Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
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There can't be a single Internet user who hasn't received a spam email
that offers to sell you a university degree without all the unnecessary
hassle of actually learning anything.
Most of us realise that these degrees are a scam and not worth the paper
they're printed on, let alone the several hundred dollars often charged.
Unfortunately, it appears that at least one Canadian wasn't quite so
smart.
Believe it or not, John Davy, who was recently appointed to the position of Chief
Executive with the fledgling New Zealand Maori Television Service, used one of
these fake degrees as part of his "credentials."
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Of course, once the nature of his fake MBA was uncovered, Mr Davy was
immediately dismissed from his high-powered position -- but it worked
for a little while eh?
Regardless whether he was otherwise qualified for the job, the fact
that he was either sucked in by the claims of these fake diploma sellers,
or simply chose to act fraudulently obviously disqualified him from playing
with over $100m of taxpayers money.
But if YOU want a fake degree there are still plenty of websites that will
happily accommodate you.
University Services, Corp.
claims that its degrees aren't fake at all. It says that when you buy from them
you are getting a REAL degree from a "legally chartered institution."
To qualify for one of their degrees, all you need (apart from a fat wallet) is
a few years of "work experience" or some classroom experience.
Ante up with just US$325 and you can get a fake (I mean "REAL") bachelors
degree. If you're a bit richer, $550 will get you the type of Masters
Degree you'll need to secure a temporary position with Maori TV.
If you'd like your tenure to last a little longer than just six weeks, you
might want to invest a further $195 to join the "Premier Program" where
someone will field phone calls querying the credibility of your degree and
strengthen the deception.
I bet Mr Davy wishes he'd gone for that option right?
Some sites, such as
FakeDegrees.com
are a little more honest about what they're selling -- and what's more,
they offer a choice of degrees from
four NZ Universities.
What a great way to get temporary tenure in the broadcasting industry while
avoiding one of those burdensome student loans perhaps?
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