It's been quite a while since I've posted. I've started several times in response to what feels like an avalanche of negativity against education. There has always been those who claim that those with a higher education are "elite" and somehow no longer true Americans. But the war on education has taken on new fervor, as YouTube now has a rash of videos and there are numerous articles on the scam that is higher education (see Questions About Higher Education’s Value Go Viral on YouTube). As the cost of education continues to rise and jobs continue to disappear the value of a degree does seem to be questionable. Yet there are jobs, such as in engineering, that employers just can't fill because job seekers don't have the skills. Perhaps what is needed is less of a dialogue that contains school is bad and worthless, but more of a rework on how we train people for their careers. It may be worth taking a look at the "antiquated" apprenticeship model, using a mixture of liberal arts education with hands-on training in a field. These apprenticeships don't even have to paid, they just get credit for the time without costing the student any money. Student saves money, employers get free labor that are trained in the skills needed. Of course this means businesses will have to take the time and spend the money to develop a training program, they won't see profit right away, but if they want to remain in business they will need to invest in their employees. Seems counter-intuitive when there is unemployment of 9%, but the question we all must ask is what kind of a future do we want for this country.
The Fear of Relying on Others
My qualifying project has finally gotten off the ground. Almost a month late, and scaled back considerably due to concerns from the powers that be here at work. However, the brief elation I felt from finally getting started has yet again come crashing to the ground due to one simple fact. In order to do a project concerned with a cross-functional team's ability to create a useful evaluation tool, you first have to have willing members for a cross-functional team. Due to my shortened time frame to conduct my research there is a shortened time for individuals to do the work. The first hurdle, to get people to agree to participate, was only partially successful. Only half of the members of the working group even responded and some said that they were simply too busy. Maybe I could offer donuts? It is frightening to know that despite all the time and effort I have put into the doctoral program it could all come to naught because I can't get any input. What happens if nothing happen...
Comments
Post a Comment