The battle of the generations....

[lukeb]

I came a little late to this thread and had skimmed over most of it, but thought it would be better to at least carefully re-read your first post.

 

To be really honest I do hold some negative biased views or at least fairly ambivalent views on young people entering the workforce with a degree. I don't think "intimidated" is the right word or at least not as it applies to me. Now some degrees are more useful than others when it comes to the particular job you are applying for and of course I understand that.

 

For me anyways it was fairly obvious right from the beginning of my schooling that I wasn't going to have an academic career. I grew up on a farm I loved the freedom, the work and the lifestyle. I already knew what I liked. It was going to be either farming or if that wasn't going to work out, most likely a trade such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing or whatever. It wasn't going to be university professor.

 

That lifestyle choice was definitely looked down upon by virtually everyone. If not ridiculed certainly belittled by every teacher I ever had but it is more than that, it is cultural. It is in the media, it is everywhere you look. You can't even fill in an application form and check a box that applies to you for education level. "Some College" is usually the closest one. In other words we dont really exist in the mindset of most people. Even as our infrastructure is crumbling and there is a real shortage of people going into the trades. This holds true even today.

 

That does result in a bit of an "us" against "them" mentality which is unhealthy for society. You don't have to go far to see the us/them phenomena play out in other areas.

[j.man]

Pearls from the mouth of the young woman still in her 20's who's worked and continues to work hard to earn hers.

 

I think the consensus is that what's being interpreted as intimidation is just a sensible withhold of any buy-in to hype. We all needed to demonstrate our work ethic over the years, and anybody who wants our respect needs to demo theirs.

 

Whenever young people walk their talk, I'm all ears.

Lord knows I'd be the last to defend that epidemic, but a huge reason for it is the current price tag. Tuition has raised something like, what, 1200% since the 70s? Safe to say it has outpaced inflation just a bit. While I do personally consider it a rotten attitude, it's one I can understand. Obviously, the ones doing best are those who come out of university with realistic expectations and a willingness to put in the time and effort regardless of how "unfair" they may perceive things.

 

Like Fudgie, I greatly prefer working with older generations and will be the very first to self-police my generation, but I think there's a lot of context that's lost on a good many baby boomers. I had a pretty big argument with my step-brother's father when he told my step-brother he wouldn't cosign for a student loan because my step-brother was going to a public university and just needed to get a part-time overnight job "just like he did" to pay his tuition off as he went.

 

Things ain't the same and, naturally, expectations aren't going to be, either.

[dias]

I observe that many members here compare degrees with experience . These things are irrelevant . You can't substitute 20 years of experience with a degree even if you studied at MIT . The "correct" thing is to compare people at the same age with and without a degree . Then you can see the disparity . Statistically , an educated person is more intelligent , more disciplined and better at collaboration. Our mind is like our muscles .Even if you are not genetically gifted , with hard work(study in this case) you can ameliorate your mental acuity . I know many doctors who are not particularly "intelligent" but studied hard since they were at primary school. And now if you compare them with someone who hasn't ever really studied in his life they are smarter and more competent of course .

 

I do agree though that education has become an industry. The tuitions represent the demand of each discipline , that's why tuitions in finance and management are 10 times more than in STEM. Nobody wants to study Mathematics but everyone wants to become a manager after 4 years of memorizing inane things. By the way degrees in management are just a sham . Management is something very practical , you can't learn to handle people reading a book .

[derPhilosoph]

I observe that many members here compare degrees with experience . These things are irrelevant . You can't substitute 20 years of experience with a degree even if you studied at MIT . The "correct" thing is to compare people at the same age with and without a degree . Then you can see the disparity . Statistically , an educated person is more intelligent , more disciplined and better at collaboration. Our mind is like our muscles .Even if you are not genetically gifted , with hard work(study in this case) you can ameliorate your mental acuity . I know many doctors who are not particularly "intelligent" but studied hard since they were at primary school. And now if you compare them with someone who hasn't ever really studied in his life they are smarter and more competent of course .

 

I do agree though that education has become an industry. The tuitions represent the demand of each discipline , that's why tuitions in finance and management are 10 times more than in STEM. Nobody wants to study Mathematics but everyone wants to become a manager after 4 years of memorizing inane things. By the way degrees in management are just a sham . Management is something very practical , you can't learn to handle people reading a book .

 

Just FYI, I did not go to MIT. From what I have heard from other classmates who had friends there and from general hearsay, students at MIT are generally more arrogant than those at other tech schools....

[Batya33]

Just FYI, I did not go to MIT. From what I have heard from other classmates who had friends there and from general hearsay, students at MIT are generally more arrogant than those at other tech schools....

 

So that underscores the issue with your original post which also, as you shared in a subsequent post , refers largely on hearsay/gossip/anecdotes -not really a "theory". Intelligent people and especially those with science/math-related smarts/interests are typically prone to being labeled in negative ways -arrogant, nerdy (not sure if that is still a negative!), pick your poison. It just says more about the speaker than the target. I also think some is due to jealousy of those fortunate to get in to and do well at MIT (I did not go there -know people who did -remember I am part of that older generation you speak of). Back in the stone age when my friends were at MIT (80s) it had the same myth surrounding it.