Advanced Degrees and Cultural Luster

It's often claimed that the fact that American citizens are less likely to pursue advanced degrees, such as Masters and PhD's, proves that Americans are lazy or poorly educated. But what's often not understood is that advanced degrees are generally held in higher regard outside of the US.

Managers of US companies value what they see as "actual productivity" and will usually trade a more productive BS for a lack-luster MS. In most countries, especially Asia, advanced degrees are simply given more esteem compared to the US. This includes more money AND more chicks. Often advanced degrees don't prepare one for the real-world, instead focusing on theory and research. Only a small percentage of advanced degree graduates will actually get a chance to use such esoteric abilities; there's simply not enough openings. Thus, usually end up doing more typical production engineering or programming, meaning their skills are largely wasted.

But this matters less in Asia due to cultural and historical reasons. The advanced degree almost automatically gains one instant esteem there. A detailed study of this cultural phenomenon would make a nice research project. But the end result is that there's less external incentive for Americans to pursue advanced degrees compared to their foreign counterparts.