Elixir or Snake Oil?

In Wolf’s article, “Elixir or Snake Oil? Can Education Really Deliver Growth?” she states, “Might education not be serving, essentially, as a simple way of ranking, screening and selecting people in a mass society? The simple answer to this last question is 'Yes'. Education today is a socially acceptable way of ranking people which most employers would find it hard to do without” (p.28). Initially when reading this statement, I agreed with Wolf’s assertion, but upon further reflection I realized that the answer to this question is not simple at all. I think that education, for certain fields, is essential in order to successfully work in those fields, so obviously education is a must under certain circumstances. For instance, one cannot become a doctor without proper education and one cannot become a firefighter without proper training. If there was a lack of education in these fields, lives would be endangered. I don’t know if education is necessarily a way of “ranking” individuals.

This makes me wonder, if two equally educated individuals were up for the same job, let’s say for a corporate sales or marketing position, would the individual who went to the “better” school of the two and had a few more years of experience get the job? Or would the person who displayed a more friendly, outgoing and assertive attitude get the job? I would think that it would be the latter, considering the type of position. I think that there are ways of ranking individuals, but I also think that employers also choose individuals off of personality, demeanor, and their intuition about the person’s capability to be successful in the role. In other words, this issue is not black and white. Factors other than education are taken into consideration when hiring for any position. I know several people who are exceptionally charming and can maneuver themselves into positions and roles that someone with their same level of education and experience would most likely find it hard to get into.

Reference:

Wolf, A. (2002). Elixir or snake oil? Can education really deliver growth? In A. Wolf (Ed.), Does education matter? Myths about education and economic growth (pp. 13- 55). London: Penguin.