MIT Issued Blockchain Diplomas, But Doesn't Know If Employers Actually Use Them (techtarget.com) 38
dcblogs writes:
Last summer, MIT ran a pilot program creating verifiable, tamper-proof "digital diplomas" for a small number of graduates. But they don't know how the pilot turned out, and there's a lot of experimentation underway. Eventually, all your credentials -- resume, employment history, occupational licenses, diplomas -- may be in a blockchain. The use of blockchain enabled digital credentials is growing. This could speed employment verification, and make lying on resumes harder.
The article points out that while a number of universities are exploring blockchain, MIT "has not heard of a case where a student's digital diploma was either consumed or accepted by an employer," although "Many certificates were verified..."
"MIT's pilot illustrates the state of blockchain in HR. It is in a beta, proof-of-concept, experimental phase. Blockchain verification is currently not a practical option for employers and recruiters."
The article points out that while a number of universities are exploring blockchain, MIT "has not heard of a case where a student's digital diploma was either consumed or accepted by an employer," although "Many certificates were verified..."
"MIT's pilot illustrates the state of blockchain in HR. It is in a beta, proof-of-concept, experimental phase. Blockchain verification is currently not a practical option for employers and recruiters."
Resume Massaging (Score:3, Informative)
Training employees is a foreign concept these days. You have to know the tricks to get hired especially if you aren't well-connected. And if you are well-connected, the resume isn't going to matter all that much anyway.
Re:Resume Massaging (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3)
What exactly is the advantage over digitally signed digital diplomas?
There is not much advantage, but there are a few. A blockchain is basically "distributed trust". So it may be harder to spoof, since verification is done by more than one entity. It would also be possible to revoke diplomas and other credentials as well as issue them. It may be easier for an employer, since they could use a single interface to verify qualifications, rather than acquiring and verifying public keys for every authority. As an applicant, an advantage is that the blockchain is a permanent r
Re: (Score:2)
Why spend 40,000-200,000 and years of your life on something that can be revoked for any reason and might be?
Because it is not going to be revoked for "any reason", but for reasons such as fraud or cheating discovered after graduation. The blockchain would be a permanent record of both the grant and the revocation.
Diplomas can be revoked now, and sometimes are. But there is no easy way for a prospective employer to know that. A blockchain based system would change that.
Re: (Score:2)
and year down the road it's like the certification tests where you need to at your own cost take tests just to keep your certifications good.
Re: (Score:3)
and year down the road it's like the certification tests where you need to at your own cost take tests just to keep your certifications good.
Some certifications must be periodically renewed. That is already true with the existing system, and has nothing whatsoever to do with how the certificate is verified.
Re: (Score:2)
What exactly is the advantage over digitally signed digital diplomas?
So it may be harder to spoof, since verification is done by more than one entity. .
This can't be right? The school that issued you a diploma would be the only entity that can verify/authenticate it, what would other entities would have to do with it? Your resume could have multiple references that would need verification/authentication by separate entities, but each particular one would only be verifiable by one specific entity.
also mom and pop shops are not going to buy in to (Score:2)
also mom and pop shops are not going to buy in to resume block change system.
Hypechain (Score:2)
Blockchain is about a distributed ledger. There's no fucking point for education or employment bona fides to be recorded that way. MIT is the central authority for granting MIT diplomas. Employer X is the central authority for validating job history at Employer X. Each organization has its own private key, signs a digital diploma or job history object, and publishes the public key so those signatures can be validated.
Re: (Score:2)
You don't understand, MIT just found a way to make diplomas transferable! Like, if you have a job where you don't need your diploma, you'll be able to sell it. Or get two diplomas and sell one of them. Imagine the possibilities!
Re: (Score:1)
but but but....
with blockchain you distribute it! So everyone can have a copy of the 500TB employer ledger, the 200TB education ledger, etc.
That seems like a lot. I know! We can have blockchain *providers* who will store all the blockchains for us and then we will query them!
See? Technology solves everything.
Re: (Score:1)
You appear to be correct, this isn't really 'blockchain diploma' it's just a certificate (your diploma) signed by a CA (MIT), so basically PKI, but they get to jump on the blockchain bandwagon by saving the data to BITCOIN's blockchain.... that's some cutting edge research there MIT -roll eyes-
Sources
http://web.mit.edu/registrar/records/certs/digital_faqs.html
http://certificates.media.mit.edu/
Not worth it (Score:2)
These days, only people with ASIC rigs living next to a hydroelectric power station have any chance of mining an Ivy League-class degree. The rest of us with GPU cards and PCs have little hope of scratching out much more than an associate's degree from the local community college.
Re: (Score:2)
but sally loan will get you the cash to run a big farm in Hawaii
Solving a non-problem (Score:2)
Very few people lie to employers about having gone to MIT or any other prestigious US school. Very few of those who do go through the trouble of faking any sort of transcript or diploma, because no one ever checks those except maybe for a first job. If the employer (or their background check agency) does check, they do it by contacting the school.
I suspect more lying about international schools, since employers might find it harder to check. (Maybe more lying outside the US about US schools, for similar
A solution in search of a problem? (Score:2)
This sounds more like another excuse for HR people to not do their actual jobs. If we want to move towards intelligent systems for job screening - and what we currently have even at very high tech employers is most certainly
We do not need an RecertificationTreadmill college (Score:2)
We do not need an Recertification Treadmill for college it costs to much as it is now.
I'm an employer - I don't (Score:2)
The reason people are issuing blockchain diplomas is so that they get a press release. The community college here issues them too, also in an attempt to get press releases, and draw attention to themselves as being blockchain-friendly.
If you have a degree from MIT, it doesn't really matter if it's "printed" on BlockChain, a piece of paper, or human flesh, as long as MIT actually issues it. I'd call up MIT to verify the degree, not process their entire blockchain. I'm happy when I get people with ANY degree
No one checks (Score:2)
No one checks diplomas. A few will call former institutions for verification, but even that's rare. Diplomas generally are only for putting on the wall at a professional's office.
Never, ever (Score:2)
HR departments will never, ever, be able to use blockchain anything. They all like to use proprietary systems for getting resumes, CVs, cover letters, job history, etc, and they'll never settle on anything standard. You start the application process. You are given the option of uploading a CV (which of course contains your job history). The very next page in the application process asks you to enter your job history. And every single company's application pages are completely different. Nothing stand
Who cares? (Score:1)
I've been working in IT full time for around 25 years. I have never once had an employer ask me for proof of my education or a diploma. Literally, never. I've worked for every sort of employer -- development shop, two telecom fortune 50s, healthcare, startups, you name it. None has ever asked for proof.
Traditional PKI (Score:1)
How is this better than Traditional PKI?
MIT could issue diplomas signed by their PKI Certificate and employers can verify it without involving MIT.
How exactly does blockchain help here?