Quote:
Originally posted by widebody911
OTOH, will it matter? If 50% of the kids here took higher math and physics, we'd just have more technically educated people standing in the unemployment line.
I was at the gym last night, and overheard some kids who apparently had just graduated from high school talking about their majors. One of them said "I'm going into finance. I was going to go into computer science, but f*ck that, they're all getting laid off"
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High school graduates really know what they're talking about - scoop of the century!
There's a huge difference between "technically educated" and "technically skilled". Nearly all the skilled people I've worked with in the last 5 years are still employed. Those who's companies folded were quickly snatched up by other companies. I also know some software folks who lost cushy jobs with large contractors who were employed only due to the tech boom and were really under qualified for their position or responsibilities. Of course you also have some PhD types who write great research papers but can't actually develop anything.
Technology and its associated opportunities are not some flash in the pan trend. The reality is there are jobs out there and more are coming. The other reality is that the stereotype of American college students taking easy classes is mostly true. Poke your head into any upper division or graduate level science class and take a quick headcount. I know this is generalizing a bit but my belief is that kids driving to school in expensive new cars with cell phones, laptops, PDAs, and credit cards don't have the same motivation as someone who had to scratch and fight to get what they have. Parents who fund this sort of lifestyle aren't doing their kids any favors.