I have a thesis that I will propose about the state of college education in the United States. As I get to overhear many a student conversation on trains, social gatherings or from colleagues at work who have kids going to college I am stuck by the disconnect between fact and fiction.
The kids that are in college (largely as in the middle of the statistical bell curve) are taking on loans that seem to average $30,000 by the time they get done with 3 to 4 years of college. That they are now looking to earn a wage to payback this loan becomes an immediate daunting task ahead of them when they need to be looking at the world through the opportunity lens without a hurdle just out the gate.
American students have always in the past found gainful employment in a field of their choosing regardless of the field. That sure changed over the last 2 decades. Somehow though they have not connected with reality of today's education. They continue to do hourly jobs to fund part of their education which while a good thing also seems to set them in a mode of finding a blockbuster opportunity outside of the prescribed path of finishing a four year college program.
They continue to choose education in fields with zero to meagre opportunity and not focus on the core sciences where Asian and European immigrants continue to meet the demand. Barely. While there is a gap between supply and demand in fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (oft refered to as STEM) the organic supply is seen to be dwindling.
The success from the non high tech jobs is rare but that does not seem to connect with the brains of the millenials.
Many of these young now look to make it on the music or movie stage and their acceptance of brand that their peers produce seems to fuel these Facebook crowds. I mean how else can someone explain the success of waitresses and no name kids tending bar to suddenly gain overnight stardom because they wrote a song called - Call Me Maybe?
On an informal mission to read one book a week as long as the eyes allow for such ambition. Fiction or non is not important as long as it entertains and /or educates. To that end the past few weeks have brought a bounty in the form of some wonderful and then not so engaging literature. Among the notables are - Non fiction category: 1. Good arguments by Bo Seo (how to handle a dispute or debate the most efficient way possible) 2. Genesis by Eric Schmidt (and former US Secy of State Henry Kissinger, who recently passed) - how AI might affect our lives as we know it 3. One in a billion - Zarna Garg (an autobiographical look at an Indian born American woman with a bindi narrated in a standup format - yes it is at times cliched but still funny) Fiction: 1. Personal by Lee Child (a vigilante story with Jack Reacher the giant, nomad protagonist of Child's novels goes hunting for a sniper) 2. Ramayana unraveled by Ami Ganatra (she might disagree about it being a work of fiction but oh wel...
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