<p>New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is convinced that economic changes are bringing a new challenge of a "flat world" to our children. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html?%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html?</a> </p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>A good friend called early yesterday morning to alert me to the article, I then promptly read it and forwarded it on to my team at work and several friends... it is tooo true... and very difficult for an American child with all the toys, chores, distractions and subliminal msgs telling them the only thing that matters is sex and fashion and dissing things etc. to appreciate that someone in a foreign country could be their competitor. I seem to remember something about supply and demand and pretty soon China will dominate both supply and demand sides of the equation.... we need to inovate and mfg and buy at home... incent built in america for corporations and purchasers.... not going to happen with current govt.... not opposed to global economy... just hate to see us sell out short term which is what is currently going on.. American CEO's pay is a crime... truly there needs to be a ratio of top to bottom pay to keep it in check.... and incent community support and involvement.... </p>
<p>how's that for a fast, emotional response? Took Tom Friedman all of 1 visit to India to get hit upside the head with a baseball bat. Fortunately he had the endurance to write a book about it... and has a pulpit to draw attention to this. Brilliant title....flat world... brilliant.</p>
<p>Very important for those of us whose kids are off to Engineering/Computer Science next year. They - and their universities - need to have their eyes on more than the technical coursework "ball." They need to be thinking globalization at every turn. I have seen others on this board predict that there is no future for CS/CE grads in this country. I have no way to evaluate that (and certainly hope it isn't true). But those entering, and teaching in, that field certainly need to be thinking about our flat world in all that they do.</p>
<p>I actually went to a lecture by Friedman a few weeks ago where he discussed the premise of the book. It was a great lecture and was pretty much on the ball. His points are well thought out and documented from personal experience. </p>
<p>I pre-ordered the book after the lecture and can't wait for its arrival.</p>
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<p>Indeed. My first stay overseas (1982-1985, mostly in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China) was a real eye-opener. I was stunned at how much better the primary education received by Taiwanese in my generation was than the education received by Americans. Taiwan's population even today is less than that of California, but as India and China gradually adopt more rational economic policies, they will play a HUGE role in determining the price of labor worldwide. I have at home Chinese-language math textbooks, used in "key" schools, that put to shame anything available in the United States, and those books have press runs in the tens of thousands of copies. Learners of the same age who have reached the same level in the United States number in the mere dozens--and even many of them are first-generation immigrants from China. So it's not just manufacturing jobs in heavy industry where China gets to set the labor market, but many knowledge-intensive occupations too.</p>
<p>tokenadult - thank you for posting this. I have heard about this article but had not had a chance to read it. Some things are urgent, and some things are important - this is both.</p>
<p>Friedman has also said elsewhere that he thinks the big push for re-domination of the economic world would be if the administration lead a national hunt for a solution to the oil problem, and he believes we are not showing enough leadership here. He said that we experienced a huge uptick in innovation as a result of the race for space, and that we would achieve a similar resurgence if we put our minds to solving the oil situation. What a good thinker. Thanks again for posting.</p>
<p>I lived in Antibes, France briefly once upon a time...my dad was on an assignment... and there were young adults (16-20 +/-) from Japan working for a prince in the area... as his chauffeur, a kitchen aid etc... and their education and diligence were dramatically greater than mine. They all spoke 5+ languages, their course work was much more difficult than anything I had ever considered... </p>
<p>this was all before the internet flattened everything... </p>
<p>I was on a help line today.... they wanted to know what city and state I was in, when I said Maine...they said what state, I said Maine... they said what STATE.....so I said, "where are you?" they were in India and apparently there is no Maine, USA in India!! </p>
<p>I think our broad borders insulate us soo much... most every other country raises multi-lingual kids... my oldest started a foreign language in middle school... my youngest started the same language in grade 1 and yet, his HS assignment for next yr starts him at the same point the oldest did... what is up with that? grades 1-5 bought him nothing extra? </p>
<p>I work in the computer industry and I know when I went with my oldest to the MIT prospective student sessions I was stunned at their advocacy of CS for a degree because I was seeing first hand how many of those jobs were moving oversees. Follow the sun coding... where the program moves by time shift... 1st shift in site A, 2nd shift workers at site B and 3rd shift at site C... the program was never shut down at end of day...cause there was no end of day... </p>
<p>if we are lucky, we, the USA, will be the first with a radical new source of energy or something that extends our global leadership. No idea yet what it will be.... just saw an article yesterday that MIT was working on $100 laptops for disadvantaged global kids....that countries could sign up for in large quantities..... Maine has funded lap tops for a few years now for 7th & 8th graders....now also 9th graders... lots of pushback due to cost... $100 laptop would be of tremendous interest to everyone in this state..... </p>
<p>glad you mentioned the article on this site.... I don't think it has yet registered with most of the 'rents....</p>
<p>hey hayden,
solution to the oil issue is my idea.... I was typing as you were submitting your post... giving credit to Friedman....come on!! LOL.......</p>
<p>maineparent - maybe your post was slower because the server has trouble identifying where you are ? (Loved that story!)</p>
<p>Friedman raises some good points. However, it is all well and good to: tell his daughters to study; urge people to go into engineering; urge an emergency program to replace oil. </p>
<p>MeanwhileFriedman is is in favor of wasting 100's of billions in Iraq. This could pay for a couple of hundred thousand engineering scholarships. The Iraq War he supports is mainly to keep getting cheap oil which will put off the technological shift he urges.</p>
<p>Since we live in Asia, since my husband works for a combined Korean/Chinese entity and since my work takes me to a range of schools in the region I have a slightly different perspective on this.</p>
<p>In locations where they are available, well educated and affluent Asians flock to American style schools. Where we live there is a Korean school, a Japanese school and a Singaporean school- but these groups routinely jump ship and put their kids in international schools- if they are hoping for an international lifestyle for their kids. My husband leads a team of bright, hardworking engineers who can quote books and perform calculations but have difficulty discriminating saliency, approaching tasks in a pragmatic manner and seeing the forrest for the trees. </p>
<p>I would hardly judge the American school system as perfect, and the Asian parents at our school routinely give their children extra "tuition" as it is referred to, but they would do this if their children were in their home country schools as well. We silly Americans are more likely to arrange play dates, but so be it...</p>
<p>There is more to education than can be judged on a standardized math test. Why do these kids want to come to the American-oriented school- because they learn to think critically, because creativity, initiative and team work are valued. School is fun! Why are there expatriates affiliated with so many Asian entities at high levels-- because they think critically and creatively and because initiative and team work are valued. Work is enhanced when the expatriate leadership infuses this ethic. </p>
<p>I have a great idea for a new American export...educators, many of them.</p>
<p>This is one of the reasons I sent my son to an International School. In the early 90s my wife and I were aware that he, and other Americans, were going to have to learn how to compete on an international level. I felt that having him educated with non-Americans would give him a wider understanding of the world and make it easier for him to work in an enviornment where this country would not totally dominate but would be one of many.</p>
<p>Innovation is a uniquely American culture. I have spent the last 30 years in Software and Systems engineering. I would not be afraid for my child to get a CS degree. We have been predicting the death of American Computer Science for at least the last 20 years. </p>
<p>Right now our company is paying current employees $15K per resume that we bring and turn into employees. The jobs are available if you are willing to relocate.</p>
<p>My son is in a heavy duty math class his first year at college. Though there are plenty of Asians in it, the students who are blowing everyone else out of the water are from Russia and Eastern Europe. Their math education is outstanding.</p>
<p>But I think Robyrm makes an excellent point. The best of American education encourages critical thinking, creativity, and a capacity for life long learning. This is what I think ultimately will keep our kids employed. My husband's an engineer who had an extremely vocational undergrad program. But he picked up enough skills in grad school that he's been able to continue teaching himself new math and computer concepts throughout his career and apply them on the job. He's basically doing stuff no one ever heard of when he started out, computer models, risk analysis, etc -- though he never did use that welding course (good thing, cause he got a D), or the three classes about concrete he was required to take. Our kids will need to be even more flexible, which is why I don't really worry about what they major in as long as they learn to think, to express themselves, and to keep right on learning after they get out of school.</p>