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Strategies & Market Trends : Rande Is . . . HOME -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nikko who wrote (50573)	4/17/2001 12:15:46 PM
From: Rande Is	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 57584

OT on College> . . .Thanks much Nick and all! . . . Oldest girl is graduating from High School this year. She will be entering college as a sophomore, due to progressive programs in this county. But what can we reasonably expect from a college degree these days? How is a college supposed to keep up with the technological developments as rapid as they are these days? They set their curriculum according to both tradition and the best information they have. . . .but all you can hope for is a good fundamental education. It is merely a single step toward a career, rather than all the steps necessary. . as it was in generations passed. And that is important to remember when giving advice to kids. When our fathers went to college, they did so for the primary purpose of learning a marketable skill. "I want to be an architect, an engineer, a metalurgist, a biologist, a teacher, an advertiser, a merchandiser, a banker". . . . and when they finished their degree, there were companies willing to hire them for the job in which they have trained. . . . straight out of college. . . no more training necessary. When we graduated, there were not nearly the companies awaiting the graduates. Instead the largest companies were advertising that they were actively hiring 50 accountants, 100 clerical, 200 data entry operators and 400 sales reps. . . and perhaps one or two persons with extremely specific computer skills. . . .but few persons trained in the typical professional high-end skills learned in college. Consequently, the majority of college graduates in our generation are now underemployed, with a small percentage still working in the field in which they were trained. And the average worker now changes their career [not just their job] 3 times in their lifetime! And today, GENERALLY SPEAKING. . . . many companies don't even bother trying to find graduates which fit the bill of what they need. Rather they look for certain "personalities to mesh with their own". They require that candidates hold bachelors, masters or higher degrees in. . . well. . .anything. Increasingly, it seems that major companies are not so concerned with what you LEARNED in college, but rather that you were able to finish it and finish well. They THEN begin to train the new hire in their prescribed way. . .to fit in with the systems they currently use. This is increasingly the actual BEGINNING of training which will be actually used on the job. . . not relying on skills learned in college. It is a far different world. In generations passed, the family business was passed on from generation to generation. This is no longer the rule. . . but a rarity. Nowadays, entrepreneurs must know how to do absolutely everything. . .and college per se may not hold as much value to the self-motivated entrepreneur as one might think. They must learn the art of running a successful business by hands-on training. So how does a parent advise a child wishing to run their own business? See the rub? So as parents, when you give advice about life after high school, be sure that you are fully informed on how things REALLY work before answering. Do your DD. The "way it was" when you graduated high school is no longer as relevant in todays internet-speed super-high-tech largely automated world. And our kids deserve our best! Rande Is