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College Has Been Oversold
IBD Editorials ^ | October 19, 2011 | ALEX TABARROK

Posted on 10/19/2011 5:32:36 PM PDT by Kaslin

Education is the key to the future: You've heard it a million times, and it's not wrong. Educated people have higher wages and lower unemployment rates, and better educated countries grow faster and innovate more than other countries.

But going to college is not enough. You also have to study the right subjects. And American students are not studying the fields with the greatest economic potential.

Over the past 25 years the total number of students in college has increased by about 50%. But the number of students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (the so-called STEM fields) has been flat.

Moreover, many of today's STEM graduates are foreign-born and taking their knowledge and skills back to their native countries. Consider computer technology. In 2009 the U.S. graduated 37,994 students with bachelor's degrees in computer and information science. This is not bad, but we graduated more students with computer science degrees 25 years ago.

The story is the same in other technology fields. The United States graduated 5,036 chemical engineers in 2009, no more than we did 25 years ago. In mathematics and statistics there were 15,496 graduates in 2009, slightly more than the 15,009 graduates of 1985.

Few fields have changed as much in recent years as microbiology, but in 2009 we graduated just 2,480 students with bachelor's degrees in microbiology — about the same number as 25 years ago. Who will solve the problem of antibiotic resistance?

(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: america; college; highereducation; school; scienceeducation; students
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To: conservaterian
"If science weren’t so anti-God/anti-religion maybe a lot more of the best students (read home-schooled) would go into those fields. These kids aren’t going to study in a field that fights their religion at every turn."

The science you are talking about (dogmatic Darwinism, in particular) is not anti-religious; it IS a religion, it is just anti-God. And it is not good science.

81 posted on 10/19/2011 9:03:50 PM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (Don't nuke me, bro)
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To: Doe Eyes

LOL - Whatever you want to believe.


82 posted on 10/19/2011 9:04:27 PM PDT by 70times7 (Serving Free Republics' warped and obscure humor needs since 1999!)
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To: roadcat

I teach at a community college and it is near impossible to flunk anyone out. One student of mine failed the same American National Government course three semesters in a row before she was suspended. At least my college is one of the 20 percent that requires students to take American government and American history.


83 posted on 10/19/2011 9:17:05 PM PDT by Jay Redhawk
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To: Kaslin

“College Has Been Oversold”

That’s the understatement of the year.

Except for the hard sciences, the rest of their curricula is either remedial courses or marxist propaganda.


84 posted on 10/19/2011 9:23:41 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: Kaslin
we graduated more students with computer science degrees 25 years ago.

You might get more if they didn't think their jobs would be outsourced to India!

85 posted on 10/19/2011 9:38:26 PM PDT by packrat35 (America is rapidly becoming a police state that East Germany could be proud of!)
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To: antceecee

HAve you heard of LinkedIn? I’m ALL OVER that myself.


86 posted on 10/19/2011 9:42:00 PM PDT by Niuhuru (The Internet is the digital AIDS; adapting and successfully destroying the MSM host.)
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To: texaschick

As a WWII vet who used the G.B. to get an education in engineering from a world famous university and years of working up the ladder to become a ‘boss’, I have for years told young people seeking employment to always look beyond the job at hand. I have two related first main requirements,1) make yourself of value to your employer and job no matter what you are doing and 2) always look for what can be done with new ways and ideas from your education. Don’t be disheartened by rejection. It seems to me that your nephew is in an ideal spot to have a fulfilling career.


87 posted on 10/19/2011 9:42:15 PM PDT by noinfringers2
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To: packrat35

You don’t need a degree in computer science to do much of anything related to computers these days. Just have to learn the skills somewhere.


88 posted on 10/19/2011 9:45:03 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: trumandogz

A very deceptive analysis. Shallow as hell.

Go deeper into the data if you dare.


89 posted on 10/19/2011 9:45:27 PM PDT by bvw
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To: SeaHawkFan

Yea, but most of the jobs from 25 years ago have been outsourced, so that statement makes no sense in today’s workplace. Sure there are still some jobs here in the US but probably over 75% of the ones that used to be here are gone.

Why would large numbers of students want to take something that can and most likely will be outsourced to India leaving them high and dry. Makes as much sense as saying we had more buggy whip manufacturers 100 years and ignoring the reasons why they don’t exist now.


90 posted on 10/19/2011 9:54:22 PM PDT by packrat35 (America is rapidly becoming a police state that East Germany could be proud of!)
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To: bvw

What’s deceptive?

Those who have even a BS are much more likely to be employed.

Those who elect not to go to college are much more likely to be unemployed.


91 posted on 10/19/2011 10:10:16 PM PDT by trumandogz (In Rick Perry's Nanny State, the state will drive your kids to the dentist at tax payer expense)
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To: eyedigress
I agree. Some HH got a hold of an eight year old update resume. We talked for some time on Wednesday. They are desperate. It is out of my field and secondary to my specialty, but they wanted to talk. I have been part of LabView since the beginning in the 80's (Mac). I had a long chat session with my daughter in college. Biomedical Engineering. I told her to do well in MatLab, but get the LabView!

We'll talk. I am not stupid. Flying down before Thanksgiving. It was like talking to a car salesman. Strange. They want algorithms.
92 posted on 10/19/2011 10:59:38 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Time to beat the swords of government tyranny into the plowshares of freedom.)
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To: C. Edmund Wright
The Sexual Politics of Meat.

WARNING: Hip boots are insufficient. Full HAZMAT gear required.

Cheers!

93 posted on 10/20/2011 3:02:34 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Da Coyote

A PhD in engineering and you can’t even spell atheist? (just joking with you)...


94 posted on 10/20/2011 4:08:37 AM PDT by corlorde (NH)
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To: trumandogz

When the tide is going out it is deceptive to point to a covered sand bar and say “Look the tide is still coming in!”


95 posted on 10/20/2011 4:31:11 AM PDT by bvw
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To: packrat35

Where I’m working we’re clamoring for American Computer Scientists, there just aren’t that many graduates. It’s pretty common tohave 25%+ of people in CS classes being foreign, closer to 50% in the Graduate level. Also, take it from personal experience, the Indians have a LONG ways to go.


96 posted on 10/20/2011 5:06:40 AM PDT by DarkSavant
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To: antceecee; fatima

It’s over the top class hatred.


97 posted on 10/20/2011 5:36:29 AM PDT by cornelis
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To: trumandogz
Could you please provide an example of science curriculum which is anti-God?
DUH! Do you want to try Biology (Evolution) as a start??
98 posted on 10/20/2011 6:55:10 AM PDT by conservaterian (Sarah/DeMint '12-XXX= Now what? Cain?)
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To: Niuhuru

Oh yeah... I have over 300 contacts and subscribe to business level. Really is helping me to connect to others in my industry.


99 posted on 10/20/2011 7:49:37 AM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: cornelis

Isn’t class envy/hatred what the occupy wallstreeters are all about?


100 posted on 10/20/2011 7:52:27 AM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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