Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyB
I have come to feel much of the discussion around the future of work and STEM in the education space is very misguided. The conversations we ought to be having regarding our education systems are around the future of society, not merely the future of work. There will always be aspects of educational experiences that are just pragmatic and instrumental in moving towards a career, but our lives shouldn't be reduced to our careers and our education shouldn't be reduced to career prep. Education for wisdom, for joy, for mental health, for social cohesion, for meaning and purpose in life are all tremendously important, especially in a future of continued rapid change in industry.
Obviously, needs have emerged that can be addressed by new pathways like those provided by Google's certificates and others, but they're not replacements for a well-rounded education and we shouldn't be throwing the baby out with the bathwater in our rush to revolutionize education systems.
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Johnny the issue is two-fold, a double whammy. You are forgetting the other part, equality. Not only is STEM and higher education the measurement of success it is also the measurement of equality. Society is not just if there are not enough women and minorities in STEM studies and in exec positions. Do you ever hear that there are not enough female welders or female foreman? Both are also true.
Thus, the education bar has been raised way up here as a measurement of success, but then minorities have to also be pushed in that direction to prove equality. A woman may want to study something for their enjoyment, but that's not deemed good enough. There are already more females than males in University, but the next step is to get them in STEM. Talk about being reduced to just a career.