I think a big part of the issue is the whole ‘everybody can go to college’ idea. So all these kids have a bunch of debt, most don’t learn much practical stuff (esp the idiot degrees), and a college degree is associated with a well-paying job. So between those expectations and the debt, a $35M or $40M yearly salary isn’t enough. They think they’re worth more, with no experience. And kids these days are all about instant gratification. Online media, Amazon Prime, they’re spoiled and don’t know what it means to work and build something. Many can’t even do basic home maintenance. They didn’t spend weeks building a dam in the creek as a kid.
I don’t remember where it is, but there was an article I saw about job time. Most younger people are fine swapping jobs every couple years. There’s no idea of career, of long-term employment like there is with the older generations. And that affects how you work and what you do.
PoF, the issue with learning on the job is so many kids think they know so much coming in. And basic orientation can only teach so much. And many employers don’t want to spend tons of $$ in more advanced training, due to point two above. Why spend a year+ of salary to train someone, when they’ll be leaving soon?
My sister teaches math to middle school kids in inner city Baltimore. It’s a mix of inner city kids whose parents are looking for a good education to lift their kids out of the ghetto and rural poor white kids. They inculcate every single kid with “You are going to college.” At best, 20% of the kids are really college-capable, yet they persist with the myth that they are all going. A high percentage do go, but they either fail or have the curriculum and majors dumbed down for them.