Silent Bob
06-14-2007, 04:01 PM
The “Myths” of College Education, Basic Skills and you.
By Bob Hubbard
First, some ancient history. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I took 4 forays into the world of “college education”. Based on those experiences, my opinion of the usefulness of such things was rather low. I was taught outdated skills on obsolete equipment by closed minded conservatives who were out of touch with the industry I was attempting to enter. Now, 15+ years later, I have to wonder however, where the true fault lie?
I picked my first college based on a brief tour, where the food was excellent, the college small, and the tour guide cute. I turned down another school because the campus was large, the food sub par, and the guide bored. Guess which school had the superior education opportunity though? The advisor I had insisted that things I and others were already doing weren’t possible at that time. As the only computer instructor on campus, he also nitpicked my work, deducting points for code formatting (3 indents rather than the 2 he preferred) on working programs, while awarding higher grades to others non-functional but properly formatted programs. I left, disillusioned and angry.
Fault – Mine.
My second attempt was ill timed. I abandoned my dream and enrolled, switching gears at the same time I hit some major relationship issues. I ended up flopping out, and only the guidance of one of my teachers helped me get through the personal crisis.
Again, Fault-mine.
Attempt 3 was a community college. I took a tour, saw top notch equipment, talked to some excellent instructors and saw a great program laid out in front of me. On enrolling however, I ended up in the wrong program, substandard equipment and a narrow viewpoint that disillusioned me again, leading to my departure.
Fault? Not sure here really.
My final attempt was started with great fanfare. I was motivated and really excited to be there. In my third term however, a series of issues again disillusioned me, and I left, this time for good. What were those issues? Technical incompetence by an instructor (who was learning today what he would teach tomorrow, literally), combined with running out of money led to the end of my college experimentation.
Fault? – Mine.
In the first example, I picked the wrong school. If I had gone with the other choice, my life would have taken a much different turn. With the others, a combination of poor timing, poor research and running out of time led to my failures.
Ok, so I tried 4 times, struck out. What does it all mean? Do I think college is a waste of time, money, etc?
Yes, and No.
Yes, I do think it is a waste of time if:
- You have won the lottery
- Plan on only working menial jobs your entire life
- Have no desires to ever run your own business, manage, or lead.
No, I think you need it if you:
- Want to have something solid to fall back on if your dreams fail to come true.
- Want to be taken seriously in numerous fields
- Want a chance at a better job, higher pay and greater promotion.
I’ve talked with numerous employers. When they look at hiring technical people, one of the things they look at is if you have a college degree. Even a mere associates degree from a 2 year school will more than double your chances at a good paying position, compared to only having a high school degree.
You have a binder full of technical certifications? That’s nice. Let me quote a recruiter from one of the companies I spoke to about this: “If you don’t have a college degree, we aren’t interested. We don’t care how many certifications you have if you don’t have a degree, even just a 2-year one.”
“But I don’t need all that stuff they want me to take.”
Yup, I said that. The mind of the 18-22 year old is often quite stubborn. At 15, writing and speaking scared the hell out of me. At 22 I felt certain that I’d never need to do more than write the occasional letter. Now, at 35, I regret not having paid more attention in those classes when I took them.
It is said that math makes the world go around. It’s true. You use math everywhere you go. Ever give a cashier $10.04 on an $9.04 order and had them look at you funny? At the least, you need basic math: addition and subtraction. Multiplication and division wouldn’t hurt either. A knowledge of fractions and decimals also is required. If you don’t understand that a quarter of something is 25% is 1/4th, then you will be ill equipped to handle many of even the most entry level of jobs.
Basic language skills are also a requirement. If you cannot speak your native language with any semblance of comprehension, you will not be taken seriously by those who can. The same goes for your writing skills. If you write and speak like you are in a net chat room, employers and clients will not do business with you. The same is true of your reading skills. To be perfectly blunt, if any of the words I have written are beyond you, then you will be hard pressed to be taken seriously by those in today’s world.
“But, I’m going to be a: singer, actor, football player, artist, etc”.
So what? All of these require solid communications skills.
Singers need to read contracts, lyrics and communicate with agents, sponsors and corporate types. Actors need to read scripts, understand contracts, etc. Football players? A solid education allows them to manage their success, and prepares them with alternates in the event of injury, retirement or not making the cut. If you can’t read and speak, it doesn’t matter how well you know the moves and the plays, you’ll never qualify to be a coach, an announcer or even the waterboy. Artist? Well, as an employer, I get a lot of inquiries from people looking for work. I immediately discard any that contain poor grammar, typos, spelling errors or “leet speek”.
“But I’m going to work for my mom/dad/family/friend.”
Yes, you might. But all of these skills will be of value there. Also, businesses close every day. A friend of mine was going to work in her parents pharmacy. Everything was planned out. Until they had to close the family business. Because she was in a good school, she now has the chance to work elsewhere in her field. Without it, she’d be just another person at the local fast food place wondering how things got that bad.
Bottom line?
Regardless of what your goal is, you need a solid education today. With a college degree, more employers will open the door for you, you’ll have a better chance of advancement as well as a faster rate of advancement, and have solid skills to fall back on when times get rough, which they certainly will at some point. Do careful research before you commit to a school. Check out the programs, the equipment, the faculty and the environment in depth. I’ve made some mistakes over the years and they have cost me. Don’t let poor planning, or the false belief that you don’t need an education be what holds you back from your dreams. Don’t rely on friends or family to open doors and take care of you. Only you can be master of your own destiny, and you need the proper preparation and tools to master it. A solid education is one of those tools.
===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com (http://martialtalk.com/) and KenpoTalk.com (http://kenpotalk.com/). He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists as well as a professional photographer. More of Bob's articles can be found at rustaz.net (http://rustaz.net/). Please contact Bob if you would like him to review your martial arts product.
Copyright ©2006 Bob Hubbard - Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact.
By Bob Hubbard
First, some ancient history. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I took 4 forays into the world of “college education”. Based on those experiences, my opinion of the usefulness of such things was rather low. I was taught outdated skills on obsolete equipment by closed minded conservatives who were out of touch with the industry I was attempting to enter. Now, 15+ years later, I have to wonder however, where the true fault lie?
I picked my first college based on a brief tour, where the food was excellent, the college small, and the tour guide cute. I turned down another school because the campus was large, the food sub par, and the guide bored. Guess which school had the superior education opportunity though? The advisor I had insisted that things I and others were already doing weren’t possible at that time. As the only computer instructor on campus, he also nitpicked my work, deducting points for code formatting (3 indents rather than the 2 he preferred) on working programs, while awarding higher grades to others non-functional but properly formatted programs. I left, disillusioned and angry.
Fault – Mine.
My second attempt was ill timed. I abandoned my dream and enrolled, switching gears at the same time I hit some major relationship issues. I ended up flopping out, and only the guidance of one of my teachers helped me get through the personal crisis.
Again, Fault-mine.
Attempt 3 was a community college. I took a tour, saw top notch equipment, talked to some excellent instructors and saw a great program laid out in front of me. On enrolling however, I ended up in the wrong program, substandard equipment and a narrow viewpoint that disillusioned me again, leading to my departure.
Fault? Not sure here really.
My final attempt was started with great fanfare. I was motivated and really excited to be there. In my third term however, a series of issues again disillusioned me, and I left, this time for good. What were those issues? Technical incompetence by an instructor (who was learning today what he would teach tomorrow, literally), combined with running out of money led to the end of my college experimentation.
Fault? – Mine.
In the first example, I picked the wrong school. If I had gone with the other choice, my life would have taken a much different turn. With the others, a combination of poor timing, poor research and running out of time led to my failures.
Ok, so I tried 4 times, struck out. What does it all mean? Do I think college is a waste of time, money, etc?
Yes, and No.
Yes, I do think it is a waste of time if:
- You have won the lottery
- Plan on only working menial jobs your entire life
- Have no desires to ever run your own business, manage, or lead.
No, I think you need it if you:
- Want to have something solid to fall back on if your dreams fail to come true.
- Want to be taken seriously in numerous fields
- Want a chance at a better job, higher pay and greater promotion.
I’ve talked with numerous employers. When they look at hiring technical people, one of the things they look at is if you have a college degree. Even a mere associates degree from a 2 year school will more than double your chances at a good paying position, compared to only having a high school degree.
You have a binder full of technical certifications? That’s nice. Let me quote a recruiter from one of the companies I spoke to about this: “If you don’t have a college degree, we aren’t interested. We don’t care how many certifications you have if you don’t have a degree, even just a 2-year one.”
“But I don’t need all that stuff they want me to take.”
Yup, I said that. The mind of the 18-22 year old is often quite stubborn. At 15, writing and speaking scared the hell out of me. At 22 I felt certain that I’d never need to do more than write the occasional letter. Now, at 35, I regret not having paid more attention in those classes when I took them.
It is said that math makes the world go around. It’s true. You use math everywhere you go. Ever give a cashier $10.04 on an $9.04 order and had them look at you funny? At the least, you need basic math: addition and subtraction. Multiplication and division wouldn’t hurt either. A knowledge of fractions and decimals also is required. If you don’t understand that a quarter of something is 25% is 1/4th, then you will be ill equipped to handle many of even the most entry level of jobs.
Basic language skills are also a requirement. If you cannot speak your native language with any semblance of comprehension, you will not be taken seriously by those who can. The same goes for your writing skills. If you write and speak like you are in a net chat room, employers and clients will not do business with you. The same is true of your reading skills. To be perfectly blunt, if any of the words I have written are beyond you, then you will be hard pressed to be taken seriously by those in today’s world.
“But, I’m going to be a: singer, actor, football player, artist, etc”.
So what? All of these require solid communications skills.
Singers need to read contracts, lyrics and communicate with agents, sponsors and corporate types. Actors need to read scripts, understand contracts, etc. Football players? A solid education allows them to manage their success, and prepares them with alternates in the event of injury, retirement or not making the cut. If you can’t read and speak, it doesn’t matter how well you know the moves and the plays, you’ll never qualify to be a coach, an announcer or even the waterboy. Artist? Well, as an employer, I get a lot of inquiries from people looking for work. I immediately discard any that contain poor grammar, typos, spelling errors or “leet speek”.
“But I’m going to work for my mom/dad/family/friend.”
Yes, you might. But all of these skills will be of value there. Also, businesses close every day. A friend of mine was going to work in her parents pharmacy. Everything was planned out. Until they had to close the family business. Because she was in a good school, she now has the chance to work elsewhere in her field. Without it, she’d be just another person at the local fast food place wondering how things got that bad.
Bottom line?
Regardless of what your goal is, you need a solid education today. With a college degree, more employers will open the door for you, you’ll have a better chance of advancement as well as a faster rate of advancement, and have solid skills to fall back on when times get rough, which they certainly will at some point. Do careful research before you commit to a school. Check out the programs, the equipment, the faculty and the environment in depth. I’ve made some mistakes over the years and they have cost me. Don’t let poor planning, or the false belief that you don’t need an education be what holds you back from your dreams. Don’t rely on friends or family to open doors and take care of you. Only you can be master of your own destiny, and you need the proper preparation and tools to master it. A solid education is one of those tools.
===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com (http://martialtalk.com/) and KenpoTalk.com (http://kenpotalk.com/). He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists as well as a professional photographer. More of Bob's articles can be found at rustaz.net (http://rustaz.net/). Please contact Bob if you would like him to review your martial arts product.
Copyright ©2006 Bob Hubbard - Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact.