College MANDATED classes not related to your major or useful are stupid. College should be 2 years long...not 4. It’s all about money.
It’s all about money.............and always has been. The required classes are there for the money collected from the students so the college can pay the salaries of the tenured profs and high paid admin staff............
I really disagree. When I was an econ major, I couldn't understand why I had to take four semesters of English courses, which included everything from composition to literature. The same was true for a course called "The Arts" (a study of art, architecture, sculpture, etc. from Roman times to the present) and "World Civilization". Now, I have an appreciation for things I never dreamed would matter 40 years ago. Several trips to Europe were significantly enhanced because of "The Arts", although I didn't appreciate it one bit while going through it. I've written a number of textbooks; a task made significantly easier because of those stupid English courses.
Certification is fine from the employer's point of view in terms of assessing technical competency. However, technical schools catch on quickly and "teach the exam" far too often. The result is a narrowly-defined education that often makes it difficult for them to think "outside the box". Which is better for an employer: someone who knows programming techniques independent of the language, or one who scores well on a programming language test? It depends. If you want that programmer on staff in the long run, they need to be able to adapt to changes in technology ( e.g., languages, op systems, etc.) If you are only hiring for the short run (e.g., a one year contract), the certification route might be best.
This author's one-size-fits-all for certification is too simple to meet the goals of all employers.
I disagree. I believe there's something to be said for stimulating intellectual awareness about other subjects aside from one's own expertise. In many cases specific courses are not mandated, but instead, the student can choose a number of classes in a broad category. "Literature," is one thought that immediately comes to mind.
And like it or not, this falls into the "things I don't want to do, but have to do" category. Something that "certifications" don't lend themselves to doing.
That is so true. My wife is going to school for a BSN, and she is REQUIRED to have a class in "American Literature". I can't think of a reason on Earth why in the hell a NURSE would have to be REQUIRED to have a literature class, other than to suck time and money out of people.
You're half right. It's about the money and also about keeping white males from dominating the culture.
The courses you spoke of include: Black History, Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action (also known as Watermellon U), Why Feminism is crucial to American Success, Getting in Touch With Your Inner Self, Basket Weaving, and 151 New Sexual Positions. I agree with you, they're not needed.
We have those. They're called "trade schools". The mandated classes are intended to turn out a relatively broadly educated individual. That some people don't take advantage of the opportunity is to their detriment.