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Note that "Critical Thinking" also will be picked up when majoring in:
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Materials Science
Chemistry
Physics
Aerronautical Engineering
Mathematics
Economics
Industrial Engineering
Civil Engineering
Structural Engineering
Computer Engineering
Software Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
Automotive Engineering
The choice of major provides the employer with a signal about the job-seeker. That signal contains information. Did the student major & excel in a difficult major? Did the student instead pursue a fuzzy major but was an "animal house" style student? Did the student work full-time & support a family while attending school? These signals matter. ...
And here's the problem with making lists of degrees for any reason. People will argue why their degree belongs on the good list and not the bad list, for any degree. I don't see geology on your list. Am I not a critical thinker? Does a civil engineer think more critically than a scientist who tries to identify where the ore will be based on surface mapping and subsurface drill cores? Do I think more critically than the person who studied social work and tried to identify potential trends leading to domestic problems?
No.
It's not the degree, but rather the student. I have an old roommate who studied mechanical engineering and spends all of his free time playing PS4. He just happens to be really good at math, so he can pass the classes with relative ease. I studied geology, Sheldon Cooper would scoff at that, but I did tons of studying and researching for technical papers. Am I less of a critical thinker because of my degree? Is old roommate a critical thinker because he has an engineering degree and a passable knowledge of how to run a Ti-89?
The system in Europe would never fly in the US. Kids are meticulously tracked, starting in elementary school, and only the smartest go to University. They also must apply themselves or they are kicked out of the top tier. All of the rest of the kids are divided into skilled labor and unskilled labor pools, again based on test scores and behavior. There are no exceptions. Appeals are only allowed by proving a factual error. If your kid scores low or "acts out," he digs ditches for life. Period.
The outcry here would be unbelievable. You can quickly see how it would become politically problematic by analyzing the US testing (like the 2012 SAT results) score demographics into three parts.
Of course you realize... Those other countries that provide "free" education also ration it off very carefully. Not everyone goes to college. Not even half. Maybe the top quarter are allowed a free ride. After that, if a student wants to attend, either they work for it, or their parents pay for it. By and large though, only the brightest and most capable can go to college. And some countries go a step further by telling students what they will study... That way, 90% don't graduate with a degree in law, thoroughly destroying the value of the degree.
Personally, I think this is a great arrangement. We won't be encouraging the bottom cohort to take on thousands of dollars worth of debt for a pursuit they are ill qualified for. The way the system operates today, we are only allowing them to cripple themselves financially, and for a long time.
It's really not rationed off quite that carefully, as other nations have between 33 and 50% of graduates going to college, while we have about 66% (though of a lower percentage of high school graduates) going on to University study.
Still, I absolutely do agree that not every student should go to college. There really are ability gaps, and technical training is a better option for some, etc...
The system in Europe would never fly in the US. Kids are meticulously tracked, starting in elementary school, and only the smartest go to University. They also must apply themselves or they are kicked out of the top tier. All of the rest of the kids are divided into skilled labor and unskilled labor pools, again based on test scores and behavior. There are no exceptions. Appeals are only allowed by proving a factual error. If your kid scores low or "acts out," he digs ditches for life. Period.
The outcry here would be unbelievable. You can quickly see how it would become politically problematic by analyzing the US testing (like the 2012 SAT results) score demographics into three parts.
I'm not too familiar with education in Europe, but this sounds reasonable to me. Forcing everybody to go at the same pace, regardless of talent or ability, is a terrible idea. Not everybody can be above average. Accept it and move on. Give everybody an appropriate education.
That really is awful advice. Millions of underemployed liberal arts grads who are trying to pay back their loans on a barista salary stand as a testament to just how terrible that advice is.
No, it's excellent advice, often resented by those who didn't follow it. There are few worse ways to waste a lifetime than being chained to an endless repetition of days at work you don't actually like but thought would be remunerative simply because you can't any longer afford to give up the healthcare, or your house, or the college and retirement funds on which any hope of eventually salvaging some happiness now depend. It's a very poor choice indeed that leads people by the untold thousands down such a very sorry path.
Meanwhile, those who do what they love are excited about and invested in their work. Rising to the head of the class or the top of their fields seems almost effortless to them. They enjoy it. Every day. "I feel bad about taking the money. I'd be happy doing this even if they didn't pay me." How often have you heard that from someone who tried to monetize his life? And make no mistake, the money does indeed find those at the top of virtually any field. Enough to buy a private island in the South Pacific? Probably not. Enough to make life a rewarding and thrilling adventure? Probably so.
Think long and hard about these choices while you can. For the most part, you only get one shot at this.
Last edited by VendorDude; 05-05-2014 at 05:29 PM..
It's really not rationed off quite that carefully, as other nations have between 33 and 50% of graduates going to college, while we have about 66% (though of a lower percentage of high school graduates) going on to University study.
Still, I absolutely do agree that not every student should go to college. There really are ability gaps, and technical training is a better option for some, etc...
While it may not be as "rationed off" the results in many countries are still the same. Those from wealthy backgrounds and strong academics progress to "top" state universities and thus dominate certain careers, professions or whatever.
In France just look at who makes up a majority of ministers, others in government, finance and other key or powerful positions. Graduates of le Grandes Ecoles, that is who along with a smattering of those who have gone to similar higher education in the USA (Harvard, Wharton, Georgetown etc..) or England (Cambridge, Oxford, etc...). France's educational elite - Telegraph
France's Grand Ecoles in a sense serve the same function as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Georgetown and a few other "elite" American universities/colleges that see to be pipelines to positions in government (including judicial appointments), finance and so forth.
Kate Middleton didn't become a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but she married a future king of England she met at Cambridge.
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