How well does school prepare you for the job world?

[lhpartridge]

I, like Mark Twain and many others, see a dichotomy between "education" and "schooling." As man4857 and others have pointed out, schooling is about imparting knowledge and skills, not necessarily about job preparation. Education is more of an individual effort as one is trying to develop oneself as an educated person.

Traditionally, families have taken the primary role in guiding a young person into the working world. Throughout the ages, though, there have been many young people with great ambition but no one to guide them. The most successful of them have either become autodidacts, or they have found great mentors, or both.

Because more schools and universities are enrolling people from backgrounds where the family are unable to provide that kind of support, classes are created with the intent to help develop job skills. Our state has a program to help our students become career-ready, and it has funding and a curriculum to support it.

Job preparation is not the primary goal of schooling though. That is the goal of training. Traditionally the mission of the public schools has been to develop good citizens. The mission of parochial schools is to develop good Catholics. The mission of the private schools varies with the sponsors of the school. To prepare oneself for life is a personal responsibility.

[eric351982]

School doesn't really prepare you for the working world but if you're an honest, hardworking, proactive person you'll be fine. A lot of it is who you know.

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by Ohky0815

My school didnt teach me how to be a SAHM or a nanny. Im a better homeschool teacher than my teachers were in public school. " Oh sally, you want to spend a week digging deeper into Monet? OK!" vs " Sorry, we need to move on now, go to the library and do your own research "...gee thanks.

I mean if Sally were the only kid in my class I would let her too. Unfortunately given that people have children at a high rate yet don't all want to teach themselves classrooms of 25 or 30 are the norm.

[krug]

I graduated in 1982. Along with the basics I learned: respect, how to get along with others, how to handle failure and success, self respect, being on time, paying attention, work ethic. I guess that's why employers want us "oldsters" and disregard the "Millenials"

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by krug

I graduated in 1982. Along with the basics I learned: respect, how to get along with others, how to handle failure and success, self respect, being on time, paying attention, work ethic. I guess that's why employers want us "oldsters" and disregard the "Millenials"

I agree.

I think people have an unrealistic expectation about what public education can do for students. Think about the thousands and thousands of occupations in the United States, from garbage truck driver to brain surgeon. For the most part, schools can't train students for specific occupations. And in fact, it would be a disservice to put kids on some kind of track when they are in middle school, because few middle schoolers know what they really want to do with their lives at age 12 or 13.

Instead, schools prepare students to be a part of our society and culture. When I was a high school junior, I had to choose an English elective. I chose World Drama. To be honest, I didn't like it much. But one night I was watching "The Red Skelton Hour", and my grandmother, who was also watching, said that the 3 part skit that night was kind of crazy. And I said, "Oh no, that's really based on "Macbeth" by Shakespeare", and went on to tell them the basic story of "Macbeth". That's a rather silly, but I think apt example of one learning to be part of the Angle-American dominant culture. Literature, the fine arts, as well as math and science and social studies.

At around 18, more kids are ready to make some long term decisions about careers and jobs. And that's what further education (or a lack thereof) is about.

[fred44]