Credentialism

Credentialism is the biasof over-reliance on credentials regardless of qualification. Conceptually, it's related to the idea that schools and universities create a mindset that equates the credentials to with qualification. For example, a person who has a fake doctorate of medicinemight actually get a job, whereas a citizen who has studied medicine for years might would not be allowed to practice in the United States.

There exists a debate between autodidacticsand businesses about qualifications are neccessary to effectively do one's job. Some who have the credentials are not qualified, yet some who don't have the necessary credentials qualify. Only the ones with credentials are hired. Often those without credentials may start their own businesses; many corporations on the internet have their roots in this trend.

Credentials and practices acquired in one country might be discounted or less respected upon arrival to work in another country, although this is not always the case.

Credentialism as a bias, of late is a major tenet of the Unschoolingmovement.

References

• Power in the Highest Degree: Professionals and the Rise of a New Mandarin Order by Charles Derber, William A. Schwartz, Yale Magrass, Oxford University Press, 1990.

• Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich, 1971.
• Disabling Professions by Ivan Illich et. al., 1977.
• Confessions of a Medical Heretic by Robert S. Mendelsohn, Chicago: Contemporary books, 1979.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credentialism Wikipedia article Credentialism.