a degree... OK it's been a few years and I can't remember the details, but I thought it was worth mentioning 'cuz it's something that I'd never forget). And, just because you go to driving school don't necessarily mean you should be driving. Personally, most people that I've met who have gotten middle-class or managerial jobs have admitted to me that they lied. And guess what, most people who go to school cheat on tests and homework etc (to at least some degree). So nope, going through the motions of making yourself look good on paper doesn't count towards competence.
, good references (an indication that the applicant has performed favorably at their previous job)
Not at all. Most people will lie about references, and the smart people will get their friends to vouche for them. Most employers will either be vindictive (like they were with Richard Barlow [wikipedia.org]) or just give the standard BS to avoid possible libel.
and personality (because, believe it or not, personality counts and in itself is not a negative trait).
Unfortunately you can't judge a person's personality in an interview, even if it lasts a full half hour, that's why even trying to attempt such a feat is bogus. And as I've stated, references are just as bogus.
Most jobs require a combination of different abilities, especially interpersonal skills. In many cases it doesn't matter if you are a genius if you are unable to communicate with your colleagues and work well in a team.
I agree with you here. That's why I'd be more likely to hire insecure people (there is a LOT of research that shows that people who lack confidence are much, much more competent at there jobs than confident people, and yet they don't tend to get hired or promoted. You shouldn't even need to Google information on this; it should be common sense).
I'll give a quick (and far from complete) reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overconfidence_effect [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressive_realism [wikipedia.org]
Re:Diploma mills prove the worthlessness of degree (Score:1, Interesting)
This is coming from someone with multiple degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Oxford.
ROFL multiple degrees from MIT Harvard and Oxford, really. Not one from each place but multiple.
ROFL? I think you could use multiple degrees in remedial reading comprehension. He didn't say multiple from each place; he said that he had multiple degrees and that they came from those three schools. Most likely one from each.
And if you find it implausible that one person could go to three different colleges, please consider: undergraduate (bachelor's), graduate (master's), postgraduate (doctorate). And it's typical for one person to do that at two or three different schools; it's enriching.
Idiot.
Re:Diploma mills prove the worthlessness of degree (Score:3, Interesting)
But there's a lot of stuff that's been indirectly relevant - communication theory kicks in when you start talking about protocols. Database design lets you slap people upside the head for using a spreadsheet for server configurations. Assembly and embedded processor programming gives you a handle on performance analysis for 'black box' devices.
I daily see the difference in perspective my degree has given me - I'm thinking a different way to most of my colleagues who just 'sort of ended up' in IT.
Re:Unfortunately, incorrect (Score:3, Interesting)
It has been estimated roughly that an engineering, science or maths degree from Oxford or Cambridge has a net worth of over $300000
Do you have a source for this claim? In particular I'd like to know what if any steps they are taking to control for the fact that oxbridge takes the cream of Britain's students.
Re:Does it matter? (Score:3, Interesting)
So we should just be tolerating dishonesty?
>What does this say about people who have a real degree that they didn't notice a difference in performance or at the very least that it took so long to find out?
At every place I worked, the good people took up the slack from the bad people. Im sure the competent people there are looking forward to hiring a competent person they no longer have to babysit.
Re:You can't cheat on homework (Score:4, Interesting)
>i>It is not possible to cheat on homework.
I could name at least 7 people who have degrees at
"real" universities because I did _all_ their course work.
You do realize that you are a huge part of the problem, right?