Agree with the belief that colleges and universities should be teaching how to learn more than specifics. Afterall, isn't that what trade schools are for?
But trade schools are given a bad reputation as benieth higher educational institutions, however, corporations want specific technical workers, so universities are training more students to just work in a single career path.
"Those who desire to succeed greatly, must first be willing to fail miserably."
I think you are right to say that colleges are supposed to be teaching kids how to think on a higher level, but more and more I am finding that if teachers want your opinion, they'll give it to you.
I finished my second undergraduate degree in '96 and had hoped I would be able to not regurgitate knowledge to succeed, but rather engage my own mind and display my own founded views. I was wrong, but not totally. While some professors were very holistic in their approach, others were not even open minded.
But I think we're running off the general question of, "Is this really what companies want of today's graduates?"
I believe there are a great many companies who don't want their employees rocking the boat. They want a worker (and even managers) to simply agree to the principles handed down and do them quickly and efficiently. I traded in my teaching job at a mid-western University to work at a large international corporation. Most things have not changed significantly, but bureaucracy is just more accepted in the business world and the common technical workers are not as "well rounded." Do companies like that? -- I believe they do. But my worry is, is it good when looking at the bigger picture?
I see the workers believing they got a good education from college because they make a good living wage. I do not think most understand that they have little to no impact on the company at all. They work to get paid. My undergraduates' in business taught me a broader picture than most people I work around understand (I work in the e-commerce division). If more people understood the whole workings here, I think higher managers would worry more about their jobs than they even do right now. By hiring worker who do fine work without questioning or sometimes even understanding, they continue to enjoy their station at the company. Does this mean that there are times that workers are taken advantage of because of their ignorance? - I believe so.
My opinion is that this is wrong, but I also believe that corporations are not wanting education to be a broad understanding of the world or even business. They want to mass produce workers through education. Do I plan on doing something about it? Yes, but that means leaving a job that pays 2.4 times more than I was previously making as an instructor... it just sometimes makes me move a little slower getting there.
I finished my second undergraduate degree in '96 and had hoped I would be able to not regergitate knowledge to succeed, but rather engage my own mind and display my own founded views. I was wrong, but not totally. While some professors were very wholalistic in their approach
I agree completely with almost both the original note and Milky Way Kid, but think that it does start with all of us. I mean us as being people who know what Linux is and how to run it. We need to show others, support eachother, and spread the OS flavors.
You can do a lot by starting people off having a dual boot system and sending them cool apps that are NOT MSOS based. Viva le Penguin!!
Slashdot Mirror
Agree with the belief that colleges and universities should be teaching how to learn more than specifics. Afterall, isn't that what trade schools are for?
But trade schools are given a bad reputation as benieth higher educational institutions, however, corporations want specific technical workers, so universities are training more students to just work in a single career path.
"Those who desire to succeed greatly, must first be willing to fail miserably."
I think you are right to say that colleges are supposed to be teaching kids how to think on a higher level, but more and more I am finding that if teachers want your opinion, they'll give it to you.
I finished my second undergraduate degree in '96 and had hoped I would be able to not regurgitate knowledge to succeed, but rather engage my own mind and display my own founded views. I was wrong, but not totally. While some professors were very holistic in their approach, others were not even open minded.
But I think we're running off the general question of, "Is this really what companies want of today's graduates?"
I believe there are a great many companies who don't want their employees rocking the boat. They want a worker (and even managers) to simply agree to the principles handed down and do them quickly and efficiently. I traded in my teaching job at a mid-western University to work at a large international corporation. Most things have not changed significantly, but bureaucracy is just more accepted in the business world and the common technical workers are not as "well rounded." Do companies like that? -- I believe they do. But my worry is, is it good when looking at the bigger picture?
I see the workers believing they got a good education from college because they make a good living wage. I do not think most understand that they have little to no impact on the company at all. They work to get paid. My undergraduates' in business taught me a broader picture than most people I work around understand (I work in the e-commerce division). If more people understood the whole workings here, I think higher managers would worry more about their jobs than they even do right now. By hiring worker who do fine work without questioning or sometimes even understanding, they continue to enjoy their station at the company. Does this mean that there are times that workers are taken advantage of because of their ignorance? - I believe so.
My opinion is that this is wrong, but I also believe that corporations are not wanting education to be a broad understanding of the world or even business. They want to mass produce workers through education. Do I plan on doing something about it? Yes, but that means leaving a job that pays 2.4 times more than I was previously making as an instructor... it just sometimes makes me move a little slower getting there.
I finished my second undergraduate degree in '96 and had hoped I would be able to not regergitate knowledge to succeed, but rather engage my own mind and display my own founded views. I was wrong, but not totally. While some professors were very wholalistic in their approach
You're right. Usually they walk.
I agree completely with almost both the original note and Milky Way Kid, but think that it does start with all of us. I mean us as being people who know what Linux is and how to run it. We need to show others, support eachother, and spread the OS flavors.
You can do a lot by starting people off having a dual boot system and sending them cool apps that are NOT MSOS based. Viva le Penguin!!
igtom
"Love the game - hate the players"