There are two types of education that strike me as valuable: (1) the classical liberal arts education that empowers students to wrestle with important ideas, to think critically and logically about them, and to transcend the prejudices of their own upbringing; and (2) technical of vocational training that teaches marketable skills and enables students to earn a living after graduation.
It seems to me that colleges now (as well as most high schools) are doing a very poor job in either respect. They are turning out masses of students with no real marketable skills and little ability to think critically.
my primary degree was in 1972, a bs..... we always used to say 'i prefer a bottle in front of me.. to a frontal lobotomy.' most of us were in hard sciences or engineering majors
Thanks to Griggs v. Duke Power and the HR enforcers it enabled, you need a college degree as an admission card to get a job. I've been a computer programmer for over 25 years and very little that I learned in college is directly applicable EXCEPT that I learned good study habits and problem solving skills so that I've been able to move from (in part) SQL databases and C++ to Python and AWS as the field evolved. Even that didn't really need a 4-year degree... it's hard for me to justify full-term college programs except for licensed professions like engineering or medicine where not knowing what you are doing the first time around can get people killed. Otherwise, agree with other commenters that K-12 level needs to better prepare for real life and vocations - which, I believe, is how education in Germany works.
My daughter just graduated high school and is seriously struggling with this. Her entire life so far she has been “preparing” for college. Now everything is so upside down and over the top that she doesn’t even know where to look to find a college that wouldn’t be a huge waste of time and money. She has already been taking college courses her last 2 years in H.S. and has already experienced the unchecked liberal bs that seems to run rampant throughout our entire education system. Any ideas or thoughts on how to encourage her to look forward to a better future when it’s all going to hell right in front of her?
El Gato, your PCR Ct <= 28 vaccination meme is spinning out of control, it's popping up all over the place. Please help, or is the bad kitty still in denial?
And let me tell you, that cartoon is a live proposal in the "STEM" majors too! Not just for the gals cued up for HR positions in Silicon Valley.
Trust the science, and the technological solution, and the engineering failure analyses, and the mathematical logic...? Sure. But should I trust the scientists, the technologists, the engineers, and the mathematicians? Humans, with human nature, unchanged. God help us.
There are two types of education that strike me as valuable: (1) the classical liberal arts education that empowers students to wrestle with important ideas, to think critically and logically about them, and to transcend the prejudices of their own upbringing; and (2) technical of vocational training that teaches marketable skills and enables students to earn a living after graduation.
It seems to me that colleges now (as well as most high schools) are doing a very poor job in either respect. They are turning out masses of students with no real marketable skills and little ability to think critically.
And free helpings of myocarditis and blood clots on the side
my primary degree was in 1972, a bs..... we always used to say 'i prefer a bottle in front of me.. to a frontal lobotomy.' most of us were in hard sciences or engineering majors
Thanks to Griggs v. Duke Power and the HR enforcers it enabled, you need a college degree as an admission card to get a job. I've been a computer programmer for over 25 years and very little that I learned in college is directly applicable EXCEPT that I learned good study habits and problem solving skills so that I've been able to move from (in part) SQL databases and C++ to Python and AWS as the field evolved. Even that didn't really need a 4-year degree... it's hard for me to justify full-term college programs except for licensed professions like engineering or medicine where not knowing what you are doing the first time around can get people killed. Otherwise, agree with other commenters that K-12 level needs to better prepare for real life and vocations - which, I believe, is how education in Germany works.
My daughter just graduated high school and is seriously struggling with this. Her entire life so far she has been “preparing” for college. Now everything is so upside down and over the top that she doesn’t even know where to look to find a college that wouldn’t be a huge waste of time and money. She has already been taking college courses her last 2 years in H.S. and has already experienced the unchecked liberal bs that seems to run rampant throughout our entire education system. Any ideas or thoughts on how to encourage her to look forward to a better future when it’s all going to hell right in front of her?
No
Taxi driving was much more interesting that my 4-year degree. I learned a lot from my passengers.
El Gato, your PCR Ct <= 28 vaccination meme is spinning out of control, it's popping up all over the place. Please help, or is the bad kitty still in denial?
And let me tell you, that cartoon is a live proposal in the "STEM" majors too! Not just for the gals cued up for HR positions in Silicon Valley.
Trust the science, and the technological solution, and the engineering failure analyses, and the mathematical logic...? Sure. But should I trust the scientists, the technologists, the engineers, and the mathematicians? Humans, with human nature, unchanged. God help us.
My #WednesdayQuote implied pretty much the same thing! Great minds...
Seriously debating ….
Well when you put it that way...