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The schools are not the problem. The student loan system needs revision; specifically, the maximum loan amount and any grants, scholarships, other aid..should be related to the median salary levels, and regional unemployment rate..of the major chosen.
When you see mechanical engineers coming out of college who cannot read a drill and tap chart, a micrometer, and cannot operate a simple program like AutoCAD, one can't help but wonder... What are they teaching in college today??? It's more than just a pre adult daycare infused with copious amounts of drinking and pot smoking. Or at least, that's what it was originally designed to be. Today, many young people make their college choice based on qualities such as social life and the quality of the parties held. Don't know who is to blame for that one, but I find it hard to believe that employers are desperately crying out for graduates with those choice making skills.
Colleges could be doing much more to improve the chances of their graduates success. But really, there's no motivation. Students en mass aren't choosing colleges based on the quality of their science labs or modern engineering software. Hence, there is no incentive for schools to spend vast amounts of funds to revamp their program. So long as college is viewed as the middle ground between childhood bedroom and employment, students will continue enrolling, no matter the expense of the outdated approach to education.
How about teaching some useful skills that are applicable in today's workforce? That's the best way to improve the odds of success post graduation. Of course, that takes initiative, forward thinking, and work... Something many grads are having trouble securing ironically.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtn
We need to stop giving Art History majors in areas without relevent employment prospects the same credit limit for college as STEM or Business majors. By treating them the same, we are allowing them their illogical courses..until the student loans require repayment.
Now they can still choose those less relevent to the job market majors..on their own dime.
Read the counter arguments from the disgruntled STEM grads. It's not difficult to see why many avoid some of these STEM professions. Too much effort for too little reward. So, they lean heavy towards the business management programs... Except, many have never held a formal job and expect a company to hand over a key to the office. Ya, right Mind you, many management positions require advanced knowledge and understanding of the work they are overseeing. That requires something that is not acquired in the classroom... Experience.
Many of these young people would have been better off starting at the bottom in a profession besides retail, and working their way up. Practical experience is what many companies are desperately searching for. You literally cannot operate without it. It would be nice if we could all hang our degrees proudly on the wall as we sit in a desk and tell someone else to do the work. Sign me up. But that's not how the real world operates. You still need people to actually do stuff, and it would help if they knew what the heck they were doing.
When you see mechanical engineers coming out of college who cannot read a drill and tap chart, a micrometer, and cannot operate a simple program like AutoCAD, one can't help but wonder... What are they teaching in college today???
Colleges are not there to serve your narrow purpose, but at their best, they prepare students by showing them how to learn.on a lifelong basis. They are not there to show them how to make the widget.
No, I am saying our median educational attainment has this nation ill preparred for the transition that has already happened.
You haven't documented your claim nor explained how it could have an effect retroactively. And more to the actual point, you are still simply leap-frogging from one failed claim to another. Waste of time.
The schools are not the problem. The student loan system needs revision; specifically, the maximum loan amount and any grants, scholarships, other aid..should be related to the median salary levels, and regional unemployment rate..of the major chosen. We need to stop giving Art History majors in areas without relevent employment prospects the same credit limit for college as STEM or Business majors. By treating them the same, we are allowing them their illogical courses..until the student loans require repayment. Now they can still choose those less relevent to the job market majors..on their own dime.
That's about the worst advice imagineable. Here's some much better advice. Do what you love. Become good at it. The money will find you.
Colleges are not there to serve your narrow purpose, but at their best, they prepare students by showing them how to learn.on a lifelong basis. They are not there to show them how to make the widget.
So humans today must be taught to learn? What's next... Do we need to wipe their behinds well into adulthood? Maybe they'll make an app for that
And I was not just talking about teaching engineers "how to make the widget", at least not the way your thinking, although many of them are learning that aspect today. It's vital for an engineer working in a manufacturing environment to understand the process required to manufacture parts. Design engineers today, just like in the past, must consider these processes when designing, both for price point reasons and it's just good practice. The fact that some mechanical engineers come out of college without any knowledge of measuring equipment or simple drafting experience should allude to trouble in the educational realm... Or at least in the school they chose to attend.
The company my brother works for has long refused to hire fresh grads. Due to difficulty in securing current engineering talent though, they have bit the bullet and hired a few in the past 2 years. The stories recounted from my brother point to an education system that is not so much geared for learning... They are more interested in peddling their most sought after product. The paper with the candidate's name on it. When it's that easy to make a sale, you really don't have to make any fundamental changes to the other features of the product, like the quality of the education, the material covered, the practicality and applicability of the information exchanged...
And I've already submitted evidence pertaining to the reality of our changing private sector. The majority of new job creation is geared towards HS grads, not college grads. Supply does not create the demand. You could give everyone an honorary college degree, and things would stay pretty much the same. This would not change the structure of our job market, economy, or the growth of various industries that create "good jobs".
Quote:
Originally Posted by fairlaker
That's about the worst advice imagineable. Here's some much better advice. Do what you love. Become good at it. The money will find you.
I agree
Far too many are rushing into what they view as the highest paying occupation... Simply for the money. What ends up happening many times is they create a glut, or they overwhelm the few entry level opportunities available. For those who don't snag the remaining jobs, they must move on to something else. This has happened to countless business management grads. They see the insane compensation packages going to management and they want in. Of course, many do not realize that experience is often a requirement prior to acquiring their first "career jobs". So, back to the retail sector they go, waiting for things to change.
Nobodies breaking down doors trying to enter my profession, and that doesn't bother me one bit. Less competition. I doubt Yahoo will be listing my job as one of those "hot careers" anytime soon, and I couldn't be happier.
You haven't documented your claim nor explained how it could have an effect retroactively. And more to the actual point, you are still simply leap-frogging from one failed claim to another. Waste of time.
Global rank drop 1st to 10th = ill prepared.
The World is Flat now, economically. Friedman is correct.
The World is Flat now, economically. Friedman is correct.
If that was the single greatest explanation, Germany would doing terrible and Ireland wouldn't have represented one of the I's in Euro zone "PIIG" countries. Never mind that Denmark and Poland are remarkably productive and stable countries while China and Brazil have been experiencing remarkable growth spurts over the past decade or longer. Oh ya, and Japan? Geez, talk about a country in permanent recession mode.
The fact of the matter is, years of offshoring followed by advances in automation have crippled the working class. Not only that, but they have all but eliminated working class opportunities for young Americans. What happens when young people can't find a job? They go to college. Pretty soon, 90% of the graduating HS classes will be off to college. It's not a sign of good things to come though. It's just a symptom of our stagnant job market.
The fact of the matter is, years of offshoring followed by advances in automation have crippled the working class. Not only that, but they have all but eliminated working class opportunities for young Americans. What happens when young people can't find a job? They go to college. Pretty soon, 90% of the graduating HS classes will be off to college. It's not a sign of good things to come though. It's just a symptom of our stagnant job market.
Our percentage going on to college has stagnated for the last few generations, while much of the world has seen gains.
When others improve, and you don't, you fall behind.
Global rank drop 1st to 10th = ill prepared. The World is Flat now, economically. Friedman is correct.
Still no source? And the "the world is flat" fad is long over. It got some people thinking about things at long last, but the thesis was counter-factual and far too simplistic. The time to move on from that was quite a while ago.
Our percentage going on to college has stagnated for the last few generations, while much of the world has seen gains. When others improve, and you don't, you fall behind.
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Mind you, many management positions require advanced knowledge and understanding of the work they are overseeing. That requires something that is not acquired in the classroom... Experience. 
