Category: Uncategorized

Thomas Friedman of the NYT argues that economic growth and long-term employment depend on innovation… that the jobs of the future don’t yet exist, they need to be invented. His big point is that American education needs to be reinvented to focus on the skills of innovation and creativity. If Friedman’s general point is important…

Today’s NYT has a discussion forum for college bound students, tackling the question: is there a safe major that will guarantee career success? You’ll hear the typical arguments: “Study science and technology…. English and philosophy are a waste of time…” “No, study the liberal arts… value is not defined by return on investment, but by…

To the question: Does Your Major Matter? the authors of this article respond “yes” and “no”. Various studies show that engineering and tech majors are the most employable and highest paying majors immediately out of college. The story becomes more complex and counter-intuitive when you factor in long-term pay, career advancement over a lifetime, job…

According to this BBC report, science and art, once taught in tandem in the time of Da Vinci, have become too radically separated in the modern university. Science and engineering are now paying the price because they are focusing too much on data and rote knowledge and not enough on unique combinations of scientific know-how…

According to a recent study, employers are finding that recent college grads lack the skills required for entry into the labor market. Even students with “marketable” technical training often lack the kind of liberal arts training that most innovative companies need. One problem is that employers no longer do job training–they expect students to be…

We’ve posted on this before: polls show that a majority of students see college as career preparation and credentialing. They most often choose their major based on salary. This logic obviously excludes the humanities because entry-level salaries for humanities majors are comparatively low. See here: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=24196914&nid=148&title=students-consider-salary-trends-when-choosing-major&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-5 This article effectively pushes back against the conventional bromides…

From the Harvard Medical School Website:Demonstrate aptitude in the biological and physical sciences during their undergraduate years, but not to the exclusion of the humanities and social sciences.(A study at Harvard Medical School has shown that students are successful in their medical studies regardless of undergraduate concentration, providing that they have had adequate science preparation.…

Employers are increasingly on the lookout for graduates with international experience. Yet they are finding that study abroad isn’t sufficient for their needs. Or, at least, students don’t know how to talk about study abroad in ways relevant to employers. This explains the nationwide movement away from study abroad to international internships.  Here’s an excerpt…

And both are connected to skills and knowledge learned in liberal arts majors: “global competency” and “cross-functionality” Read more: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/legal-hr/2013/01/15/what-employers-want-that-job-seekers-arent-mentioning/#ixzz2IqMEJkBY

See here: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/04/my-view-what-will-you-do-with-an-english-degree-plenty/?hpt=hp_c3 *thanks to Kerry Soper for the link