Skills gap: A boiling point? (licenses, interviewed, application, non profit)
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I agree with this. In a lot of respects, we are becoming a nation of paper pushers, low wage, low value added service employees, and people who are pushing BS from one place to another. I have a decent job as one of those BS pushers, but I don't feel like I'm personally contributing anything meaningful to society through my work.
I'm one of those paper investors I feel like I'm contributing to society
I've lived in Japan. Perhaps if we had an education system similar to theirs we'd be better off for it. They don't do all the mindless government testing over there, there are no sports teams, children don't spend all their time in church youth groups or waving pompoms or chasing footballs. Parents over there have the attitude that a child's job is school. And school is the learning part, not the Key Club part, the school choir, youth group, ballet, football and all the other junk American kids do. And they don't focus on Harvard either. They focus on learning, and being good at it.
Japanese children approach school like its their 9-5 job. Do good at it and get rewards. And its the school part - math, reading, writing, arithmetic, science, history - the book learning parts that they focus on. Japanese kids only do extracurricular sports if it fits in with their job. And only if. They approach extracurriculars like an American adult would. And their prize isn't an Ivy league college. Its doing their "job" right.
American kids by contrast are taught school is grunt work, its drudgery, it will allegedly prepare you for adulthood. American kids get less and less book learning and more standardized federal tests, sports, clubs, church crap, busywork, and the more gifted ones are always told to focus on Harvard or similar schools. The focus is not learning. Its getting into an Ivy and wasting time that could be studying on frivolous crap.
The difference between Japanese and American schools is like night and day. And the reason you see even American kids of South and East Asian ancestry doing so well is their parents STILL have that mindset.
When I went to high school here in the states, I was one of few students whose senior year actually had serious classes in it - most of my peers were in released time (I went to high school in Utah) which is religious instruction, cheerleading, newspaper, student government, yearbook, choir, football, and other "classes" that students would take for their sports and other extracurriculars. From a Japanese mindset senior year at my high school was a huge waste of time and resources. A Japanese kid would be booked solid with advanced courses.
If American kids were given the chance to treat school like their 9-5 job and go to an environment that was focused entirely on learning - not sports, church, tests, and all the other garbage we have in this country - we'd probably be more like those Asian countries people love to whine about in terms of how our kids learn.
They are also not allowed cop-out excuses like "I can't draw" or "I'm not a math person." When the expectation is that school is a job, you try, even when its not your thing.
You do realize it's possible for children to get this caliper of education in the US? It's called private schools and homeschooling. Homeschooled children's education is often some of the most rigorous educational curriculum out there. In that case, the parents are actually invested in ensuring their children are learning and retaining, and applying their education.
Why is it a problem if children have extracurriculars or have church related activities? Those are not the problem in themselves-- it's the parents not guiding their children to treat education as their focus.
I think this is a double edged comment. The simple truth is that far too many college graduates pursued degrees that either hold little value or failed to search our internships or a minor that could bring value to a degree that is not conventionally in demand. The days of 'any' college degree being a direct gateway to lifetime employment ended before I even stepped foot on a campus. And on the flip side among my friends the most brutal circumstance has been to have a degree with a very specific focus at a time or in an area where that need cratered- architecture and law were both horrible during the recession in my area. Building dried up which left literally 1/3 of the existing architects/designers/project managers unemployed. And a local law school opened and pumped countless lawyers into a job market that had not lacked for lawyers.
But I do agree it is insane the number of employers (big and small) who do not provide any training. And are gobsmacked when employees do not perform as they expect.
Your comment now leads me to make another point:
Many college students want to obtain the necessary skills for employment, and they want to have an internship or work experience under their belt. The problem is, there are very few opportunities! Many are told to just go to graduate school-- how is that a solution? When many students at my alma mater sought advice from grad students and their professors, that's what they were told. This was in spite of the fact many said they wanted to work before taking on another educational venture, taking on loans, and delaying financial stability. All of these points went into one ear and out the other.
The scant opportunities available are highly competitive. Even more so than getting a regular full-time job. What's the solution there?
I also don't think most students are getting any degree. It's common sense (or should be) to know a degree in theater, dance, women's studies, or something like that isn't going to bring money in or put food on the table. I mean, what could you possibly learn that would be valuable to an employer?
Do you honestly believe that every single "Harvard MBA" is useless? Your generalization is as fair as one that says that Manufacturing companies are their own worst enemies since they are stuck in a the 80s, and refuse to adapt.
Problem is just bit more complex than "purists" on either side like to admit. For every single clueless paper pusher there is a clueless senior exec who pushes " American Quality" as his/her winning move. Both are out of touch with reality.
I don't blame her for feeling that way. A lot of Harvard MBAs come from a narrow background and often do not understand the businesses that the vast majority of the people work in. Most Harvard MBAs come from high finance such as Private Equity and Investment Banking, management consulting such as firms like McKinsey, and high tech startups and most also graduate to work in these industries. While these are very prestigious companies to work for, the skills that they develop there aren't really relevant to the kind of management skills that are needed for manufacturing or for other older industries. Investment Banking for example at the highest level emphasizes sales skills in which the Managing Director tries to convince the CEO of a large company to acquire a small company, which is a skill that is hardly relevant to managing the engineering operations of a large manufacturing firm. You can bring up management consulting as a field which is relevant but again most management consultants just work as a third party to give advice to the CEO of a large company, which again isn't the same as directly managing a group of people at the firm.
This is a great thread. I, too, have noticed an increasing disconnect and insulation between management and workers. My take is that there arent enough people with high enough income to buy anything! Many of our problems can be traced back to this root cause.
Maybe if people were sometimes hired they would pick up certain skills. You to get experience you need to get hired. Some other skills come from training programs.
Maybe if people were sometimes hired they would pick up certain skills. You to get experience you need to get hired. Some other skills come from training programs.
Absolutely true. It has traditionally been the American way.
High skill jobs can take years to master though. Most managers do not realize that training skilled labor is a long term commitment. It can take years to see any payout. Wall street demands faster ROI. Hence, the situation can't improve. Small business account for 3/4th of job creation. They certainly don't have the money, or the tolerance for risk to take on the burden.
America loses in the end. Young Americans at least deserve the opportunity to develop useful skills that have marketable value. That's something previous generations could always depend on.
Many college students want to obtain the necessary skills for employment, and they want to have an internship or work experience under their belt. The problem is, there are very few opportunities! Many are told to just go to graduate school-- how is that a solution? When many students at my alma mater sought advice from grad students and their professors, that's what they were told. This was in spite of the fact many said they wanted to work before taking on another educational venture, taking on loans, and delaying financial stability. All of these points went into one ear and out the other.
Why do you think young adults should count on other students/professors for advice on job experience? Why not ask the co-workers at the jobs they are already working?
The professors are good for networking help, but beyond that, I'm not sure if their job advice is that helpful, remember they are teachers, their job experience revolves around teaching...
andywire"Young Americans at least deserve the opportunity to develop useful skills that have marketable value. That's something previous generations could always depend on."
They still can, on their dime, if they deem themselves worthy of investing in.
Tariffs, enforcing the Sherman Anti-Trust act domestically, done.
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I feel like I'm contributing to society
