Quite a bit of wisdom in this thread Tobus hit the nail right on the head with how younger people view education. My son is one of few youngsters I know who not only wants to go to college but also is looking forward to it. Then he thinks he may go for USMC OCS. I'm so very happy and proud that he wants to go to school.

I'm all for education. But the OP here is about who is an expert? When I'm looking for an expert, in any field, I'm not looking for credentials. I'm looking for experience and hopefully, references. If I'm going in for surgery, I want the crusty old guy who's done the procedure a few thousand times, not the intern who I know was taught correctly, and maybe did one or two.

I've done drywall one time. And it came out flawlessly because I studied everything I could find on the subject, and I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I am NOT an expert at drywall. I've watched experts. They KNOW what they are doing. I just went through the motions.

Something I learned many years ago after being across several message boards is that everybody is a genius and an expert when they have access to google. In all message boards, it doesn't take long to figure out who really knows what they are talking about, who regurgitates what they've read or heard, and those that enjoy making others feel stupid.

This is one of the few message boards that I've ever found where nearly everyone actually admits their level of knowledge on the subject, even if asked directly, and generally do not BS folks when asked an honest question. That's why I stick around. This a darn great bunch of people with very little pretense. Not easy to find these days.