Credentialism is the bias of over-reliance on credentials regardless of qualification. Conceptually, it's related to the idea that schools and universities create a mindset that equates the credentials to with qualification. For example, a person who has a fake doctorate of medicine might actually get a job, whereas a citizen who has studied medicine for years might would not be allowed to practice in the United States. In probability and statistics, if a bias exists it means that the processes involved are not totally random, or one outcome is favoured over others. ... A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization which awards academic degrees and diplomas with very little or no academic study and without recognition by official accrediting bodies. ...

Simply put, Credentialism is the belief that people are equal to the sum of the abbreviations after their name (PhD, MD, MCSE, etc).

There exists a debate between autodidactics and businesses about qualifications are necessary to effectively do one's job. Some who have the credentials are not qualified, yet some who don't have the necessary credentials qualify. Only the ones with credentials are hired. Often those without credentials may start their own businesses; many corporations on the internet have their roots in this trend. Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. ...

Credentials and practices acquired in one country might be discounted or less respected upon arrival to work in another country, although this is not always the case.

Credentialism as a bias, of late is a major tenet of the Unschooling movement. Unschooling (also sometimes referred to as natural learning, child-led learning, discovery learning, autodidactic learning, or child-directed learning) is the term that means being responsible for your own education. ...

References

• Power in the Highest Degree: Professionals and the Rise of a New Mandarin Order by Charles Derber, William A. Schwartz, Yale Magrass, Oxford University Press, 1990.

• Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich, 1971.
• Disabling Professions by Ivan Illich et. al., 1977.
• The Careless Society : community and its counterfeits by John McKnight, New York: BasicBooks, 1995.
• Confessions of a Medical Heretic by Robert S. Mendelsohn, Chicago: Contemporary books, 1979.