You've heard that you need to talk to your children about drugs, about sexting, about the dangers of strangers on the Internet. But many parents don't talk to their teenagers about what they want to be when they grow up -- and how to prepare for it.
"Follow your dream." "Do what you love." These are mantras in today's America. We push our kids to do their homework and study for the SATs to get into a good college. But after that, many of us tell our kids they can study whatever they want. Literature. Theater. Art. All the fun stuff.
I myself majored in history, and I used to defend the importance of a liberal arts education. "It teaches you how to think," the line goes. "It creates good citizens with a broad base of knowledge."
That it does. But the United States is in the midst of a terrible recession, and the daunting rates of unemployment -- and underemployment -- make it harder than ever to find a decent job. America's position as the leading economic powerhouse of the world is slipping, and no one seems to know how to create jobs.
Fareed Zakaria recently focused on this problem, both in TIME magazine and on his TV special, "Restoring the American Dream." One of his central points is that jobs come from innovation. Our economic strength comes from technology, and that's where much of the job growth is going to be. An education in politics or creative writing does not prepare you for a career in technology. Engineering does.
Walk into any engineering class in an American university, and you'll notice a striking pattern: many of the students speak with foreign accents. Among engineering graduate students, more than half are foreign-born. Our great universities are training future generations of Chinese, Indians, and others in the most advanced fields of medical research, biotechnology, electronics, and computer programming, while the children of Americans are holding great debates across campus in philosophy.
A wealthy society can afford to support artists, musicians, novelists, and scholars. The United States has long done so. Our movies are watched around the world, and in jazz and rock we set the pace. Our universities are the best. But as our star peaks and begins to fade, we need to realize that fine actors and brilliant historians cannot keep up the power and wealth of the United States.
Not every student can handle calculus. But let's not assume our kids just can't do it. When these courses get difficult, don't suggest they drop the class; challenge them to tough it out.
Here's the ideal: Study something practical with a clear path to a job. Then minor in a fun subject. Or major in something fun but pursue summer jobs that prepare you for a career. This was the advice my dad gave me when I was seventeen, and I grumbled about it, as teenagers do. But I listened. I majored in history but spent every summer working for newspapers, to prepare for a career in journalism, back when there were paying jobs in journalism. My daughter majored in computer science, with a second major in East Asian area studies.
It tore my heart when my daughter called home in agony, certain she could not pass her classes in advanced algorithms. She found the liberal arts classes so much easier. But right after college, despite the Great Recession, she got a high-paying job. Many of her friends had to move back home, worked in restaurants, or struggled in vain to find a job, any job. Those were the ones who had fun majoring in psychology, politics, or English.
Students of every socio-economic background should take at least some practical courses in college. Those from poor families understand this, but sometimes their parents assume that simply getting a college diploma will be enough. Rich kids will end up on Mom and Dad's couch -- and payroll -- if they don't figure out a way to make a living. And middle class kids, the vast majority, will find a much easier transition to the workplace if they have at least one course in marketing or technical writing.
The big thinkers like Zakaria can see clearly: As a society, the United States will lose its edge and go downhill if we can't educate our children to innovate in a high-tech world. Many Asian parents see this and push their kids in that direction. Too many American parents encourage their children to follow their dreams.
If all our kids follow their dreams, at the expense of preparing for a practical career, we will speed up our own decline as a society. Then the cries of "Where did all the jobs go?" will be plaintive and in vain.
We've been living in a dream world. We need to shake our kids and wake them up.
Rabbi Adam Jacobs: Kabbalah and Jazz: The Mystical Foundation of Improvisational Music
I wanted to be a doctor since I was about 2 years old. I had my life planned for myself from elementary school (except for 2nd grade when I wanted to be a paleontologist). I would be a surgeon, after getting a degree in Biology (which evolved into Biochemistry after high school). Then, one year into college, I changed majors. I am now an English major with plans to pursue an MFA in creative writing. What brought about the change? A simple realization that I didn't love Biology as much as I loved Shakespeare and Palanhiuk.
So now I have significantly less job security than I would have otherwise. I'll admit that - I made a risky life decision, but I don't regret it. You see, I am going to be much happier this way, and therefore my work will be of a much higher quality. High morale is fundamental when it comes to high quality products. If someone is miserable as a doctor or an engineer, they will not be as good at that job as someone who is truly passionate about it. Also, you mentioned Hollywood as an example of our artistic prowess. Hollywood/film is one of the few industries still thriving in this economy.
What they seem not to have studied sufficiently is values, ethics, empathy, compassion, justice, respect for the law, self-understanding, etc. In other words the qualities and questions that lie at the heart of the humanities. They studied how to do things, but not whether to do them.
- Do NOT go to law school, unless Yale or Stanford. Even Harvard is having trouble placing their law grads, and I mean at any salary point. Below that threshold, getting a job are very long odds.
- Do NOT go to Biz school unless a Top 10 program. Like law, there are far too many grads, b/c law and B schools are the big money makers - universities have no rationale to keep enrollment low enough that everyone has the shot at a job, let alone a career.
Best,
NESCAC / law school grad who can't get a job at Barnes and Nobles.
I recently read a Facebook update from a friend that I think encapsulated the very heart of the problem today. It stated: "My daughter just sent me this text: "Mom, I just got hit by a car. What should I do?"
Our nation's young people have very little ability to problem solve and think on their own. Americans have become VERY lazy physically, mentally and practically. We have so much, so readily available that we have lost our collective drive and ambition.
Don't take it out on Liberal Arts programs. This is a MUCH bigger issue.
The article states:
“Among engineering graduate students, more than half are foreign-born. Our great universities are training future generations of Chinese, Indians, and others in the most advanced fields of medical research, biotechnology, electronics, and computer programming, while the children of Americans are holding great debates across campus in philosophy.”
A distinction needs to be made between graduate students and undergraduate students in this case. The author is trying to imply that U.S. students are simply not studying “the most advanced fields of medical research, biotechnology, electronics, and computer programming”. This is absolutely FALSE. In fact, foreign students comprise less than 10% of the UNDERGRADUATE student population in these fields nationwide, see my reference below (Engineering and the sciences have similar UNDERGRADUATE enrollments).
May 2010 Computing Research News
2008-2009 Taulbee Survey
Undergraduate CS Enrollment Continues Rising; Doctoral Production Drops
http://www.cra.org/uploads/documents/resources/taulbee/0809.pdf
Page 11, Table 10a. Ethnicity of Bachelor’s Recipients (composite of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Information Technology).
Nonresident Alien – TOTAL = 5.9%
THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY WORKERS, as the following article explains. In fact, there are about three times as many people who have a Science and Engineering degree than there are jobs for.
Tech firms invent shortage panic
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/tech-firms-invent-shortage-190632.html
So Dori, are you trying to imply that everyone should get a Masters or PhD?
Thank you for responding to my comment. I'm real busy right now but I wanted you to know that I intend to reply back to you (a good reply will take more than the few minutes that I have right now). Unfortunately, due to a busy day tomorrow, I probably will not be able to get back to you with my reply until at least Wednesday. I'm sure you will see my response on your profile page, but I also found your email address so I can drop you an email if I think you missed my reply (just in case you don't get to log onto HuffPo for a while).