tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post1229472174250573504..comments2024-03-28T01:33:22.764-04:00Comments on The DiploMad 2.0: An Aside: On Those Unemployed College GradsDiploMadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-88390850955547774902021-10-13T00:12:15.152-04:002021-10-13T00:12:15.152-04:00If you are looking into getting a home equity loan...If you are looking into getting a home equity loan to ease up your financial problems,Business loan,Personal loan,Car loan,entitle loan,construction loan. Here are the details to help you in making the right decisions to help your financial problems.<br />Mr Pedro Jerome is a loan lender who resides in the USA.<br />Email him on: pedroloanss@gmail.com<br />Whatsapp: +18652310632<br /><br />Monica Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14820294729955087310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-13532021773722611022012-10-19T02:48:34.803-04:002012-10-19T02:48:34.803-04:00I agree with you that people should have a well-ro...I agree with you that people should have a well-rounded education with lots of cross-cultural knowledge. The problem we face, however, is that increasingly college grads have no core skill or practical knowledge that will get them through daily life. Nothing says one cannot be an engineer and know what's happening in China, but it helps to have the career and money that enables you to buy the books and do the travel to learn about China.DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-2172006899862505232012-10-18T21:57:04.127-04:002012-10-18T21:57:04.127-04:00Well, I agree that the value of a degree has gone ...Well, I agree that the value of a degree has gone down. I also like to see my political positions (well to the right of center) as "reality based". But, too often, I've found that "practical" is often a euphemism for shortsighted, provincial, unimaginative, and intellectually limited. One of the things that caused me to reconsider the democratic socialist tradition in which I was raised was extensive reading in the literature of antiquity. It taught me that people didn't have to have electricity to be able to think (although I'm a great fan of electricity!). Further, one of the big problems with Marxism is that Karl Krab-face took the 19th century materialistic worldview far too seriously and neglected to consider that man is more than a belly in search of food. Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-76553838072880343422012-10-18T18:19:55.991-04:002012-10-18T18:19:55.991-04:00I am not surprised that most of my EE colleagues w...I am not surprised that most of my EE colleagues were reality-based in their political and economic outlooks. Engineering is not a subjective area, either your circuit works or it does not. Your software does not care about your feelings or that you were raised by a one-legged, Hispanic-surnamed, Vietnam verteran, black, transgendered mother. The program works or it does not. In my materials classes, the steel rod failed each time by applying the correct amount of tension regardless of the ethnicity of the person doing the experiment. There is no place for feelings in engineering. TheOldMannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-85663434524506834092012-10-18T17:06:25.469-04:002012-10-18T17:06:25.469-04:00Well, I'm also going to gripe about the growin...Well, I'm also going to gripe about the growing insistence on "practicality" in education.<br /><br />I suspect that one reason why American foreign policy fumbles and bumbles its way through every issue is that our "hard-headed" presidents who've cut their teeth in the world of business don't have a clue about what goes on in the head of someone from a different culture; while our soft-headed ones neither have a clue about what goes on in the head of someone from a different culture, but also expect everyone to abide by general rules of civility. It was why Bush ended up winning a war but losing an insurgency, and why Obama's losing everything.Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-58296934792401860532012-10-18T17:03:29.669-04:002012-10-18T17:03:29.669-04:00Well, I'm glad I have a B.A. in Chinese langua...Well, I'm glad I have a B.A. in Chinese language and literature. I moonlight as a document translator, and I'd do it ful-time if there was demand. It also helped when I joined the Foreign Service. I was a five-day wonder when I got off language probation with 3-3 in Chinese.<br /><br />Alas, I never was all that good in creative brwon-nosing and other more important skills.Kephahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999385775493831638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-1774625867615263812012-10-18T16:16:45.519-04:002012-10-18T16:16:45.519-04:00Excellent. I wish I had seen your piece before I w...Excellent. I wish I had seen your piece before I wrote mine. DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-78686971796420168702012-10-18T15:26:49.220-04:002012-10-18T15:26:49.220-04:00"a flare for writing"
Shame you didn'..."a flare for writing"<br />Shame you didn't have a flair for it.......Bilejoneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15426920337506809987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-89483873355704449242012-10-18T14:50:04.011-04:002012-10-18T14:50:04.011-04:00Last July, I wrote, "Want a janitor's job...Last July, I wrote, "<a href="http://senseofevents.blogspot.com/2012/07/want-janitors-job.html" rel="nofollow">Want a janitor's job? Get a degree</a>."<br /><br />"Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that as many as one out of three college graduates today are in jobs that previously or historically have been filled by people with lesser educations or none. The U.S. now has 115,000 janitors with college degrees, along with 83,000 bartenders, 80,000 heavy-duty truck drivers, and 323,000 waiters and waitresses."<br /><br />If you think that colleges are turning out under-qualified grads, it's worse than you think:<br /><br />"The problem is that high school grads - as many as three-fourths! -are increasingly unprepared for even the ever-lowering standards of undergraduate work. Most college graduates are similarly unprepared for "the real world" and so half of college grads are unemployed or underemployed, a figure no doubt amplified by the very bad economy."<br /><br /> Donald Sensinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01395472322281027191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-23225804566693586232012-10-18T12:23:16.021-04:002012-10-18T12:23:16.021-04:00As they say, it can take years to become an overni...As they say, it can take years to become an overnight sensation . . . DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-77032473409921087952012-10-18T12:00:41.631-04:002012-10-18T12:00:41.631-04:00(I was the first anon)
It's a bit strange com...(I was the first anon)<br /><br />It's a bit strange coming into the Foreign Service (I'm on my first tour) from a flyover state without any Ivy League experience and without significant time spent with an NGO; I didn't have time or money to waste doing that.<br /><br />I also don't have any college debt, but it seems like the State Dept is filled with folks that want to wring every penny out of the govt when it comes to repaying their immense student loans. It makes me wonder if they're really interested in this for the long-term or if they will get out for something else once their education is paid for.Scotthttp://www.state.govnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-82720211792866363052012-10-18T02:48:28.075-04:002012-10-18T02:48:28.075-04:00It took me 15 years to get my 2 year degree. Colle...It took me 15 years to get my 2 year degree. College was a hobby, just taking a course that looked interesting. Never did PhysEd so the school could never shove a paper on me. Did weird things like taking a US Govt course twice at the same time. The Tue-Thurs course was taught be a Conservative retired Army Colonel. The Mon-Wed class was taught by a Berkley hippy. Quite the eye-opener to see how the exact same course with the same book taught at the same time could be so different based on the bias of the prof. Finally submitted my DD214 (retired Navy) to account for the PhysEd reqs and got a piece of paper to put in the closet with all the other slips of paper for doing stuff. I miss school. Well, OK, I miss the cute girls who always seemed to need help with the assignments and projects. My team always got 'A' grades and I always got.....did I mention I miss school?KellyJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01342332734935313737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-10832119673296794502012-10-18T00:43:13.284-04:002012-10-18T00:43:13.284-04:00You have given away our little secret!!You have given away our little secret!!DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-14726422248088020542012-10-18T00:39:56.034-04:002012-10-18T00:39:56.034-04:00Thank you, excellent commentThank you, excellent commentDiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-52411589272884288522012-10-17T23:57:27.416-04:002012-10-17T23:57:27.416-04:00The problem with mainstream education (and governm...The problem with mainstream education (and government) is that it is measured by inputs, not outputs.<br /><br />No one asks what practical difference the input of four years of classes (at $100-$200,000 cost) makes to the student's ability to produce something. Even if the output is supposed to be "satisfaction with your understanding of life", that output is not measured.<br /><br />Like an expensive wristwatch, the quality of the education is supposed to be its cost. Mainstream education vigorously opposes cheaper methods of learning and any detailed measure of improved output.<br /><br />Mainstream schools know that they must promise something. They spread the misleading fact that a college degree increases average lifetime earnings by a million dollars, at first glance a 5-10 times return on the investment. This is fraud, averaging results for the most succesful lawyers, doctors, businessmen, engineers, and billionaires into the results for liberal arts majors. <br /><br /><a href="http://easyopinions.blogspot.com/2008/07/college-is-expensive-iq-test.html#itm01" rel="nofollow">College is an expensive IQ test</a><br /><br />Colleges use a misleading advertising trick. The claimed financial return from college does not count the costs in tuition, board, and lost earnings to attend college. They also do not count the students who attend and pay for one or more years without graduating. This is like claiming that the average lottery winner receives $1,000 without counting the ticket costs and the people who don't win anything.<br /><br />The law says that a company cannot give an employment test unless it has been shown to be non-discriminatory in effect, that it doesn't screen out people of color at a different rate than white people.<br /><br />So, employers don't create their own tests or use standardized tests. Interviewers talk randomly about whatever they want, using personal judgment to decide if the candidate is "a good match". This is supposed to be less discriminatory!<br /><br />Schools are conveniently exempt from testing restrictions, because supposedly they are altruistic and not connected to the filthy pursuit of money. So, they administer tests to determine who gets in and what grades they receive.<br />Andrew_M_Garlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02855052302054611917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-59767105315466529722012-10-17T23:08:36.958-04:002012-10-17T23:08:36.958-04:00Anon's talking about the Foreign Service "...Anon's talking about the Foreign Service "generalist" job. It's what the DiploMad used to be (and we are much much poorer for his loss...) and a lot of us who read the blog still are.<br /><br />In many ways, it's the perfect gig for lib arts majors. You're basically required to know a little bit about everything. If you're really knowledgable in some areas...hey that's great!...but it's not required.<br /><br />If you've ever been characterized as a "Jack of all trades, master of none", this is the job for you. Swogglernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-69338407093729370802012-10-17T19:28:53.430-04:002012-10-17T19:28:53.430-04:00Congratulations.
I'm flabbergasted too.
What i...Congratulations.<br />I'm flabbergasted too.<br />What is the job?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-36100068941742308762012-10-17T19:08:53.474-04:002012-10-17T19:08:53.474-04:00or a blogger . . .or a blogger . . .DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-8596719132144705522012-10-17T17:15:00.197-04:002012-10-17T17:15:00.197-04:00Wierdly enough, now I am doing exactly what I want...Wierdly enough, now I am doing exactly what I want to be doing - writing, blogging and ghost-writing as a freelance, and working as a partner in a Tiny Publishing Bidness, editing and publishing other people's books. It's an erratic way to make a living ... but something always turns up, and my own books are gaining a following.Celia Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261103494038415027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-22693709577344148942012-10-17T17:06:46.965-04:002012-10-17T17:06:46.965-04:00Thank goodness I found a job that matches my liber...Thank goodness I found a job that matches my liberal arts degree... a generalist. When my parents found such a job existed they were flabbergasted. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-28851826977784594162012-10-17T14:41:01.056-04:002012-10-17T14:41:01.056-04:00We never found out how he got a better than perfec...We never found out how he got a better than perfect score on a section that didn't exist when he took the exam. 8)<br /><br />I love the man, but he has some competition issues. Library-Gryffonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06446982343602702829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-90937137089656556422012-10-17T14:29:08.494-04:002012-10-17T14:29:08.494-04:00Check to see if my daughter is one of them . . . Check to see if my daughter is one of them . . . DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-54608316520865087422012-10-17T14:28:43.958-04:002012-10-17T14:28:43.958-04:00You have exactly the right attitude.You have exactly the right attitude.DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-89048896179563290962012-10-17T14:28:14.065-04:002012-10-17T14:28:14.065-04:00Ha! I like your dad!Ha! I like your dad!DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400985529434569506.post-78005746571719510722012-10-17T14:21:55.247-04:002012-10-17T14:21:55.247-04:00I'm so thankful that my elder child, in 11th g...I'm so thankful that my elder child, in 11th grade now, is interested in engineering/computer science. Now if I can just get her interested in South Dakota (she doesn't like cold weather much), where you can get an excellent BSEng in computer engineering for under $20K a year (including room and board) at the school of mines. Her current high school program at the local community college should net her nearly a year's worth of college credit, most of which is transferable, even outside the state university system.<br /><br />The other one wants to do physical anthropology, but up through the BS degree, it's basically pre-med, so she'll still have a lot of options.<br /><br />I on the other hand have a BA, MA in medieval history, a BFA in music, and then went back for an MLS since the other three are totally useless if you don't want to teach college. At least I didn't have tons of student loan debt because of them.<br /><br />Part of me wishes I had gone into engineering, but I'd have had my father over my shoulder my whole life. This is the man who informed me that my GRE scores in 1984 of 750/720/800 weren't as good as his......Library-Gryffonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06446982343602702829noreply@blogger.com