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+--- Thread: Is college too easy? (/showthread.php?tid=113174)
Re: Is college too easy? - Grace62 - 03-06-2011
And who will have the right skills to MANAGE and DIRECT those people you list Jimmy? A self-confident, ambitious liberal arts grad, that's who.
I'm all for developing technical skills: those are important and can lead to good first jobs, but technology changes. Look at what's happening to computer programming majors from yesteryear...not pretty.
People with deeper, more classical educations, in addition to those technical skills, tend to do better in the long run, and are more adaptable.
Re: Is college too easy? - August West - 03-06-2011
I have to agree with Grace62 about the importance of a broad based education, regardless of specialization. I know many liberal arts majors who are highly successful, both financially and in terms of contentment. Even those with highly specialized educations benefit from the critical thinking skills associated with the liberal arts. I am acquainted with MDs who have returned to school to study liberal arts and then pursue bioethics careers. I have an extremely successful friend who studied the liberal arts and now works in Manhattan producing web sites for the world's top entertainment companies. Another writes and directs some of the highest budgeted television shows in LA. All these people directly attribute a portion of their success to their liberal arts education and I venture that their financial situation would make many forum members envious. I think the opinions here that assume a liberal arts education is of lesser value than something more highly specialized are wrong, and may have likely come from those who did not receive a strong liberal arts education.
Re: Is college too easy? - WHiiP - 03-06-2011
Grace62 wrote:
And who will have the right skills to MANAGE and DIRECT those people you list Jimmy? A self-confident, ambitious liberal arts grad, that's who.
I'm all for developing technical skills: those are important and can lead to good first jobs, but technology changes. Look at what's happening to computer programming majors from yesteryear...not pretty.
People with deeper, more classical educations, in addition to those technical skills, tend to do better in the long run, and are more adaptable.
Just to add to this discussion, nobody will be graduating from college and immediately having the "opportunity" to "manage and direct" anybody! Period. Or, woe be to those he (she) is "managing/directing" . . . .:wall:
Re: Is college too easy? - Black - 03-06-2011
WHiiP wrote:
[quote=Grace62]
And who will have the right skills to MANAGE and DIRECT those people you list Jimmy? A self-confident, ambitious liberal arts grad, that's who.
I'm all for developing technical skills: those are important and can lead to good first jobs, but technology changes. Look at what's happening to computer programming majors from yesteryear...not pretty.
People with deeper, more classical educations, in addition to those technical skills, tend to do better in the long run, and are more adaptable.
Just to add to this discussion, nobody will be graduating from college and immediately having the "opportunity" to "manage and direct" anybody! Period. Or, woe be to those he (she) is "managing/directing" . . . .:wall:
Unfortunately it does happen. Woe indeed.
Re: Is college too easy? - freeradical - 03-06-2011
Re: Is college too easy? - (vikm) - 03-06-2011
Regarding the Liberal Arts degrees, of course they aren't worthless but I don't feel they are nearly as beneficial as having a specific degree in a highly desired field. That said, if they can be obtained in addition to another degree as a supplement, even better. Along the way, I was one, maybe two classes short of acquiring an Associates in Liberal Arts in addition to the one I was working towards. In the end I added the extra class(es) to my schedule "just to have it".
The point I'm trying to make is that a good school (in general, not a comment on where I went) is going to already be providing a well rounded education in addition to a specific focus in many cases. Those that do well with a Liberal Arts degree are probably going to end up finding their niche anyway (with or without the paper).
Re: Is college too easy? - Racer X - 03-06-2011
High School certainly is. My GF's oldest is in honors stuff as a 9th grader. They stuff they are teaching him is what I learned in middle school in honors classes back in the late 70s. Her youngest as a 7th grader, can't rattle off the months of the year in order, and HE is in middle school honors classes. How can you explain that other than dumbing down the curriculum so more can pass the first time, rather than forcing the kids to go over it again until they learn what is required?
Re: Is college too easy? - cbelt3 - 03-06-2011
What Racer said... and if you extend... well, my brother-in-law teaches community college, and says that the level of education of his students is equivalent to 10th grade about 20 years ago. So kids who get an associates are essentially getting the equivalent of a 1990 high school diploma, and kids who get a BA are getting the equivalent of a 1990 associate's degree.
But in talking to engineering students who interview for jobs... well, they're still held to a higher standard as near as I can tell.
Re: Is college too easy? - mrthuse - 03-06-2011
graylocks is on to something...
The idea that a college degree is/was a ticket to the next "level" kept lots of kids enrolled and they did what they had to do for the sake of getting by. Like most other things from the days "back when we were in school", I'd argue that idea is becoming harder and harder to validate.
The debacle that's going on in Ohio and Wisconsin relative to public workers in general and teachers in particular is germane, I think. Some of the latest statistics I've read list that something like 40% of the private sector is degreed, while some 60% of the public sector is. If all the noise is to be believed, that 40% in the private sector is asking the same question: why should a college degree that's apparently not worth much more than the paper it's printed on in many cases, be that ticket that back in the day it was touted as being? And when diplomas that represent hard work, well done are lined up next to those that represent, well - something different, it's easy to see why those degrees, though useful, are looked upon by some w/ a rather jaundiced eye.
Re: Is college too easy? - Mini 9 - 03-06-2011
I think our system is full of fail when we are chasing paper (degree) predominantly, and not also having a strong (read: STRONG), skilled trade apprenticeship path to careers, as well (with equal government wealth spreading - read TAXES)