Do a little more work up front, and you can do less/easier work for the same pay down the line. It was mainly a test of deferred gratification.
Now if you are lucky enough to get a good credential, your skids are still greased to some extent.
However I say that credentials used to be a shortcut because now the amount of work it takes to get a decent credential is way higher than it used to be. Is it really a shortcut if getting to the shortcut takes more work than just taking the more common path?
You can look at it from a supply-demand perspective. The easier path is the one with the same demand and less supply. Thirty years ago most people had still not caught on that credentials were the easier path. Now they have so credentials are no longer the easier path.
There is nothing intrinsic about any line of work that makes it always a better option than another. You have to weigh your personal preferences and the supply and demand for each job.
I remember in high school how powerful peer pressure was, but once you reach your late twenties none of that matters anymore.
Do a little more work up front, and you can do less/easier work for the same pay down the line. It was mainly a test of deferred gratification.
Now if you are lucky enough to get a good credential, your skids are still greased to some extent.
However I say that credentials used to be a shortcut because now the amount of work it takes to get a decent credential is way higher than it used to be. Is it really a shortcut if getting to the shortcut takes more work than just taking the more common path?
You can look at it from a supply-demand perspective. The easier path is the one with the same demand and less supply. Thirty years ago most people had still not caught on that credentials were the easier path. Now they have so credentials are no longer the easier path.
There is nothing intrinsic about any line of work that makes it always a better option than another. You have to weigh your personal preferences and the supply and demand for each job.
I remember in high school how powerful peer pressure was, but once you reach your late twenties none of that matters anymore.