TheParagon-Education

There are some of us with dreams and this allows for aspirations, some are seeking the ultimate golden ticket for a better lifestyle and future! We are all looking for that. (Unfortunately; the prior examples are exposed to us for all to see e.g. We only have to see our politicians today to understand this, a grabbed opportunity at someone else’s expense, or the expense of the people, a Nation where do the ‘people’ draw the line? There’s the opportunity given on the platter because someone was born into the aristocracy, whilst; for the likes of us ‘Minions,’ a survival mechanism or of self-preservation tactics are the order of the day. For many of us it can be a short-cut, based upon impatience or down to the short-term of office tenure and what can be done within the given time) … These elements or the combination of all that has been mentioned; are required within the business or commercial world, it is considered as being part of the contents of one’s career toolbox, where money is ‘King’ or classed as a ‘Divinity. If a businessman suggests they are ‘honest’, one needs to be very wary of them, they are fooling themselves and others, or they either lack knowledge, are ignorant of the business world, or education, experience or have no moral foundation, in terms they may be delusional, or even narcissistical, for an honest businessman does not exist, no such animal! The word ‘honesty’ is a word chosen at random from a dictionary, it is chosen so one can feel better within oneself and suggests they have a personal conscience. If they do really believe they are honest, they will not be in business for long or to be able to get anything done, as honest rules can grey out the machinery or processes and progress for profit and gain. It is a bureaucratic red tape minefield and this does not apply to those in the know and they can and will dodge or circumvent these obstacles! Hence, we have mindless bureaucrats! … (In this case, it is what you know, who you know and knowing those that also know, ‘The old Boys Network!) The world has been pre-programmed over millennia to accept certain behaviours, rules and practices, especially for those in business or anywhere one is to make money, it started with bartering and has become a sophisticated art form to getting the right deal at the right price. The name of the game and emphasis is: ‘Don’t get caught out or found out, otherwise one will pay the Piper, an ultimate price, especially if you don’t know anybody’… (hence we see today, bias judges, bureaucrats, the media, big tech, bankers, sources to name a few) and there will be no one in your corner, another case of learning to be streetwise and self-aware, as self-preservation or survival of the fittest becomes important and paramount.

So, what are qualifications worth to those that seek them? As previously suggested, they are just pieces of paper, with a glorified title and a name on it, limited to certain areas of professions, some may even have transferable skills, nothing more and nothing less, however; the powers that be, decide whether to give them commercial value, a little like money, (not for resale) they can be considered to be a form of currency, but with a sliding value. To an employer, they can vary and change their value according to an employer’s needs; remembering the rules were written by those with ‘power’ and according to what an employer can get away with, concerning the job that is on offer. The first and major consideration is an employee’s value and salary. Some businesses may be required to pay for the prestige of someone being ‘qualified’ within a particular area e.g., to meet legal requirements. On the other hand, an employer may not have any qualification themselves and it can become a situation of the employer’s self-preservation in terms of: ‘They see you as being more qualified than they’! They will consider you as an asset or potential competition or a threat, someone after their job perhaps?’ This is a common scenario and therefore is an academic exercise that will unofficially bar any potential employee from the job… This of course works from the very top, down as designed, unless one’s face fits and you are part of their club and allowances can be negotiated or made in accordance.

I consider the following as important. To those that collect or have qualifications as if like collecting postage stamps, it is a means for one, to perhaps measure or gauge one’s self-worth, personal attainment, working level, mostly for the sake of personal satisfaction of achievement, regardless of what else is on offer. If it helps one to get a job then it can be a bonus. By accomplishing certain levels, one can ascertain the effort, the time of study towards the objective, appreciating it was not just down to a fluke and one is satisfied with the result, according to one’s own ability. (As long as the sliding scale is at the set level by the status quo, it can work for you in a small way, noting to the possibility of the recognition by a non-corrupt organisation for the duration, (preferably for one’s working lifetime; if one is lucky!)

It can also be seen as a fair means of evaluation and recognition for a course of study accomplished. This is until one is required to update time-sensitive qualifications of course, (this process of updating, helps the aristocracy or the ‘blind sheep,’ the herd of the Civil Service to bump up their department coffers through in-direct taxes to improve or replace unmonitored incompetence of their over departmental expenditures (one is being generous here) or if a private sponsor, an increase in their coffers, or bottom line, to also improving lifestyles, or unwarranted salary rises. We can all agree there are usually a shortfall of government funding for these varied reasons, it can also reflect politician party’s’ views on what value they place on qualifications as being one of many topics on the whole.

Those of us amongst the ’working classes of society or …us Minion’s!’ (We should also note: There are those from the top five universities within the UK of course), they can offer places to foreign students that can also bring in wealth to government coffers and institutions, reducing spaces for potentially home-grown students that would require higher salaries after graduation, remembering that home grown talent is subsidised in some costs for courses and accommodation, this, lessoning the Government Coffers and over all GDP and bottom line of the educational institutions.

This sort of short-sightedness is a ‘sticky plaster’ to an internal haemorrhage withing the British Education System and can be seen right across the board of Industry and Commerce to name just two of a list. Some can see it as aristocracy self-gratification gravy train for their generation and beyond if they can stretch it.
There are also wealthy families in the UK that can also be cannibalised by the system in terms of a survival strategy, where necessary by certain establishments or institutions, but this is understood by those in positions of power and are aware when the situation is required for them to fall on their sword, so-to-speak in regards to protecting traditions, even though they will be kicking and screaming on the way down.

On the whole, qualifications are placed into the national consciousness or databank as being valuable, according to the trends of the day, (however, compared to other countries, courses and qualifications are issued as if like confetti in the UK, this is to help blur the lines, as to encourage further income, this is done via the establishment control on numbers and considered just as important and with the concept of ‘Bums on Seats helps to quantify this idea...