[OldPossum]

The answer is for American schools to produce more qualified Engineers and fewer Psychology grads. (3 Fingas)

If people were using their own money to buy their college education, more of them would choose to study something that would help them earn a living. As long as they're spending OPM, why not major in Underwater Basketweaving?

Ma'am, I don't wish to be disrespectful, but so many Freepers seem to think that all any college student needs to do to ensure employment after graduation is change his major from, say, sociology to engineering. The problem is aptitude and educational background. I cannot remember the exact number but not too ago someone posted the opinion of an engineering professor that at his university maybe 15 percent of the student body could handle the mathematical requirements in the engineering school.

One has to understand that few students have the ability to understand higher mathematics and the aptitudes to handle, say, spatial relationships, that many engineers have to deal with. Add in the educational background (maybe the students took almost no math classes in high school; how are the professors going to teach remedial math as they go along in any engineering course?) So saying the answer lies in having students just change their major is not the answer, IMHO.

[khelus]

Re:The answer is for American schools to produce more qualified Engineers and fewer Psychology grads. (3 Fingas)
If people were using their own money to buy their college education, more of them would choose to study something that would help them earn a living. As long as they're spending OPM, why not major in Underwater Basketweaving?

Ma'am, I don't wish to be disrespectful, but so many Freepers seem to think that all any college student needs to do to ensure employment after graduation is change his major from, say, sociology to engineering. The problem is aptitude and educational background. I cannot remember the exact number but not too ago someone posted the opinion of an engineering professor that at his university maybe 15 percent of the student body could handle the mathematical requirements in the engineering school.

One has to understand that few students have the ability to understand higher mathematics and the aptitudes to handle, say, spatial relationships, that many engineers have to deal with. Add in the educational background (maybe the students took almost no math classes in high school; how are the professors going to teach remedial math as they go along in any engineering course?) So saying the answer lies in having students just change their major is not the answer, IMHO.

Thanks for pointing this out. The progressive idea that anyone can do anything has made serious inroads into our culture.

In addition, the US has always graduated more than enough engineers and STEM workers.

Another item ignored is that there is NO shortage of STEM workers. There wasn't even a shortage of IT people for the Y2K conversions. In addition to new graduates, there are plenty of experienced unemployed and underemployed americans with STEM degrees.