Posted on 05/04/2005 8:15:16 AM PDT by qam1
Disagree, where I work I had to delve back into college books to make sure I was using proper coding structures and practices. Got ripped a new one a couple times because I ignored practices I learned in college work but not in my own toy projects. One big problem is that when grading assignments they worry more about if it works than how good the actual coding is however.
English is a hard major and one of the most well rounded actually. Lots of people think it's easy and end up dropping out of it.
Somebody must be getting something out of it. Many employers require it for their better jobs.
Yes, English isn't as easy as people think. I recieved my English degree in 2002, and now it's 2005 and I'm working on a nursing degree.
But I'm razor sharp clever at a party, and all of my nursing papers are very well written. :-)
I got a traditional 4-year degree, and feel whole-heartedly that it was right for me. But it was equally clear that it wasn't right for everyone.
The first step, already being pursued, is that we need to do a better job of teaching the basics by the end of 10th, or at least 11th grade -- then have a broader variety of options for students in the last year or two of high school.
These options should extend beyond the traditional "trade school" subjects, which would help erase that stigma and make it more appealing to students and their parents. For example, programs for medical technicians and computer programmers.
Or allow high school students to take the applicable classes at local community colleges. This is already an option in many places, but teachers and guidance counselors tend to steer students away. Part of the challenge is to get rid of the "two-track" attitude, where one is assumed to lead to a white-collar future and the other blue-collar, and replace it with a multi-track approach that's easier to tailor to individual students.
I heard one story on the radio the other day about the rising popularity of courses in construction management -- they start with construction basics, then move on to management and construction financing. That's a perfect example of where these hich/school/cc programs could dovetail, and there's a shortage of qualified construction managers.
I'd also like to see more apprenticeship and mentorship programs to help kids get some real-world experience, preferably early on, so if they don't want like working in the field they can learn that before they've put in 2 or 3 years.
I'd also like to see more low-or no-cost, no-credit evening classes on things like English, history and philosophy, sponsored by local universities, libraries and museums. That way, students wouldn't feel that they're giving up on those things by foregoing a traditional degree, and adults could learn more about subjects they might want to go back to school to pursue.
Bummer dude.
***A third of college students do not qualify for a degree in six years and just because you don't graduate, doesn't mean you don't have to pay back student loans.
quote "If real life means cheating, binge drinking and sleeping around...then college grads are perfectly qualified"
hey, it worked for Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton !
This woman is SOOOOOOOOOOO correct. A few things:
1) The whole college industry is a sham and should be investigated by Congress for being a monopoly and price gouging (will never happen). There is no way it should cost an average of $20K to attend college. And these stupid federal loans just subsidize colleges, thus allowing them to raise tuition! Subsidies artificially raise prices!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2) College should be no more than (2) years, except for perhaps engineers or serious science students. No more gay studies, no more minority / women's oppression classes, etc. And get rid of the professors who teach this junk.
Some kids are ready for college at 18. Many are not.
I recommend that high school seniors consider enlisting in one of our military branches. They'll get some time to grow up, and get some great college benefits when they're done.
I dropped out of college in my sophomore year (1965), then joined the USAF. Four years later, I was actually ready to return to school. I did quite well, and the experience has served me well through the years.
Beyond that, it would help ease any enlistment shortages in the military.
It's my advice to young folks who don't have a clear idea of what they want to do.
Good advice and it worked that way for me.
Exactly. I have found that some people who have not been to college lack in problem solving skills. I also learned patience and my social skills were broadened with all of my collegiate activities.
60% of all students are on some form of "assistance" or student aid.
There is still a premium in lifetime pay for a college grad over a high school degree, but it has declined steadily in the last 10 years. On the other hand, the premium for an advanced degree has increased slightly.
The biggest premium is on a high school degree over no high school degree. While it is not true that you "can't make it" without a college degree, it is very nearly accurate to say you can't make it without a high school degree. For someone who goes to work right out of high school, the lifetime earnings compared with a college grad's aren't that different.
That said, SINCE WHEN ARE UNIVERSITIES TO "TRAIN" YOU FOR LIFE? The purpose of a university was to train the mind and to expand knowledge, not to teach you to be a plumber or journalist or computer programmer. We have increasingly gotten to having a university education be focused on a job. If that's the only purpose, on-line universities do as good a job as a 4-year college.
Well, Amanda, for starters, the phrase is creme de la creme. And college isn't supposed to prepare you for life; it's supposed to prepare you to make a living. Life is the only thing that prepares you for life. And by time you get it right, you're dead.
I met an engineer a few years ago from a german company that made very sophisticated types of vacuum pumps. He said that a problem his company had in trying to expand in the US was that we had no "skilled workers". Apparently the trades are pursued at a much higher level in Germany.
Two years is for studying your major. The other two are General Education classes to make you a well rounded human being. If someone doesn't want to take those classes they can always go to trade school...
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