Are you intimidated by someone with a higher education than you?

1. 64

   rutleyposted 12 years ago

   Are you intimidated by someone with a higher education than you?
   
   Do you feel dumber, that you can't compete or just insecure that they know more than you?

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2. 86

   annartposted 12 years ago

   No! Definitely not! Just because someone has a higher education than you, more qualifications, more bits of paper, doesn't mean they are better, more intelligent, more able than you. They might well know more than you about a particular subject but you might know more than they do about something else. I often find that the 'boffins' might be really good at science, philosophy or whatever, but have hardly any common sense; the car stops and they try to find a complicated reason for it instead of looking at the petrol gauge (real-life example)!
   
   People should just feel good about what they can do, what they contribute to their family, their environment, their own well-being and that of those around them. Everyone is worth just as much as the next person. Make the most of what you do know, what you can do and what you aspire to; it doesn't have to depend on those bits of paper in a drawer.

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3. 72

   kschimmelposted 12 years ago

   Not one bit!  I'm married to a Ph.D., so nobody scares me!

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4. 66

   Lastheartposted 12 years ago

   Absolutely not! I learned this from my grandmother with no formally education and was the best with numbers and life wisdom.

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5. 78

   Seeker7posted 12 years ago

   I used to be when very young but certainly not now.
   
   In my working experience I've found that having higher eduction and letters after your name is not an indicator that someone automatically knows what they are talking about. Some folks who have a higher education can do very well academically, but can be quite dumb when it comes to everyday common sense. In addition to this, there are many, very intelligent people who just never got the chance to study at a higher level. So don't let letters after someone's name fool you into thinking that they are either more intelligent or better than you - they're not!

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6. 72

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   No. I am more interested and compelled to make them my best friend. Especially in my major. Then I adore them!

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7. 85

   justateacherposted 12 years ago

   It is not just in the company of someone with a high education than me that I feel intimidated. I feel dumber around those around me with more experience. I have a master's but that doesn't mean that I am smarter than someone with an associate's degree that has been in the education field for two or three times as long as me....

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8. 0

   Kathleen Kerswigposted 12 years ago

   I am going to be honest here. I understand that I "shouldn't" feel intimidated by those who have received higher education than I have. I have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. However, I do become intimidated sometimes. I think I do this because I assume that those with higher education must know more than I do and that is not always true. It turns out that my assumptions get me into trouble at times. I need to have more faith in me, knowing that I am an intelligent woman and I am respected by the people I am with.
   
   I want to thank you for posting this question because it reminds me to remember my positive attributes and I know that I do not need to feel intimidated by anyone. I like the answers here so far - I'm looking forward to reading more.

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9. 59

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   No, not at all.  I have met many people with no formal education who are tremendously smart and intuitive.....and I know way too many people who have advanced degrees who make me wonder how they got those degrees.

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Oooouch!

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10. 60

    eduzmiposted 12 years ago

    I cant say am really intimidated, awed would be a  better term. But it'll largely depend on that person's demeanor.

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11. 0

    msorenssonposted 12 years ago

    There is no reason to be intimidated by anyone..The sun shines on both the sinner and the saint, the prince and the pauper..this is truth

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12. 73

    thesingernurseposted 12 years ago

    Definitely, NOT. Everyone is unique in his own ways. People with Ph.D or Masteral Degree are not better persons than I am, or anyone else. Don't let anyone make you feel you are inferior than he is. It shouldn't be like that. Talking about respect.

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13. 67

    Amy Bechererposted 12 years ago

    I respect those with the determination, drive and due diligence to perservere in their quest for a higher education.  I recognize and appreciate the benefit every man derives from those with the answers.  Humanity would not have the advantages of state-of-the-art medical research and discoveries that enhance our lives. Agriculture, architecture, education, history, the arts would all be less without those in pursuit of higher education.
    
    I do not, however, feel inferior to anyone. As human beings, we are all fallible.  An education does not exempt anyone from making mistakes. I believe in equality.  Although I am incapable of performing a medical procedure, it does not mean I have nothing of value to give to the world.  Every human being is gifted in some aspect and we all have contributions that can make the world a better place. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are some highly educated individuals that are weak or mentally ill and have used their intellect for bad.  An education is not card blanc for superiority.

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14. 60

    KT Banksposted 12 years ago

    I Love people with high educations. Who better than to ask a lot of questions? lol
    And - just because they've gone to school longer, doesn't necessarily mean that they are smarter than me. But I do really enjoy smart people, don't you?

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15. 60

    JSaggsposted 12 years ago

    I used to be. My schooling was not so good. I was bullied in the last 3 years and did not finish the last year. Yes I felt intimidated, not because I felt inferior in the belief of my own knowledge, but more because I had no way to back up my own self belief.
    
    I am middle aged now and no longer do I feel any intimidation. I still hold a belief that many people who have managed to go to higher education and pass think they are somehow better than others.
    
    There has been times in my life when I do not mention I had not gone to University or higher education then my learned friends have made a comment about a lower educated person only to be surprised when I inform them that not only have they insulted that person, judged purely by their educational skills, but that they have also insulted myself for I am not educated.
    
    My son is amazed that I never went on to higher education.
    
    I myself amaze myself at times as well...

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16. 78

    teaches12345posted 12 years ago

    No, I enjoy learning from others regardless of degrees or lack of education. Life itself is an education and many of us hold higher learning credentials through experience.

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17. 67

    rLcasaLmeposted 12 years ago

    People who were dropped out of school.
    
    Thomas Edison
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bill Gates
    Albert Einstein
    John Rockefeller
    Walt Disney
    Richard Branson
    George Burns
    Colonel Sanders
    Charles Dickens
    Elton John
    Ray Kroc
    Harry Houdini
    Ringo Starr
    Princess Diana
    
    This only proves that education isn't everything, your contribution is.

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18. 48

    pmpaustraliaposted 12 years ago

    No. It wouldn't have bothered me had I not cleared school.
    Source: http://www.amacademyonline.com/

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19. 84

    gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

    
    
    Not at all.  In fact, I relish associating w/people who have a higher level of education than I do.  I simply love the intellectual competition and such people help me grow intellectually.  Only an insecure, envious, and/or unintelligent person would be intimidated and threatened by someone who is better educated than h/she is.

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