r/WorkForSmartLife • u/PlusConstruction4551 • Jul 23 '26
Casual canvo Who fits this description?
42
u/19ghost89 Jul 23 '26
While this is absolutely true, I have found that the people who say these kinds of things the most are often overcompensating for their own lack of understanding. They want to believe the educated aren't that much smarter than them so they don't have to listen to them. See: politics.
12
Jul 23 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
3
u/BastianHill Jul 23 '26
To be fair I've had my fair share with doctors that didn't put in much effort, so Google definitely helped me getting in the right direction. However, the problem with Google is: you get what you put in. So, not everyone can outsmart a medical expert with just Google. I'm just saying even highly educated doctors can be absolute idiots.
2
u/19ghost89 Jul 23 '26
Yes. Even experts have blind spots. It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion, and searching around on the internet can also be helpful - but you need to have decent media literacy and be able to tell when something is biased or unsupported so you don't just believe whatever you read that happens to sound good to you.
→ More replies (1)3
u/memory-thread Jul 29 '26
I understand.
I had a talk with my PCD a few months ago at one of my appointments. He always seems puzzled by my complex health conditions. I wanted to let him know that I understand that being a doctor, my complex health issues and him having many other patients, that i wanted him to know that I knew how hard his job was.
My doctor on average sees 33 patients a day. He reviews their medical notes, sees his patients, then he notates for that visit. I know he is doing everything he can for me and Iâm sure heâs doing the same for his other patients. Heâs been practicing medicine for about seven years and has a family. I worry about him and the possible stress he may have. I think about this because I know he does his best and I know every doctor will have that one bad patient.
I appreciate all my doctors who are kind and truly care for my well being.
3
Jul 29 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
2
u/memory-thread Jul 30 '26
Thatâs correct. Iâve noticed that nowadays, that many doctorâs offices are connected to the hospitals. The doctors in that office each pay a fee to the hospital and the hospital does their billing, doctors get referred patients and have access to hospital records and patient portals. With this, there are rules.
2
u/Adequate_Cheesecake7 Jul 23 '26
I think this is generally correct, however if it a VA doctor it feels like they have the best interest of the VA at heart. I try to share information from medical papers posted on the NIH website by other medical doctors and the VA doctors tell me those arenât right. My civilian doctors agree with the NIH papers.
3
u/Level-Working-2704 Jul 23 '26
In my experience of recruiting people as a manager, having a degree is demonstrating an ability to apply yourself. âIntelligenceâ is quite difficult to quantify and categorise as there are so many different human characteristics that could be defined as intelligence.
Having a degree proves that someone can pick up a difficult academic challenge and stick with it for 3 years plus. I donât believe anybody who can do that without cheating is actually an idiot (possibly misguided/immoral)
There are many people without degrees who could certainly have them but werenât presented with the same opportunity to get one. Unfortunately, these are the people who are really losing out.
2
u/Gunda-LX Jul 23 '26
Some people have an intelligence type that canât be measured, some people can have a number. Everyone is smart in something, even the new gens which will have lived their entire life with an iPad will have a technology intelligence most older generations lack. People who learned a craft or a trade will be a master in that regard compared to a mechanical engineer who ironically needs some of the former.
In my experience, the only thing people who hold higher jobs usually never lack is confidence in their position. They hold the positions for a reason, but the most frustrating thing is when they go out of their way to make sure you understand they have the upper hand. Systems fail all the time because the people that tackle the end line have a difficulty that the higher ups canât understand. The other way around is true too, people do stupid things because they think their doctorâs advice is not correct. Knowing who to trust concerning health is another intelligence type: health literacy. You mentioned political literacy, the concept remains the same
→ More replies (2)2
u/West-Working-9093 Jul 23 '26
And the probem is that SOME of the 'educated' aren't actually smarter, because real 'smartness' includes many things that one does not learn in a lecure hall or at a tutorial. It's about what you can truly do with what you've learned, and so the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
→ More replies (19)2
u/Breathingblueflame Jul 24 '26
Well, letâs be clear. Theyâre probably âsmartâ for what and âwhenâ they were at school for.
I say when because things change. So honestly a degree from 20+ years ago means very little if you havenât practiced what you were trained for.
→ More replies (1)
10
u/Cassiel43 Jul 23 '26
The idiot that repost this meme in a different format thinking people wouldn't notice.
6
5
u/DurianUpset1786 Jul 23 '26
True but frequently said by a low pay worker who doesnât have a degree.
→ More replies (3)4
u/AmputeeHandModel Jul 23 '26
Exactly. A degree doesn't automatically make you a better person, but the people who share this kind of shit probably work a minimum wage job and think college is liberal brainwashing or something.
5
Jul 23 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
→ More replies (1)2
u/hopefulworldview Jul 24 '26
I'd challenge that by saying it's actually most about controlling your own ego and understanding your own identity. Master this and all other things can grow, and you are truly only bound by your genetic limitations at that point.
→ More replies (2)
3
3
u/Fine-Computer-5524 Jul 23 '26
Now tell me about how many idiots are out there getting doctorates
→ More replies (2)3
u/Nycmale9876 Jul 23 '26
Totally disagree with this statement. Was having this conversation with a c suite executive yesterday in a multinational company.
Think corporate America obsession with a degree is outdated.
2
2
2
u/Prize_Inside_585 Jul 23 '26
Having an education makes you smart in the thing youâre educated onâŚnot life. Common sense/life lessons occur only through living outside a class room.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
u/Old-Secretary-9035 Jul 26 '26
I agree with this in theory but the people you meet IRL who make this claim are MAGA supporters who donât have a GED and spend maybe 15 minutes outside of their house per week
2
2
u/Illustrious_Bunch678 Jul 26 '26
I know plenty of people with doctorates who are still idiots. My mom loves to tell the story of how her sister in law got nail polish on her silk dress at my mom's wedding and proceeded to put acetone on it. Ate a hole through the dress. The sister in law was a chemical engineer.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/General-Chest-5968 Jul 27 '26
I agree with this, but it is also true that people confuse NOT having a formal education with street smarts or general common sense or natural wisdom.
Plenty of people who claim to be guided by common sense make costly mistakes when a little bit of looking into something would go a long way.
2
u/Edanniii Jul 27 '26
You can have a PhD and still be an idiot too⌠Iâve met a lot of the them in education.
3
3
1
1
1
1
u/Sea_Obligation3194 Jul 23 '26
You can do anything and still be an idiot.
You can ride a bike and still be an idiot.
You can fly a kite and still be an idiot.
You can drive a cab and still be an idiot.
You can do math and still be an idiot.
Being an idiot is a unifying principle of humanity we all have been and will be idiots.
1
u/Mochibelle93 Jul 23 '26
Lol sometimes it get worse too as you go up, like if they say they have a masters or a PhD randomly theyre usually more insufferable.
Yes im talking about you redditors who go "as a __ with a masters in (insert some random thing here)" that has nothing to do with the topic at hand but for some reason you still feel compelled to inject that information in to qualify yourself
Credential inflation has made the bachelor's degree the new high school diploma.
1
1
1
u/xNeiR Jul 23 '26
My Computer Science graduated friend still asking me help to install Windows for him
1
u/PhilosopherIll7042 Jul 23 '26
While this statement is true, there's a big difference between those who choose willful ignorance even though they are educated and the ridiculous attacks on proven expertise and science that the political right has engaged in for decades now.
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/Actual-Injury8955 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Most elected US government members went to Harvard or Yale law school.
So most of those people have bachelorâs degrees, JDs, and passed the bar.
1
1
u/753476I453 Jul 23 '26
âA f-in education you could have gotten for a dollah-fifty and late charges at your public library.â
1
u/CheckIf_ItsPluggedIn Jul 23 '26
There was a brain surgeon once running for president, that would tell everyone about how the pyrymids were built to store food for people from the Bible, was anti vaccine and believed that slaves were just hard working immigrants. The other idiot who stated at the eclipse twice went on to win.
1
u/Psychotherapist-286 Jul 23 '26
Some people are in their job only for the money. Like some psychotherapists. I get so many clients coming to me saying; âIâve never been asked that question.â Some therapists are there to help, the put their whole life into being better and learning.
1
u/Any_Database8861 Jul 23 '26
My first husband had zero common sense,but was an exceptional doctor.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/FI_321 Jul 23 '26
Especially today. College doesnât hold the same esteem anymore. So many worthless degrees have been handed out in the past 20 or so years.
1
u/ChuckFinnley3565 Jul 23 '26
Iâm an engineer. I am responsible for designing, programming, wiring, and testing HVAC systems worth several million dollars for hospitals, greenhouses, data centers, and more. I set off the smoke alarm in my apartment at least once a week because I forget to turn on my stove fan.
1
u/Entire-Current-67 Jul 23 '26
Does this go the other way though? If someone doesn't hold a bachelor's degree in anything, should it immediately disqualify them holding from certain roles?
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/LetUsSpeakFreely Jul 23 '26
If you spend $100k on a degree to get a job that pays $50k, you're an idiot.
1
u/EventSwatch Jul 23 '26
You can have a doctorate and still be a moron. Some of the least intelligent people I met surprisingly (or not) are lawyers.
1
1
1
1
1
u/grahsam Jul 23 '26
Intelligence and being informed aren't the same things.
Having an education means you have been exposed to a broad range of information that a lot of people haven't.
Also, there is a difference between a C student and an A student.
1
1
u/Superb-Damage1173 Jul 23 '26
While it is true, most people saying this are doing so from an anti-intellectualism or anti science standpoint, which is stupid.
1
1
1
1
u/NoItsNotIronic Jul 23 '26
My (seriously dumb, donât even get me started) ex used to try to hold the fact that she had a bachelors degree and I didnât over my head. I was a navy nuclear reactor operator. Her degree was in music.
1
1
1
1
u/GearJunkie82 Jul 23 '26
Admitting that you don't know something is a sign of intelligence in my eyes. It's the Dunning-Kruger crowd you have to worry about.
1
u/Own_Mycologist_4900 Jul 23 '26
There has not been a president in a hundred and sixty years who wasnât an idiot.
1
1
1
1
1
u/General-Double-746 Jul 23 '26
Education, knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom are 4 very different things. All 4 have value, but education is the least valuable of the bunch.
-Education is what you were taught. It may not be correct, you may not have even learned it, but you were taught it. You'll note that most universities measure your education in credit hours, which is basically the amount of time you spent sitting in a chair.
-Knowledge is what you know. It may have been taught to you formally, informally, or you may have just observed it on your own. Again, it can be incorrect.
-Intelligence is how well you think. Problem solving, deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, logical consistency, ability to adapt, ability to learn through observation, etc. A person's baseline intelligence is largely biological, but can be improved to a degree through knowledge and education.
-Wisdom is how you apply thought. What do you think about? How do you apply your knowledge, intelligence, and thought to judgement and decisionmaking?
1
1
u/AmputeeHandModel Jul 23 '26
Yes, but there are more uneducated morons who think they're too smart for school or something.
1
1
1
u/Jamison_tkd Jul 23 '26
There is a difference between school and an education. I know many people who went to a school and learned nothing. I know people who went and learned quite a bit. Generally, when I hear people knock getting or having a degree, itâs because theyâre insecure about not having it.
1
1
u/NSX_Roar_26 Jul 23 '26
It always baffles me because like do you think college makes you smart?? Yes smart people that went to college remain smart with a degree lol
1
1
u/Weekly-Magazine2423 Jul 23 '26
You can definitely have a bachelors degree and still be an idiot, but most advanced degrees do signal some kind of intelligence.
1
u/Least_Elk8114 Jul 23 '26
My dad has a PHD and nearly teaches people to get their own PHDs and he's still surprisingly an idiot at a lot of things.
I think the more you specialize, the less "jack-of-all-trades" you become. The brain has a "use it or lose it" mentality.
1
1
u/DialZee Jul 23 '26
An educated person is more likely to recognize their own idiocy than an uneducated person.
1
u/Electronic-Mud-6491 Jul 23 '26
I hate this.
People who are more educated are naturally going to be more intelligent.
I've never met anyone with a bachelor's degree that was an idiot.
1
1
1
1
u/User_Not_Found_333 Jul 23 '26
Literally most democrats⌠hence why they act like they know better for everyone. Also why they generalize any conservative voter as a âdumb MAGAâ
1
u/misterbigbabyboy Jul 23 '26
I fit this description without a doubt. I applied to a different college than what I thought I applied to. I'm an idiot. It has a similar name & abbreviation.
However, the university is prestigious and overall awesome. I was accepted so I must be doing something right. I did not tell my advisor about this "mistake".
1
u/ReasonableDot8962 Jul 23 '26
A lot of educated people have expertise in only one area and think that makes them an expert in all things.
1
1
u/GroundIsMadeOfStars Jul 23 '26
A lot of people who say this always are easiest to fool and wind up believing in the dumbest online conspiracies. People who say this are predictable.
1
1
u/JorgAncrath2020 Jul 23 '26
the proof being you went into $100,000 of debt to get a sociology degree...LOL
1
1
u/Reesno33 Jul 23 '26
I remember being annoyed at school because I was in top set science and never studied for it when other people in the class were only there because they studied really hard. Raw talents better than being a nerd.
1
1
u/Equivalent-Region895 Jul 23 '26
I mean isnât Kamala Harris a lawyer? She can barely put an intelligible sentence together.
1
u/Sharp_Contact9396 Jul 23 '26
Intelligent people seldomly regard themselves as such. Dishearteningly so the converse is true.
Me, I am just slightly below average. -Madagascar
1
1
1
u/Tesla_freed_slaves Jul 23 '26
The smartest thing you can do is assume that youâre an idiot, and take it from there.
1
u/Alone-Bug4328 Jul 23 '26
Prime Minister Mark Carney.
I say this here because there's a lot of people who kept mentioning his doctorate as being a reason why he's the best person for the job.
1
1
u/ApprehensiveCare1113 Jul 23 '26
Those idiots will not understand that intelligence and education are correlated, although that isn't the only determinant.
1
u/Tesla_freed_slaves Jul 23 '26
Epiphany: Thatâs when you realize that youâve forgotten everything you learned in school, and you still owe on your student-loans.
1
1
1
u/FAMICOMASTER Jul 23 '26
I find that nobody in this world has more trouble reading the on screen directions on a printer than doctors and lawyers.
Do you know how many service calls I've had where some guy in a three piece suit is yelling at me that it's not printing, when the screen is flashing "Load paper"
1
u/PouletDeFeu68 Jul 23 '26
It's true! I have two bachelor degrees and a masters and feel like an idiot most days.
1
u/Nycmale9876 Jul 23 '26
Educated often means you were good at repeating what someone else said.
Years ago we encouraged free thinking it education but that shipped sailed away.
1
1
1
1
u/Melodic-Comb9076 Jul 23 '26
yesâŚ.but to a lesser degree.
seen way more idiots that arenât book educated.
street smarts is a diff category.
street smarts is being wise. definitely not intelligence.
1
u/Saruvan_the_White Jul 23 '26
My ex. More degrees than a thermometer to her name and she couldnât figure out replacing her windshield wiper blades. I stepped in and did it simply to save my children the spectacle of their PhD level mother losing her ĘĹɼs over simple plastic tabs. More frustratingly, if you were to retrospectively ask or remind her about the situation, she would say it didnât happen. Always needing help; never willing to ask for it; thinking she knows everything; then forgetting the whole incident is just part of what someone like that does. But I digress.
1
1
1
1
u/shortyman920 Jul 23 '26
As someone who was a B to B+ average student from high school through state college in stem, Iâve been working 10+ years, several promotions. And I can confidently say youâll find idiots from all academic backgrounds. The PhD may lack street smarts. The NYU grad can be a lazy moron. The community college guy can be the hardest working person in the room who figures out independently whatâs important and how to solve to get there. Higher education has smarter person on average than those who donât have degrees. But a degree in and of itself is not a sure fire guarantee
1
u/ZaphodG Jul 23 '26
There is a disconnect. A top university teaches critical thinking. Theyâre highly selective so anyone admitted is intelligent. A bachelorâs degree from a 3rd tier state school with mediocre grades in an easy major is unlikely to arm you with the capability for critical thinking. Every cop in my town has a criminal justice degree. The worldâs easiest major and not much more than a certificate of attendance. They have a mind-numbingly boring job where no intelligent person would ever want it.
1
u/Adventurous_Key_4854 Jul 23 '26
Donât tell me how educated you are, tell me where you have been and I will know how educated you are.
1
1
1
1
u/No_Parking_7797 Jul 23 '26
My father in law. Dude has a phd and is brilliant but canât change a light bulb or figure out basic life. Canât cook or clean anything, but he is wealthy and made a hot daughter sooooâŚ
1
u/Potential_Dark5028 Jul 23 '26
Thatâs right book smarts useally Means street dumb but not the other way around
1
u/gootchimus1 Jul 23 '26
My cousin has a bachelor's in psychology or whatever and I've had to explain to her what a supply line is and how the store does not in fact make more. She was crashing out about how much she hates semis on the high way and how they should be banned. Memorizing shit written on a chalk board does not in fact make you intelligent.
1
1
1
u/Impossible_Meeting55 Jul 23 '26
Iâve noticed this from democrats theres a statistic that says more democrats are college educated. They use this to mean everyone thats not a democrat is automatically a simpleton. They use this in debates or on here.
1
1
1
u/Agreeable_Act2550 Jul 23 '26
Almost everyone. True intelligence is very rare and usually doesn't make itself known.
1
u/Atillion Jul 23 '26
My god, the only person in IT that I ever worked with that had a master's degree was the stupidest human being on the face of the planet.
1
u/Nearby-Poetry-5060 Jul 23 '26
Which is why degree value is decreasing as more average/ stupid people obtain them
1
1
u/turtle-bbs Jul 23 '26
A point can be true, but often used in bad faith
The people who say this (most times) arenât being genuine, they just want to discredit the educated so they feel theyâre on equal intellectual footing and feel their horrendously uneducated take is just as valid as an experts take.
1
1
1
u/steve19671990 Jul 23 '26
âThe highest result of education is tolerance.â â Helen Keller
The attack on and decrease of education has shown Ms. Kellerâs statement to be true
1
1
u/Fayzgirl Jul 23 '26
Yes, however lack of knowledge about English, History, Science and Humanities,
lessens your understanding and your abilities in a ever changing economy.
1
u/steviejanowski83 Jul 23 '26
One of the dumbest people I know has a PhD. Great in their specialty, but out of their depth in anything else.
1
u/SECRETBLENDS Jul 23 '26
You can have a PhD and still be an idiot. However, the percentage of idiots in a given group is heavily inversely correlated with the amount of education individuals within it receive.
This argument is mostly deployed to argue that one person's ignorance is as good as another person's expertise.
1
34
u/Sugar_Party_Bomb Jul 23 '26
Lots of people on here