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What's the matter with Education?
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The problem with Education is that it has not kept pace with reality. Of course, it is one industry that has made great strides in the application of new technology. One can't help but notice the increasing number of advertisements promoting online colleges and their degree programs. But considering the present economic downturn - the number of college graduates unable to find jobs, and the fact that just 8 years ago we had a similar crisis - it begs the question, why are we still having this problem?
Curriculi seem to have changed very little from a theoretical focus to one of a real-world context. One can hardly feel satisfied having spent tens of thousands of dollars for an education which simply does not equip you with the skills to go in and get the job done. After all that time in the classroom, you still need on-the-job-training.
Several years ago I completed an Associate degree in Applied Science from a reputable New York City college. A couple years later I was accepted by a Massachusetts college recruiting African Americans/minorities to pursue their Masters degree program. The basis for acceptance was a minimum of 10 years work experience plus at least 20 college credits. I qualified. The goal of the program was to comply with Affirmative Action and increase African American/minority enrollment in colleges - that population having been discouraged from a college education for a number of reasons including the lack of financial aid, and societal pressures.
At the time, the college offered only two Masters Degree programs - Management and Education. I completed the Master of Arts in Management. However, truth be told, 5 years later I still found myself sidelined and unable to make the career progress I had anticipated. This led to several career changes. Finally, I entered the field of Education - having discovered my knack for communicating and eliciting responses from an audience. I therefore have an Associate in Applied Science degree, a Master of Arts degree, and currently pursuing my second Masters degree (MS) - but no bachelors. Does that make me deficient? Apparently, so. I have been turned down for teaching jobs, simply on the basis that I do not possess a bachelor's degree. In other words, all the education that I do have mean nothing without a Bachelors.
My first reaction was to apply for a Bachelor's degree program, which should take me no more than a year or so to complete. But I have a feeling that at the end of the day, nothing much will have changed. I perceive that the Education industry today is very much like the Auto Industry - plenty of bureaucracy and union vs management conflicts, slow to change, and little attention to product viability and customer satisfaction. Until education, once again, has a value for real-life experience, all the theoretical training in the world will not make us more competent, just more data retentive. Nor will it identify those with the ability, simply those with the information. "Knowledge is king, efficiency is the kingdom". We have plenty of knowledge experts to go around. But where are the application experts? Our nation is besotted with test scores, diplomas, degrees and other paper-based qualifications. We are all aware of how much President Obama's education at Harvard Law School has been touted in the media, suggesting that his competency as US President lies therein. Well, Bill Gates was kicked out of Harvard University. Go figure.
"Tell me, and I will listen. Show me and I will see. But allow me to experience it for myself, then I will learn." Our nation is going through unprecedented changes. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the financial sector, automotive industry, nor the healthcare industry on which our future depends. It is Education. That is the industry which much be the firebrand that leads the way out of these dark, tumultuous times. A new approach is needed. As we move towards a global economy (inevitably), how many schools are preparing students for the international marketplace with a comprehensive business, language, and sociology degree? How many colleges offer credits for international internships? Why spend tens of thousands of dollars to acquire obsolete information which can no longer be applied to the current real-world scenario. Where is problem-based learning when you need it? Where is global collaboration and synchronous online learning in an age when information is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and changes at the speed of light. Is anyone pursuing a degree in Journalism today in the hopes of getting a job with a newspaper? Are you looking for a job in Auto sales, or a video rental store? C'mon, get real! The best market for those jobs are now in Iraq or China. Your best qualifications are foreign language skills, plus experience living abroad.
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