[rescue] OT: B0rked educational system (was: Purdue/PSU)

[Steve Sandau]

Jeeesus, George, you're a radical! I like it!
> 
> We live in a society where a High School Diploma means almost nothing anymore
> (unless you don't have one).  Where College Degrees often aren't worth the

Very true, actually starting to be true about college degrees, too.

> sheepskin they're printed on.  Where many top jobs now require a Masters
> Degree, not because of the education required, but because they have to
> separate out the hordes of useless BA Degrees.

The particular college *does* make a difference, though, and even a BA
in art teaches you something in a good school. Go ahead, ask. ;)
> 
> to quote a singer from the 80's:
> "... everyone's a super hero, everyone's a Captain Kirk..."
> 
> This is a bad thing.  Not everyone is meant to be college educated, (in my
> opinion, not everyone's meant to be a High School Graduate.)  We need ditch
> diggers and garbage men too.  Let's stop calling them "sanitation engineers"
> and expecting them to have four-year degrees.

I agree, and let's stop expecting everyone who is really smart to excel
at all the standard stuff. No, I am not being sarcastic, many brilliant
people do not fit into the usual mold. Not only do we need trade
schools, but we need trade schools prepared for intelligent kids! I
admire the welders at BIW because they are experts at something I can't
do. I'd like to see a lawyer with a torch! These guys can do something
that others of can't. (I *will* learn to weld!) there are a lot of
things that follow that...

> 
> We need trade schools, we need vocational-based secondary schools, we need to
> step back to a system where a higher education means something, rather than
> continuing to churn out thousands and thousands of 22 year olds with
> sheepskins who still can't solve a simple quadratic equation, or calculate
> bouyancy in air, or explain to me who Tybalt was, or tell me who painted
> 'Woman of Venice", or tell me when the battle of Stamford Bridge was and why
> it was important to some young punk named William.
> 
> Sigh.  If there were more Ditch Diggers, and fewer Suits, those of you who
> really are brilliant just might stand a chance of being able to accomplish
> something.

I agree. If there were more "doers" instead of "do-as-I-say-ers" we
would be better off.

-- 
Steve Sandau
ssandau at bath.tmac.com