[rsfern]

Maybe I have too optimistic a mindset, but “just be honest” in academia isn’t about being a rule-follower, it’s about not short-changing yourself by coasting though on autopilot instead of learning to think and solve problems for yourself.

Whether that really matters if your goal is to climb the social ladder and have power and influence, I don’t know.

[profmonocle]

Replace "climb the social ladder and have power and influence" with "be able to afford a home, have kids, and go on vacation occasionally."

It's become very difficult to have even a middle class lifestyle without a college degree. Obviously a huge percentage of people there don't want to be.