<p>In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression. Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy. The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, that exceed those now taught in high school.</p>
<p>Preparing</a> for the Next Job Market - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com</p>
<p>Excellent article. I worry about a few friends who only have HS degrees and wish they would further their education by attending a community college. This is a really competitive job market. That’s why I’m back in school for a web design design certificate. I’m doing anything to increase my skill set and make myself attractive to potential employers who will pay me more money. Graduates need to have proficiency in a variety of skills in this job market (strong writing, math, social media, graphic desgn, Microsoft Office abilities).</p>
<p>This article is for college grads and their parents who wonder if grad school is the right decision in this economy: [Don't</a> try to dodge the recession with grad school | Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk](<a href=“http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/02/03/dont-try-to-dodge-the-recession-with-grad-school/]Don’t”>Don't try to dodge the recession with grad school - Penelope Trunk Careers Blog)</p>
<p>So there is hope for my physics major, math minor son graduating this spring from a top LAC? He will also have knowledge of C++ computer programming. (hmom5–you have already know about my S’s situation from a previous thread)</p>
<p>To sum it up, at this point, he cannot find a job.</p>
<p>Our oldest, an engineering major, will grad in May. He excepted an excellent offer back in Sept. from a large company. But only after we were able to convince him of the seriousness of the current economic situation. </p>
<p>Almost all of his friends, who also did well at good schools, have announced their intention of attending grad school. Too many of them (IMO) are talking Law School. All are urged-on only by the lack of a better idea.</p>
<p>I spoke to an engineer about the two positions that we have open and why it’s been hard to fill them. We already have junior engineers and it’s taking them time to get up to speed (they’re from the best universities). Ideally we have candidates with a graduate degree (for theory) and some work experience (so that they know what a real engineering environment is like). It appears that we cannot absorb undergraduates at this time.</p>
<p>There are jobs out there. Even as big technology companies lay off workers, they hire new ones for new projects or in different locations to meet different needs. Skill set is very important.</p>
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<p>The C and C++ programming experience is what got my physics grad a job! It certainly wasn’t the physics…</p>
<p>Just saw an email in son’s account - Fidelity is hiring 60 CS (or related) grads this year and will be spending a lot of money during the summer to provide them with lots of training. Fidelity had a lot of layoffs late in 2008 and maybe some in 2009 but it appears that they are hiring for, perhaps, other needs.</p>
<p>BCEagle91, many companies laid off senior employees who cost them a lot of money. These CS grads may make less money than the previous counterparts in these positions. It could be an entirely different department altogether.</p>
<p>Egads, the first guy is nuts. First he says, </p>
<p>“Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills, are unable to use the tools of mathematics and whose command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations.”</p>
<p>Then, he follows up with ending high school at 16 years old. </p>
<p>Plumbing and other service jobs might just be the way to go. Recession or not, people will always need a plumber.</p>
<h1>6. I’d send DS’s resume but you are so far north and east of the PNW. :)</h1>
<p>There is always demand for employees with valuable skills. From accountants (think transition from US GAAP to IFRS by 2010) to just folks with foreign language skills, there are still positions out there. </p>
<p>As BCEagle91 said, skill set and experience matters above all in this environment.</p>
<p>The reason to go to graduate school is because one loves what one is studying and just about everything else doesn’t matter. I loved grad school and gave no thought about career, job, etc. I still love what I do, and the making a living thing just seemed to work out.</p>
<p>I would agree with idad- grad school isn’t to get a job.
I know those with BAs who have jobs in their fields, because they are cheaper than those with MAs/Phds for the same type work.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids have ever had a problem finding a job.
It is about willingness to learn, good references & contacts.
You can get those without spending thousands of dollars in debt for a grad degree</p>
<p>( my daughter was a tech writer for a while- including contracting for Microsoft, until she couldn’t stand it anymore and the last time she took a computer class, was when she worked with Americorps after high school. Now she is doing something she likes much better, teaching science to kids and working with adults who want to learn how to do that)</p>
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<p>While I agree with the premise (that one shouldn’t use grad school as a fallback plan), the article is…ugh.</p>
<p>“Grad school pointlessly delays adulthood.”</p>
<p>Some people use it that way, but as a blanket statement it’s an idiotic stereotype. There’s nothing inherently un-adult about being a grad student.</p>
<p>“And if you are not going to teach, why are you getting a [graduate] degree?”</p>
<p>Um, <em>to do research</em>, which is what a PhD prepares you do to? I guess the author has never heard of industry research or national labs. Or, if it’s a master’s, to advance professionally? In some professions a master’s is how you get access to the upward ladder.</p>
<p>BCEagle, about half way down in this article on the book “The Hand” they discuss engineer hires.</p>
<p>[Online</a> NewsHour: The Hand- December 31, 1998](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/december98/gergen_12-31.html]Online”>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/december98/gergen_12-31.html)</p>
<p>In another interview of the author I once heard, they elaborated on this story. The company went to the best schools for the best hires (with the hopes of pruning the older employees eventually, iirc), but discovered that once on the job the new hires had to consult with the older engineers when they were stuck problem-solving - they themselves were not good problem solvers. They had better luck with hires who also had done car mechanics.</p>
<p>In my opinion, hand work of any kind would assist brain development - it need not be limited to auto mechanics - but the point is that recruiting from the best schools doesn’t guarantee the best hires, as you appear to be experiencing.</p>
<p>Treetopleaf, that’s why most employers value experience over education. “What can you do for us?”</p>
<p>I disagree. They want square pegs for square holes, no-brainer hire decisions, and if your resume has the exact acronyms they want, you may be hired. What they actually need are people who can problem solve and learn on the job, a harder thing to assess.</p>
<p>Treetopleaf, you may have misinterpreted my statement. Most employers want people who can problem-solve quickly on the job and in return make the company profitable/successful. However, your example illustrated that even the most educated college graduates from prestigious schools don’t necessarily have the experience to do well on the job. </p>
<p>For example, let’s say a business has to choose between two people with similar majors: 1) kid from non-so-prestigious name school + previous experience with programming or 2) kid from prestigious school but lacks experience with programming. Who do you think the company will hire most of the time?? Answer: 1.</p>
<p>You said that “the most educated college graduates from prestigious schools don’t necessarily have the experience to do well on the job” but my thought is that they may not have the brains to do the job. Succeeding in school requires only a subset of the mental skills an employer might need.</p>
<p>Given person A who has some specific experience an employer is looking for (e.g. experience with X program), and person B who does not, but has the greater ability to learn and problem solve, I have observed that employers will hire person A. But they might be better off hiring the person that lacks some specific skill but has the means to learn many skills. The book “The Hand” would say they’d be better off hiring someone who has learned a manual skill of some sort since they have developed those portions of their brain. (It’s an interesting book, btw).</p>