Smart Diploma

Hey @lolatesla. Thanks for sharing your thoughts – can you clarify that please?

@nikita_martynov I once hired a candidate with a (legitimate) Master's in Construction Technology from Georgia Tech to help head up the construction side of an investment company. It turned out that I (finance background) knew more about construction than she did and I've met plenty of people before and since then with no diploma that can manage construction projects in their sleep. I think especially by emphasizing "reputable" institutions this only furthers the social stratification that hinders social mobility. Much like the algorithms that scan resumes for specific keywords, overlooking what could be very promising candidates. I do absolutely agree that there is a need for verification of skills, but a diploma is not that verification in my opinion (having done a lot of hiring). Perhaps on a course by course basis instead of a diploma. For instance, I once took a couple graphic design classes at a community college in CA for fun. Without the diploma, how would I show those acquired skills? I think something that addresses that would be massively valuable and even go towards releasing people from the rigid "4 years or nothing" structure that exists today. (I think Peter Thiel talked at length about this.)

@lolatesla agreed, same story here, when hiring developers we face the problem of forged documentation as well, when coming to an interview we get the idea that candidate haven't finished bootcamp that he showed in the resume. Our goal is to help institutions, especially small schools, to secure their reputation with this solution. Proof of the qualification is another topic, and it might be a great idea to design a solution for that as well.

@nikita_martynov okay but there was no forged documentation in the above scenario. The candidate legitimately had a Masters degree. She just wasn't qualified. I naively placed the value of that degree over experience. I think a lot of people do that because it's just easier. This only furthers that tendency as yet another gatekeeper to social mobility. The people this product is set out to help, as stated in the initial description, are basically the 'poor ivy leaguers who are getting a raw deal because a few people are lying and saying they got a degree from their alma mater' and the lazy HR managers. Sorry if those subsets aren't the first victims of the system that comes to mind when I think "hey, there should be a solution for something broken in the education system." Sorry to sound bitter, but this is a topic that has always been near and dear to my heart and one that I think deserves a lot more critical discourse. My question is: How can you help the people that don't have the financial/institutional/familial/etc support to attend or complete a post-secondary education or by using your skills and platform?

@lolatesla good points. 2 different real problems. “Candidates are faking their certificates” - this is what smart diploma has set to solve. Excited for this. “Institutions give out diploma/certificates do not reflect actual skill acquired” - is the problem you’re looking to solve. I agree, this needs a solution. Having another entity test for actual skill set is reinventing a “diploma”. What we need is a score for “reputability” of an institution, that takes a hit for every “bad candidate with a certificate” and lowers the weight on all certificates issued by the institution. Tougher problem to solve objectively. Definitely worth thinking about.

@theashtube Thanks Ashley, appreciate your feedback!

@igoruphere I have to agree with this one. And I've to add, we live in a project-based economy now. That's not to say that some people don't give more value to diplomas. But as I see it, we are going to be moving increasingly in the direction of project-based economy.

I think that the project is important for corporations and HR - in addition.

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