I Have a Question

What happens when the the field you are studying in college changes so dramatically in less than four years that you find yourself with a degree that is completely useless? 

What’s the point of college in a world that changing that fast?

I’m partly venting, but also looking for thoughtful comments!

2¢ Worth

15 thoughts on “I Have a Question”

  1. Can a degree ever be totally worthless? I think the purpose of college is not necessarily solely to teach a skill set but rather an ability to think critically and globally. Reflecting on my undergraduate studies I can see how I matured from an academically immature 18 year-old to a slightly more mature critical thinker when I finally graduated at 26. I had to work my way through school and that taught me discipline and how to cope with failures. I dropped out at one point, buckling under the pressure and went back a few years later to finish. How many folks don’t do that? It’s not much to my credit, but it did teach me perseverance. College taught me a good bit about the Spanish language and literature, but I learned more by getting out into the foreign world and immersing myself. Isn’t that a metaphor for how we learn technology? I would not have done nearly as well with my own language acquisition had I not learned to critically analyze and decipher, skills I learned in my early years of undegrad. Now I’m in graduate school studying Educational Technology and blogging about it at http://opensource.christophercraft.com and http://www.nextgenlanguage.com

    Yours,

    Chris Craft

    PS…This comment got erased three times by my failed attempts to read the captcha. Good thing I had copied it to my clipboard!

  2. It’s actually a great question David! I remember my first day of senior internship my last semester of college. Prior to seeing any students on that first day, my supervising teacher and I sat and had a long chat about teaching philosophies and discipline issues, etc. One thing that he said I will remember all of my days. I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s to this effect:

    “The stuff they are teaching you in college is great and necessary, but you will quickly learn that everything they’ve taught you the last 2 1/2 years in your teaching program is antiquated and based on the premise that the students will listen and WANT to learn”

    To this day I keep that in the back of my head. I’ve had to basically ‘perform’ each day that I walk into my classroom to keep the students on the edge of their seats wanting to see what this crazy man will do. For the most part that coupled with the technology that is coursing through my curriculum, I have very few discipline issues. I’m also of the mindset that most educational programs at the college level should be more pre-service based rather then the traditional Junior/Senior Internships. I learned more that semester internship then the previous 2 years. Yes, the classroom classes are necessary, I’m not saying that. But this would also vet out the individuals that aren’t really cut out to be in the classrooms as well.

    Ok…/rant

  3. To a point, I imagine some degrees have always had this problem — computer programming, medicine, the sciences. What these programs emphasize is not just raw information but rather processes, ways of thinking about and manipulating the information and tools of the day.

    After graduation, there is, then, a strong push to continually educate oneself using the latest technologies and techniques. I have had this discussion with fellow staff members who don’t see the importance of integrating technology into their classrooms.

    Technologies change in every field. I would never go back to a doctor who just poked at my chest to find the broken rib; I would expect a competent doctor to be trained in and have access to the latest in diagnostic equipment.

    Why do we not have similar expectations of professional educators to have the training and equipement necessary to keep pace with the changing nature of their job?

  4. I am a history major, with a master in public administration degree who taught music for fourteen years and I am now teaching technology.

    Its not what the degree is, its how you got it….process over product?

    Benefits of history/govt major:
    1. I got used to reading A LOT of pages.
    2. I got used to being very clear in my writing.
    3. The competition in higher level courses was fierce.

    Yet, my mom still expects me to know the results of ancient Greek wars when she is doing her crossword puzzle. “You WERE a history major, weren’t you?”.

  5. I think the point of any formal education has to be to continue to learn how to learn. This applies to all ages and all levels. No education is ever wasted or useless. It all contributes to making the person who they are. In an ever-changing world we need to realise that finishing one degree may get a foot in the door to a certain job or profession but that to keep developing in that area further ‘study’ will be needed. Or, even more relevant, to move into other areas of vocation and interest further study and/or training will be needed. It is inexcusable these days to think that a 4-year degree will set you up for life. At the same time formal education is not the only way to learn, acquire skills and become knowledgeable.

    In terms of the digital world and educational technology the same argument applies. There will always be new tools to use for learning and different ways to improve student learning outcomes but the ability to be flexible and to understand in a more philosophical way what teaching is about and to embrace a more holistic approach are the ideals of education. Therefore, coming back to the original statement, no degree should ever be useless because it should not be founded purely on subject matter that could go out of date.

    This isn’t sounding quite right, but you have got me thinking tonight David!

  6. Ideally, the point of college should be to teach students how to learn. To teach them how to be consumers of information. To help graduates be able to say, “I have learned that there is much I will never know in my field. I have learned to keep up with the changes and advances. I have learned to continue to be a student even after I have crossed the stage and accepted my diploma,” rather than, “I have learned everything I need to know about it.”

  7. I think people just have to learn to adapt and to make changes when things aren’t working. What you learned can be applied in new ways to other subjects.

    Also, if you were studying a field wouldn’t you have been aware of these changes and adjusting to them when you were studying? If you were learning computer science wouldn’t you try to about up and coming technologies? If you’re completely blindsided, maybe you should find something you’d find more engaging.

  8. Quick answer – College/University should be there to create a generation that thinks deaper than the basic level of knowledge that they were so brilliantly tested on during school. 🙂

  9. How about a situation where the complete opposite it true? How about a field where little or nothing has changed and people in that field are still practicing the way they have been for 30, 50, 100 years?

    Sound familiar?

    Have you noticed that we have been *talking* about school and educational reform in this country for 25 years?

    Pin pulled – hot potato!

    ~j

  10. Where is it written that a degree guarantees you a career? It guarantees you opportunities, but it’s up to you to take advantage of them. That means continuing to learn.

  11. Another question – what happens when you go for an advanced degree in said field only to find out that they are still teaching technology that was old five years ago? Now you’re investing more time and money into “learning” something that has been outdated for years. Education? Instead of a diploma should you maybe get a t-shirt that reads, “I survived the Masters Program In Technology Education”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *