Scott Walker doesn't have a college degree.

[Maxwell]

Generally a college degree is better, but it seems he's already done a lot in his life without a college degree, so I think that makes me care a little less.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Most decent jobs require at least a Bachelor's degree, but President shouldn't? Come on.

This. There are a millions of unemployed people with Bachelor's degrees.

A Cruz vs. Walker primary could expose some interesting divisions in the party.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Most decent jobs require at least a Bachelor's degree, but President shouldn't? Come on.

This. There are a millions of unemployed people with Bachelor's degrees.

A Cruz vs. Walker primary could expose some interesting divisions in the party.

Good news for Christie.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Neither do I. What of it?

[RogueBeaver]

This isn't news, nor will it make a difference in voting.

[Link]

Wonder how far black people with no college degree get?

I wasn't planning on voting for him anyway and he will never be president but yeah that's a huge negative.  The guy never finished school and spent almost the entirety of his adult life doing nothing but politicking?  Seriously who doesn't finish college?  Great role model.  I could understand if he was Bill Gates but politics?!

If Scott Walker is going to rail against teachers and denigrate them he should at least have credentials that are equivalent.  So the only thing this guy has completed in life is a campaign?!

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

Probably not a lot considering he managed to become a state governor despite that.

Dropping out of college because one got a job offer used to be a relatively normal thing to do. Of course now, no one gets job offers in college and if they do it is contingent on finishing one's degree first.

[useful idiot]

I wonder how this will affect his results with middle class, rust belt, blue collar types (without degrees). It's possible they'll more closely identify with Walker because of this. The last President with no degree was Truman.

Only dumbs base their vote on that.

If it wasn't for the "cares about people like me" demo, Obama would have lost in a landslide. Whether they're dumb or not, people who base their vote on superficial personality traits or perceived similarities with a candidate are majorities in both parties.

Its how a guy who was elected to the senate like the day before, had no major accomplishments, and positions hardly different from his competitor could beat a seasoned senator with a long list of accomplishments and a political genius for a spouse. People voted for him almost exclusively because he was a) like me (black primary voters) or b) was a "cool" guy. Of course the general is going to be a little more substantive (not much), but the primaries are always a Miss America pageant, and once it gets to the GE the degree issue isn't going to matter.

[Mordecai]

http://swampland.time.com/2013/11/19/wisconsin-gov-scott-walker-a-2016-contender-but-not-a-college-graduate/?iid=sl-article-mostpop1

Is this a negative, irrelevant, or a positive?

Irrelevant. He's 46 years old, there are other things that should be looked at first before a college degree (like being a state governor). He dropped out to work for IBM and the American Red Cross, so it's not like he flunked out. Not voting for him just because he doesn't have a college degree is a pretty weak excuse.

Lol at people saying this makes him "less qualified". I guess Romney should have been President instead of Obama, because Romney had three degrees and Obama only had two?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yes, I mean, hey let's dump Walker as a prospect and stick with guys who graduated from Yale and Harvard Business School........Right?

Silly thread.

[Tender Branson]

Our Chancellor has no college degree either ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Faymann#Early_life_and_education

[Cobbler]

Lol at people saying this makes him "less qualified". I guess Romney should have been President instead of Obama, because Romney had three degrees and Obama only had two?

The idea isn't that the more degrees you have, the more qualified you are. It is about setting a minimum standard that qualifies you to run for president. Some believe that in most cases, they should at least have a college degree (like many private sector jobs do).

Obviously it shouldn't be the only thing to look at, as their career experiences should weigh more heavily, but honestly, the GOP is already considered the anti-intellectual party, and it doesn't help that image to have someone as your candidate that didn't finish college. The reasons for dropping out seem decent in this situation, but it still won't look good.

IMO, unless they have shown in their career to be an exceptionally bright person (whether through the private sector or a long/effective career in government), then I'd have a hard time voting for a candidate without a degree. I don't want "Average Joe" running the most powerful country in the entire world, I want them to be intelligent and capable and at least on paper, a college degree is one way that indicates that more than a lack of one.

[The Dowager Mod]

So?

[Mordecai]

Lol at people saying this makes him "less qualified". I guess Romney should have been President instead of Obama, because Romney had three degrees and Obama only had two?

The idea isn't that the more degrees you have, the more qualified you are. It is about setting a minimum standard that qualifies you to run for president. Some believe that in most cases, they should at least have a college degree (like many private sector jobs do).

Yeah but the logical extension of that idea is more degrees = more qualified. If, as some people in this thread have posited, the bachelor's degree is the baseline, wouldn't you then want to be looking for people with postgraduate education (above the baseline) as opposed to just a bachelor's?

IMO, unless they have shown in their career to be an exceptionally bright person (whether through the private sector or a long/effective career in government), then I'd have a hard time voting for a candidate without a degree. I don't want "Average Joe" running the most powerful country in the entire world, I want them to be intelligent and capable and at least on paper, a college degree is one way that indicates that more than a lack of one.

If a person with no college degree won the Republican (or Democratic) Party nomination for President, then that would practically ensure they were exceptional. Otherwise, they wouldn't have won the nomination.

[Bacon King]

I agree with the principle that the President should have a college degree but I think Walker's enough of an exception. He went to college for four years, working part time at IBM while he was in college. They offered him a full time job during his senior year so he dropped out and took it since it was the job he was hoping to get after he graduated anyway.

[Cobbler]

Yeah but the logical extension of that idea is more degrees = more qualified. If, as some people in this thread have posited, the bachelor's degree is the baseline, wouldn't you then want to be looking for people with postgraduate education (above the baseline) as opposed to just a bachelor's?

No, because that would be moving the baseline up. Post graduate education is definitely a plus in my opinion, because it solidifies the academic credentials they have. But that would be part of a larger resume that would include experience as well (which, for a lot of people, will in a way be dependent on their college degree, since many professional jobs require one) Education is just a part of the resume, but it is still an important part regardless and shouldn't be dismissed just because some people dislike "elitism."

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No, it wouldn't. Campaigning/getting votes does not reflect your ability to be a good President, and it certainly doesn't indicate that you are an exceptionally intelligent or capable individual. A lot of elections have personal charisma/likability and style playing a huge role in the success of the candidate, not necessarily substance.

[Link]

I agree with the principle that the President should have a college degree but I think Walker's enough of an exception. He went to college for four years, working part time at IBM while he was in college. They offered him a full time job during his senior year so he dropped out and took it since it was the job he was hoping to get after he graduated anyway.

Robert Byrd in the 60s...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd

No excuse.  What kind of example are we setting for our children?  What big important job was Walker doing that was more important than being a Senator?

I've had multiple conversations with friends of mine from $h-tty third world countries and they marvel at how little Americans value education.  Those guys work three jobs and still make dean's list while throwing some pretty crazy parties.



I guess Walker couldn't get a degree because of public schools, teachers' unions, and reverse racism.

Yeah but the logical extension of that idea is more degrees = more qualified.

That's like saying if you give a starving homeless guy a sandwich that means you also want to feed people sandwiches until they are morbidly obese.  Look up the law of diminishing return and marginal utility.  This is why people need to go to school.

[TJ in Oregon]

Interesting bit of trivia; I never knew it.

They say your degree helps you a lot to get your first job and matters little after that. I think in Walker's case the adage holds true.

[Brewer]

I certainly wouldn't vote for him college degree or not, but I could honestly care less about whether or not he has received a college education. This is really irrelevant, IMO.

[Link]

Interesting bit of trivia; I never knew it.

They say your degree helps you a lot to get your first job and matters little after that.

It depends on what you do.  If you are talking about six figure professions in many cases you are legally barred from even getting an entry level position without a degree.

It's weird that on this forum the majority of people in the high school graduation thread screamed bloody murder when I suggested it would make sense to allow people to exit academic education to pursue trade school but now people are okay with the president of the United States being a college drop out.  Do people not realize that a US university degree is far more solid than the almost meaningless high school diplomas we hand out like candy?  Why would people demand a burger flipper at McDonald's have a worthless high school diploma and shrug off a presidential candidate dropping out of college?

[Bacon King]

Link, could you please list the substantive differences between a hypothetical President Scott Walker and a hypothetical President Scott Walker who didn't get the IBM job and stayed enrolled in college for his last three months?

[Link]

Link, could you please list the substantive differences between a hypothetical President Scott Walker and a hypothetical President Scott Walker who didn't get the IBM job and stayed enrolled in college for his last three months?

He could set an example for one.  How can we tell the youth of the country to finish their education or in fact to commit and finish what you started if the President can't even do it?  I just really think for someone that has railed against teachers who are trying to educate our children this is a very poor showing.

And you also know full well he could have taken classes in night school.  But he didn't.  It's an attitude.  Which is fine.  I could be friends with someone like that.  But if they were asking me for an endorsement for such an important and high profile position I would say finish school man.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I'm not a huge Walker fan, but this fact makes me substantially more likely to support him.

I hope that his opponents make this an issue - a lot of Americans would rise up in his defense.

Massive negative. I wouldn't vote for a federal or statewide politician without a Bachelor's degree. I'm sure much of the education industry shares my sentiment.

Fixed.

[Link]

I hope that his opponents make this an issue - a lot of Americans would rise up in his defense.

Sadly this film is a documentary...

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I hope that his opponents make this an issue - a lot of Americans would rise up in his defense.

Sadly this film is a documentary...

Well sure, because everyone who couldn't afford to go to college is dumb.  Going into tens of thousands of dollars of debt for a $2 piece of paper makes you really smart.  I'm sure glad we have such smart people running our country.  How much is our national debt again?