The day I decided engineering wasn't for me was when I was touring an engineering school in 1997 as a possible future mechanical engineering student and the tour guide mentioned that many of their graduates design machines in a nearby toilet paper factory.
I think they meant it more as a comment about how engineering was everywhere. But in the eyes of a 17 year old it didn't exactly sound glamorous, exciting or even interesting.
Engineering now seems to be all about cutting costs and making things more profitable instead of making new things work or solving important problems. To me, there is little glamor in the relentless pursuit of profit.
Weird. That's garbage man/rocket scientist thing was what I got, too.
I EVENTUALLY (read: just now) came to the conclusion that it meant that I'm not good at focusing in one general direction and I confused the poor test. We'll get to that in a minute, though...
I ended up taking a path a bit little closer to the garbage man route, though. I'm currently doing Administrative/Clerical work after a brief stint with a ME major and an AAS in CIS while working in a bakery for a couple years.
More related to the topic, though, I think it's good to get kids to focus a little more on what they're interested in... but not to the point where they have to know what they want to be when they're done with all of their schooling.
I think they should have something to focus on. Science/Math, Technical/Trades, Art/Literature, Education and broad categories like that might help to steer kids more in line with a path that will get them somewhere where they enjoy what they're doing but also can make money at it. If you make everyone take the same courses the kids that don't belong there take away attention from the kids who do and the teachers are constantly dumbing down the class for the kids that don't belong there.
I had 4 different majors in 4 years of college after graduating with an Regents diploma with high honors in NYS.
I went through Mechanical Engineering, Technical Communications, Individual Studies and Computer Information Systems in that (messed up) order. I ended up with a worthless AAS and $20k+ in debt from my first two years (and two majors) at an overpriced University and I'm still not doing what my degree says I can do. I've taken courses in everything from Physics 1 & 2, Materials Science, Calculus 1 & 2, Public Speaking, Poetry, B&W Photography 1 & 2 and Programming in Java and C and I still have no idea what I really want to do.
The one thing I never learned was how to focus on one thing and get good at it. So I learned a little bit of everything and I'm not spectacular at any of them. I can sit at a desk and read/. while earning a meager paycheck, though, so I guess it's not all bad. At least I'm not a garbage man.
I agree with the parent completely that we need to think of generic PCs more like tools that need to be idiotproofed to some degree... but that's a battle that can't be won.
As a side question, though, when was the last time that any of us non-"idiots" went over to our "idiot" grandma's/sister's/parent's/friend's house and helped her/him/them clean up and secure their PC?
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The day I decided engineering wasn't for me was when I was touring an engineering school in 1997 as a possible future mechanical engineering student and the tour guide mentioned that many of their graduates design machines in a nearby toilet paper factory.
I think they meant it more as a comment about how engineering was everywhere. But in the eyes of a 17 year old it didn't exactly sound glamorous, exciting or even interesting.
Engineering now seems to be all about cutting costs and making things more profitable instead of making new things work or solving important problems. To me, there is little glamor in the relentless pursuit of profit.
Weird. That's garbage man/rocket scientist thing was what I got, too.
/. while earning a meager paycheck, though, so I guess it's not all bad. At least I'm not a garbage man.
I EVENTUALLY (read: just now) came to the conclusion that it meant that I'm not good at focusing in one general direction and I confused the poor test. We'll get to that in a minute, though...
I ended up taking a path a bit little closer to the garbage man route, though. I'm currently doing Administrative/Clerical work after a brief stint with a ME major and an AAS in CIS while working in a bakery for a couple years.
More related to the topic, though, I think it's good to get kids to focus a little more on what they're interested in... but not to the point where they have to know what they want to be when they're done with all of their schooling.
I think they should have something to focus on. Science/Math, Technical/Trades, Art/Literature, Education and broad categories like that might help to steer kids more in line with a path that will get them somewhere where they enjoy what they're doing but also can make money at it. If you make everyone take the same courses the kids that don't belong there take away attention from the kids who do and the teachers are constantly dumbing down the class for the kids that don't belong there.
I had 4 different majors in 4 years of college after graduating with an Regents diploma with high honors in NYS.
I went through Mechanical Engineering, Technical Communications, Individual Studies and Computer Information Systems in that (messed up) order. I ended up with a worthless AAS and $20k+ in debt from my first two years (and two majors) at an overpriced University and I'm still not doing what my degree says I can do. I've taken courses in everything from Physics 1 & 2, Materials Science, Calculus 1 & 2, Public Speaking, Poetry, B&W Photography 1 & 2 and Programming in Java and C and I still have no idea what I really want to do.
The one thing I never learned was how to focus on one thing and get good at it. So I learned a little bit of everything and I'm not spectacular at any of them. I can sit at a desk and read
I agree with the parent completely that we need to think of generic PCs more like tools that need to be idiotproofed to some degree... but that's a battle that can't be won.
As a side question, though, when was the last time that any of us non-"idiots" went over to our "idiot" grandma's/sister's/parent's/friend's house and helped her/him/them clean up and secure their PC?