Suppose I am a programmer with a degree in Computer Science. As a programmer, I value what I learned in school, at the very least, I value two or three years of it. Suppose, after I graduated, I was told I could not work as a programmer unless I got a degree in theoretical physics, despite the fact that it would be very difficult for me to accomplish relative to the ease of computer science, would be irrelevant to my future jobs, and would cost me four years of lost wages on top of the cost of tuition.
Would you expect me to be happy about this development?
If no, would you interpret my unhappiness as a sign that I’m lazy, anti-intellectual or that I don’t think physics has any value?
If no, what should you say to the man who doesn’t want to get any college degree but is frustrated that employers require it, as getting a degree would be difficult for him to accomplish, irrelevant to his future jobs, and would cost him four years of lost wages on top of the cost of tuition?
Alexander Turok 