[quote=paramount]Re: Licensing. The thing you’re not considering car is that many high flying financial careers as an example require an Ivy League or elite education in addition to,the,license. Sorry, that’s some rarified air….it’s MUCH easier to become a garden variety govt worker (cop, etc….) than it would be to graduate from Harvard or other elite school and then go to work for apple or GS.
Way harder IMO. And yes, I was kidding about the cal tech sticker.[/quote]
Another anecdote… I know someone who was on the board of directors at one of the major exchanges. He had made many millions of dollars over his career. NO college degree. And when we would discuss economics, it was clear that even with his extensive trading and market experience, he STILL had very little understanding of the repercussions of various policies and practices. Sorry, not buying the “rarefied air” theory of yours.
Also, I know a few Harvard, Columbia, Brown, etc. graduates. Sure, they’re smart, but no smarter than a lot of non-Ivy-League people out there. Needless to say, I don’t worship these people nearly as much as you do. I have a more realistic view of the world, and know that 1 out of 50 people out there qualify for Mensa — and many of them work in the public sector. Even though they might not have the same motivations and desires, it doesn’t mean that they are any less intelligent or capable than those with Ivy League educations — they are probably less well-connected, though. But I will not revere someone just because they are better connected than others.
I can also assure you that there most certainly are Caltech graduates who work for the government.
