I am curious (yellow). Those who went to college (and beyond), did the experience feel more like a trade school, giving you skills necessary for a job? It is interesting that, at least in Robin Wood's mind, and in the minds of a few other intellectuals I know of, this is not the way it has always been.
Are we becoming too specialized? In America and the western world, are we too obsessed with jobs and work, giving little care to the value of the work we're doing?
The problem we have here in America is a huge one. First of all, what we have done by placing such a strong emphasis on attending College/University, we have migrated so much of what high school should be teaching to the university level. The result; people come out of High School with a worthless piece of paper. Because we have moved to a very specialized society, we no longer place any value on those with just a High School diploma. High School counselors will tell you, you need to go to college if you want to be worth a damn to society. Because we place such value on specialized skills, the same is happening with a Bachelors Degree. That is no longer worth what it used to be worth, and now you need to get a Masters Degree just to be considered in some fields. Soon people will need a PHD just to work at McDonalds.
Since America is so focused on knowing a trade to it's fullest we need to really trim the fat and fix the system. High School should set you up with some preliminary skills if you plan to learn for a trade after school. College, will be used for higher level, broad learning. Trade Schools would become more prevalent, offering 4 year degrees that focus solely on the skills of the trade you desire to learn. By the time you leave you will be fully prepared for the field you went to trade school for, because you focused exclusively on learning those key skills.
Unfortunately, College in America has become a business, not a learning institution. Students are willing to pay huge money to have someone give them the resources to teach themselves a skill that will make them good money when they finish. Students, in essence, pay for a piece of paper that says, "I'm good enough, hire me."
The problems with American education drive me so crazy I can't even fully gather my thoughts on it. Bottom line is, our progression through Middle School and High School is a worthless test to tell college "I'm good enough, accept me." and college is another scam where you pay for a piece of paper that says the same to some business out there. How much you know is practically irrelevant, because your job will train you to know what you need to know anyway, at least in an entry level situation.
Topic: What do you do for a living? (Read 25112 times)
