I can't disagree with
Morgan. Personally, I cheated my way to a college degree. I took about 30-some
CLEP Tests (free while I was on active duty), a few college courses here and there, more or less buffet-style as I was interested or needed to fill in a couple requirements, and then took the rest of my undergrad at
Western Governor's University where all credit is assessment-based rather than credit-hour drudgery.
So college was essentially a credentialing process for me, even more blatantly than it is for most people. Not to say I learned nothing while prepping for these tests and assessments, or even from the occasional class. I definitely would not have learned Korean as fluently as I have without the
Defense Language Institute. I certainly learned a lot of practical and theoretical use in the electronic school at
Keesler. Hell, I even learned a few things in grad school at
Portland State. But I never did the full-time, on-campus "college experience" that everyone claims is so important.
I got the degree because it gets me past the HR watchdogs so my resume actually lands on the desk of someone who I can speak with to demonstrate my competence. College isn't a complete waste of time. It's simply not worth as much as is claimed for it.
