Posted on 03/31/2009 6:41:34 AM PDT by reaganaut1
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Obama didn't come right out and say it, but the message is clear: College has become the new high school. Soon after my St. Louis trip I called Enterprise and learned that with a few exceptions for military it hires only college graduates for Lyndsay's position. The ability to multitask and communicate with customers, skills that years ago high schools supplied, are now found almost solely among those with two- or four-year degrees.
To hammer that reality home to high school students, states such as Kentucky and Michigan have moved to raise minimum dropout ages. If you don't make it through high school you've got no chance of acquiring the post-high school credentialing demanded by jobs of the future.
But, as a recent report by the Lumina Foundation summed up, "College attainment rates are rising in almost every industrialized or post-industrialized country in the world, except for the U.S." Lumina's point was the same as Obama's: Eventually, our flat education levels will hurt our international economic competitiveness.
That's true, but it doesn't quite capture the whole picture. Lyndsay renting me a car isn't helping our international competitiveness. Whether your bank teller has a high school degree or a Ph.D. says little about international competitiveness, but it says a lot about economic survival, which is what high school students should care about.
The college-as-high school phenomenon is picking up speed during the recession, with employers having their pick of better-educated workers. A recent Denver Post article captured that nicely: "If I had a light labor job, I'd have a Ph.D. do it," explained a Denver employment agency staffer who had just hired two people with B.A.s to pick up sticks from sidewalks.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
It’s been years ago... probably in the Clinton era,
but I still remember the look of shocked horror on the faces of some lib BSFs at a party I was attending when I stated
“college isn’t for everyone, you know.”
“The workforce is overpopulated with college graduates with little to no skills”
Indeed, mostly with degrees that are a glorified version of a High School diploma. Those that actually learn something of value in college have marketable skills. I learned molecular biology.
Since graduating from college in 1991 with BA psychology, I have obtained these certifications and tools:
1) A+ and several years of experience
2) MCSE certification and experience
3) CDL class A license with over 500,000 miles
4) Forklift certification—amazingly many employers request this if in logistics
5) Several certifications on alcohol serving and culinary arts(I own part of a restaurant/bar)
Education never ends and one should be always updating their skills.
Next—learning Spanish!!
Don't forget Thomas Edison, the most prolific inventor in history. He was home schooled.
The workforce is overpopulated with all kinds of people with little to no skills.
Oops, you did include Thomas Edison!
Edison is included in the list I made.
How the US has changed. My generation went to college or went to the draft. At 21 you had to have a calling or you were toast and your parents didn’t want you back..or expect you back. We never dreamed of going back.
The US is getting more like Europe..where the young can’t get jobs and can’t support themselves, because companies don’t want to hire until there is a real need. Increased productivity..plus the kids aren’t ready for work.
We all worked in HS..just as soon as the Principal would sign our work permit at 14. It was just what you did..and you saved your money for college.
Big College strikes again.
One of the reasons companies won’t hire is the cost of hiring a person goes WAY beyond their paycheck.
One of the hidden costs is the costs to the company of firing a person who “isn’t working out”.
If it’s hard to get rid of someone, you’ll be reluctant to hire them in the first place.
Agree 100%.
Years ago, my older son came up with the perfect description of most of the worthless college degrees, the instant unemployment degree.
So many of the instant unemployment degrees are in bed with the PC and Diversity forces in our colleges and throughout America.
A week ago Saturday, my wife and I saw a great play, Avenue Q. It is about struggling young people. It starts out with a guy moaning and singing about what was he going to do with his BA in English degree.
Most of these instant unemployment degrees with their connections to PCism and Diversity are worthless for job seekers until they get a PHD in the worthless degree to waste the money and time of more young people in those worthless studies.
Recessions shake those “inefficiencies” out
Yes, because your brain is always unlearning too, else it would cease to function right. As I age I'm finding my intuition much more valuable. Some things I have learned but forgotten are still there somewhere below the conscious level.
read
That stuff isn’t a growing industry. I’m a production mechanic that works with automation techs (re: EE’s) all the time. I want to work in a growing industry because that’s what pays the bills in the long term.
I made a list and the only thing I could see growing over the next 30 years was government and I’m not interested in doing that.
There’s a guy where I work that has a Poly Sci degree. He puts cartons on a packaging machine 8 hrs/day
This is one of the major problems with business school, IMO. Many (most?) of those teaching and handing out degrees have never run a successful business.
I need a carpenter and a plumber!
With all due respect that was stupid. Plenty of people have the skills and experience without college.
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