[EA]

Originally Posted by normy123

Back to the orig. Question. I moved here middle of Oct. From Palm Springs where the traffic signals are timed to change by the number of cars waiting in line. If there are a couple cars waiting to make a left turn, the signal stays green very brief, etc. What a difference that would make here! Why don't they do it?

There is a light that stays red on all 4 sides on my way to work every morning. Been like that for the whole time I have been here.
So many lights are problematic and do nothing but create worse traffic.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by normy123

Back to the orig. Question. I moved here middle of Oct. From Palm Springs where the traffic signals are timed to change by the number of cars waiting in line. If there are a couple cars waiting to make a left turn, the signal stays green very brief, etc. What a difference that would make here! Why don't they do it?

They do. Virtually all lights in the Valley are synchronized and responsive.

However many here and elsewhere claim they don't work correctly.

I have tried bugging the RJ Road Warrior to get him to check and see if FAST has any real numbers. Anecdotally he reports on fixing various lights causing problems but he has not reported on overall performance or whether anything is known.

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by skugelstadt

I wonder where all these college graduates will be working? Mid level management jobs are disappearing. Manufacturing is being outsourced to other countries. Little hope of paying back existing student loans. I worked for a major company that employed college graduates at entry level jobs. Except for the rare individual, they didn't last long (everyone seemed to want a management position right out of school) Not that education is a bad thing, but where will they be working to get the "payback" for all the money spent getting that degree? At $15 to $20 an hour how do these people pay back their loans, pay for housing, support a family, live the American dream? Should we college educate just the people who have the aptitude for higher education?

I think $15/20 is actually very optimistic for a new grad here!

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by Dltordj

How can someone say a degree is not worth it? Higher education is always a plus. If anything, you should say that some people choose a major that goes against their own personal goals, values, strengths/weakness etc.

Better education options in Las Vegas would definitely be appreciated.

My daughter goes to a magnet school, as stated in another thread, I'm pretty disappointed in it thus far. Her teacher has confirmed what my daughter has been saying in that this has been one of the toughest group of students she's had to deal with in years. You know what? Plenty of parents would do anything to get their kids in a magnet program. These kids who are disruptive and misbehaving should be thrown out of the magnet programs.

Just to be honest I have been among the overeducated and underemployed since I have been here. And now my skills are so rusty it is unlikely I will ever work in my field again. I can't even tell you how many times I heard the word overqualified. Finally I had to dumb down my resume to HS grad to get a job.

Seriously if I had been living here in my 20's I would have skipped the degrees and bought plastic surgery. Hot means more than smart here!

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Dltordj

How can someone say a degree is not worth it? Higher education is always a plus.

There is a very, very strong anti-education sentiment in this city. People vehemently rail against anything that isn't a trade school which comes with a paycheck at graduation. Basically, Mike Rowe's reverse snobbery on steroids.

If Las Vegans were better educated, this city would change. The average resident doesn't want this city to change.

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Seriously if I had been living here in my 20's I would have skipped the degrees and bought plastic surgery. Hot means more than smart here!

I could not agree more with these two sentences.

[compwizard4504]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

There is a very, very strong anti-education sentiment in this city. People vehemently rail against anything that isn't a trade school which comes with a paycheck at graduation. Basically, Mike Rowe's reverse snobbery on steroids.

If Las Vegans were better educated, this city would change. The average resident doesn't want this city to change.

Exactly.

The problem is that most jobs here don't require a formal education. People don't have the desire to learn new things, and become more versed/educated.

Lack of education is a huge contributor to crime increases, and general blight.

Intelligent/educated people arent normally getting $hitfaced and beating their wives, and then going out and trying to pay a bill by gambling.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by compwizard4504

Exactly.

The problem is that most jobs here don't require a formal education.

That isn't a problem. I have a cracking-good formal education. And it has been nothing but helpful maneuvering around the Las Vegas job market. I have been hired at every single job I have applied for. My sheepskin is one of the reasons. Not the only reason. But it allows me to start on third base when applying.

I think much of the anti-education sentiment is sour grapes because they see degree-holders leapfrog past them.

[EA]

From me it's not anti-education sentiment nor sour grapes.

If you have read many of my posts on here you'd see I say "education is the key" about many many things.
I would thoroughly enjoy a smarter populous. Associate's and bachelor's degrees don't make people smart. I used to live near the research triangle in NC where a lot of people hold STEM jobs. People are just as stupid there as they are here.

Most of the people I personally know with a degree make less money than I do and they have student loan payments that keep them broke all the time. In fact, one of my friends had to join the army to get another degree because the one he got is useless. He's still paying for it too.
Only 1 of the people I know has a job that has to do with their degree. They make less than I do as well. (surprisingly it's a liberal arts degree)


The fact is, we offer a lot of useless degrees in this country, and a lot of deluded people go after them. There are a lot of jobs that need filled, but people aren't going after the degrees to get them.
Sorry I think it's misguided to put yourself into debt to get a degree that probably won't get you a job, and if it does, it won't pay enough to make it worth while.

If I could get someone to pay my bills, and cover my tuition, I'd go after a degree in genetics.
I can't afford to take out a loan and then live off the salary I'd make whilst paying down the loans.

[ScoopLV]

We're going to have to agree to disagree.

My degree is technically "useless." I'm not earning a living with it. But that degree has opened doors that I suspect would never open if I didn't have it. So it's not really useless.

Bright people are more apt to make it in life -- no matter what they choose to do. The degree gives life more meaning once finances are sorted. The courses that I'm most glad I took are the ones that have zero bearing on what I do -- history and art courses, mostly. That makes travel more fun.

This whole "you need to get a degree that comes with a paycheck after you graduate" is a VERY new idea. And it's one I don't at all like. Because it dissuades people from majoring in what interests them. Even a basic English degree teaches skills that are useful in all manner of careers -- organizing thoughts and writing well. Nobody in HR has ever told me, "We're looking for someone who is scatterbrained and cannot write."

[skugelstadt]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

I think $15/20 is actually very optimistic for a new grad here!

Sorry, should have clarified that this was in the Los Angeles area