My generation might be broken. (UC protests)

[Crazed Rabbit]

So they now are against the two most useful degrees?

I truly wonder what these kids expect from college.

CR

[Strike For The South]

Consequence free sex

[Tellos Athenaios]

I don't even......what.....?

Someone thinks University is too much about going-through-the-motions and churning out degrees as exemplified by Engineering 2 ?

[Centurion1]

I don't even......what.....?

Your school is ******* stupid as **** bro.

You know the number one destination of graduates of my school?
Finance

Your school?
Prison and communes.

[Subotan]

The problem is employers don't buy that. Nor do I, for that matter

This is correct, and it's an information asymmetry problem. By having a degree you're showing that as a worker you're productive enough to make it through university. You might be just as productive if you don't have one, but if everyone else who is productive has one, you're going to be treated like you're an unproductive worker. Degrees are mainly used for signalling to employers that you have the skills and talent so that you can work for them, rather than actually giving you skills that you will use.

[CountArach]

I don't even......what.....?

I'm pretty sure Marx didn't say that.

[Vladimir]

I'm pretty sure Marx didn't say that.

At least not in 2001. I think someone is having a little fun with this.

I like college humor.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Your school is ******* stupid as **** bro.You know the number one destination of graduates of my school? FinanceYour school?Prison and communes.

Apparently other universities haven't been teaching students how not to make false generalizations either.

[Centurion1]

Apparently other universities haven't been teaching students how not to make false generalizations either.

;)

touche.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I disagree. In fact I'll go as far as saying that there's a shortage of college-trained professionals. The problem is not with the economy but rather with the choices that the college kids make these days: too many people studying journalism, philosophy, sociology, arts and other assorted bullcrap, while science, engineering, physics and other majors that actually matter get left behind. As a result we have college grads with a so called "degree" in some useless humanitarian subject working as waiters and baristas. Higher education is first and foremost an investment. Those who invest in bullcrap majors are merely reaping what they sow.

That's an excellent point and reinforced by the recent Occupy protests. Many of them had unmarketable degrees. We import professionals from all over the world to supply our demand.

I think this is a rather dated view.

My brother is actually doing a Masters in Engineering and he has been warned how important it is to get out and get work experience because getting good employment related to his degree will be tough.

Also apologies for the anecdotal evidence, but I had a conversation with an Indian guy at work about the economy over there and he told me about the situation with his brother who also did a 5-year degree to become a doctor. Apparently the situation there with too many people studying for high-level jobs is 100x worse than here, thousands of people take extremely competetive entrance exams for a handful of positions.

As the BBC article said:

"And Philip Greenish, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering said: "Engineers are highly skilled professionals. Employers recruit them from wherever they can in a global marketplace. Only a proportion will be fresh UK graduates."

If you take a global marketplace where far too many people study for the number of jobs required, and consider the number of graduates places like India produce compared to the UK, you can see why graduates here are struggling.

Like the article said, less than half of engineering graduates in the UK find work relating to their studies six months after graduating. Why on earth are we importing people in? Absolute madness.

[Vladimir]

Foreigners also work for less. It's the same everywhere.

[gaelic cowboy]

My brother is actually doing a Masters in Engineering and he has been warned how important it is to get out and get work experience because getting good employment related to his degree will be tough.

Like the article said, less than half of engineering graduates in the UK find work relating to their studies six months after graduating. Why on earth are we importing people in? Absolute madness.

Engineering is not sexy and a real skills base takes time to develop, it's not enough to have graduates they must have a grounding in a particular industry.

The West has done two things it let small companies go to the wall reducing a graduates chance at technician level skills and we let actual engineers come to take positions. Small companies is where you get your engineering skills typically from but we collectively outsouced much of the work and hence we got rid of the technician skills too.

The consequence of this is the laughable posting one sees now on recruitment site of needing 1-2yrs experience for an engineering internship (often low or unpaid) Excuse me but I would love to see the explanation how is that an internship and not an actual job.

It is not an unusual senario to be told that even when you have relevant experience unless it's after college it will be discounted for the interview.
Imagine you had a summer job in a CNC place during college, they let you do some milling, turning, 3d solidworks an autocad stuff etc etc you turn up for interview after college and with a straight face some HR women tells you have NO experience. (this wasnt me twas a friend in case you wondering)

I have got simmilar rebutals in interviews though for in the semiconductor side of things.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Aye, it's a bad situation gaelic.

It seems to me that the solution is to have less education and ban immigration.

I await the day a politician stands on that platform.

Foreigners also work for less. It's the same everywhere.

Even in highly-skilled positions?

I am asking, I am genuinely unaware.

[gaelic cowboy]

Aye, it's a bad situation gaelic.

It seems to me that the solution is to have less education and ban immigration.

I await the day a politician stands on that platform.

Well economist's have already probed the idea that tons of education does not make a society rich it merely raises the bar for entry.

Even in highly-skilled positions?

I am asking, I am genuinely unaware.

No I doubt it too be honest because highly skilled is generally also rare even with foreign talent adding to the pool.

Generally skilled is where the problem are and thats what a student is till they have a fews years work.

[Vladimir]

Aye, it's a bad situation gaelic.
Even in highly-skilled positions?

I am asking, I am genuinely unaware.

I can't back that up with numbers right now but historical trends indicate that immigrants (skilled or not) will often work harder, and for less, than native born workers. It's a kind of fuzzy "fact" but it depends on a person's motivation and individual circumstances.

[gaelic cowboy]

I can't back that up with numbers right now but historical trends indicate that immigrants (skilled or not) will often work harder, and for less, than native born workers. It's a kind of fuzzy "fact" but it depends on a person's motivation and individual circumstances.

In high skill positions native talent does not lose out

If you ask me it is in the first job and general skills area that graduates lose out mostly cos we let the majority of it go somewhere else.

Politicians and banks made it possible to do this and codded people with talk of smart economies and moving up the ladder blah blah.

A robotic plant is supposedly smart economy uses less workers and can import engineers from abroad but will not affect local high skilled engineers. However graduates will find it hard to get work there as they dont need masses of employees and therefore a lot of technicians and junior engineers.

Everyday employers claim there is a dearth of engineers when in fact it's really that there is a dearth of 5-8yr experienced senior engineers.

[Major Robert Dump]

These people could afford college if birth control were free.

That flyer is Effin awesome