Fun with Excel: Credentialism V

I have been showing how credentialism can help signal capable individuals, while being far from ideal. For the most part, I have been way too kind to the schools. I have decided to run one final spreadsheet along this category to show how problematic credentials can be when you acknowledge that schools aim for attainable rather than average.


I'm not going to spend to much time explaining everything all over again. This latest spreadsheet can be found at: Credentialism V.xlsx

This latest spreadsheet is based on the idea that credentials require potential better than the median and schooling skills above the median. From there, I looked at the skill level that would be obtained if the schools aimed for attainable. The attainable level was based on the minimum potential * schooling skill in this batch.

What shows up? In this case, the numbers from credentialed individuals are consistently very weak. In all fairness, I'm comparing against potential, which can reach numerous limitations outside of a schooling environment. The purpose of this spreadsheet isn't to maximize realism. I'm just trying to show that credentials don't necessarily put highly skilled individuals ahead of lesser skilled individuals.