no child left behind?
I have had occasion to spend quite a bit of time with persons below the age of majority lately, and, using my keen powers of observation, have concluded that the means to great wealth in the future is not a Harvard MBA or a medical degree, but to become a practical artisan of some sort.
Plumber, carpenter, electrician, a person that actually produces something. Anybody can do work on a computer, or sell something, but the real secure money in the next few decades will be the man or woman who can actually get something done when it is needed. Most of us, or at least many, can do some things, light electrical or plumbing, carpentry or even masonry, but are really not up for the big jobs. These people will be in demand, even if they haven't completed a day of college.
Just a thought.
This brings me around to what inspired this post, the subject of the $100 laptop computer.
I am certain that it is feasible to actually produce such a device, and there is a movement that is dedicated to providing inexpensive computers to two billion children in the world to facilitate their education and therefore opportunity to improve their standing in life.
Nice idea, but I don't think it will fly. In the western world, the notion is more apt to be a portal for the parasitic commercial world to get even more of a foothold in the minds of the consuming public than it has now.
Not every child lives in the world we do. The developing world lacks the infrastructure to make a computer driven program work. A network? Nope. Not even rudimentary dialup.
A common language? Not everywhere. Reading skills? The list goes on.
How about a toolbox for every child? Perhaps $20 worth of inoculations and $80 worth of tools, including basic hand tools and possibly a few light farm implements? The idea is good, but if we are to have any positive impact, we are going to have to meet the people and work with them where they are.
How's that for education reform?
Plumber, carpenter, electrician, a person that actually produces something. Anybody can do work on a computer, or sell something, but the real secure money in the next few decades will be the man or woman who can actually get something done when it is needed. Most of us, or at least many, can do some things, light electrical or plumbing, carpentry or even masonry, but are really not up for the big jobs. These people will be in demand, even if they haven't completed a day of college.
Just a thought.
This brings me around to what inspired this post, the subject of the $100 laptop computer.
I am certain that it is feasible to actually produce such a device, and there is a movement that is dedicated to providing inexpensive computers to two billion children in the world to facilitate their education and therefore opportunity to improve their standing in life.
Nice idea, but I don't think it will fly. In the western world, the notion is more apt to be a portal for the parasitic commercial world to get even more of a foothold in the minds of the consuming public than it has now.
Not every child lives in the world we do. The developing world lacks the infrastructure to make a computer driven program work. A network? Nope. Not even rudimentary dialup.
A common language? Not everywhere. Reading skills? The list goes on.
How about a toolbox for every child? Perhaps $20 worth of inoculations and $80 worth of tools, including basic hand tools and possibly a few light farm implements? The idea is good, but if we are to have any positive impact, we are going to have to meet the people and work with them where they are.
How's that for education reform?
posted by eccentric recluse at 10:11 AM
4 Comments:
If I had a hammer, I could fix this damn computer.
-Roy
you are the hammer!
^Need a sickle comrade?
You'd need a balance of both styles of education, otherwise trade jobs would eventually be worthless and all the money would be in other fields.
I am not for mandating anything, and there will be a balance, but at this point in time, there is, IMHO, not enough emphasis on the practical arts. Of the people that I know who are most likely to be millionaires, (which, in this day and age ain't what it used to be, but I digress), are those who are artisans, builders, plumbers, masons and contractors. As our economy has become more service oriented, these skills have become more scarce, and therefore, more valuable, and this trend has not yet peaked.
just my $0.02.
E_R
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