A coworker of mine got some kind of Maritime engineering degree. Basically he knows all about designing boats. I’m sure that required other engineering courses because it would explain why he knows the lingo.
It is amazing what people are motivated to do in life. Now that I am no longer – if I can rightly say I ever was – in good standing with this lovely lady who recently passed the Virginia state bar exam, I want to say: if the statistic –
My goodness, I’m just crossing all kinds of lines with this post. “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”
After my fairly horrible experience with statistics; not that I didn’t pass the class. I aced it! But I didn’t learn a dang thing except how to program my calculator to get the answers and to show my work.
I also learned that with the right population, you could prove almost anything. So, generally, and I have always felt, statistics are bunk. About 2 out of every 10 statistics I hear about are skewed big time.
This being said, I have to contradict myself by saying that statistics can give a person a relatively good idea on what a certain outcome might be and therefore is not completely worthless but retains some merit. How’s that for one sentence?
Anyway, back to the lawyer statistic. In a Simpson episode, a truly noteworthy source, it was stated something to the effect that there are about 2 lawyers for everyone in the United States. What great hearsay evidence? I can’t even quote it exactly.
So, I mention here that I am not so awed by someone’s desire to become a lawyer because they’ll still have to stand in the same unemployment line if dreams go bad. I do feel most of these people are over achievers, but my pedestal is not tall enough to truly look down on them.
I've got a rather bland, rubber stamp degree. A paper for the masses. Defiantly not the road less traveled on. But I suppose it is better than one in Communications or the arts.
Posted by Michael at December 15, 2003 05:12 PM