Thread: Is college obsolete?

This is an excerpt from Lou Dobb's Show last night .College degrees will not be needed anymore in this country as stated by
U.S. News & World Report".As someone else mentioned in another post how well this fits in with putting lead in toys.Then without economic mobility we can emulate India.

TRANSCRIPTS

ROMANS (voice-over): Offshoring and automation are sending so many jobs overseas, "U.S. News & World Report" has updated its best careers guide. Consider a career's resistance to offshoring, suggesting, quote, "even college grads might want to consider blue- collar careers."

Among them, firefighter, hairstylist/cosmetologist, locksmith, security technician and biomedical equipment technician. The job market is clearly undergoing a dramatic shift.

LAWRENCE MISHEL, ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Ten years ago we were told we didn't really need manufacturing, that people needed to shift to the information age jobs. But now we see the information age jobs challenged by offshore competition.

ROMANS: Pressure in wages in those job categories, he says, at the same time manufacturing, an important stepping-stone to the middle-class, is moved wholesale overseas. Since 2001, the economy has lost about 3 million manufacturing jobs. But, as the president points out, there have been 51 straight months of overall jobs growth. And the unemployment rate is a low 4.7 percent.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: I fully understand the pinch some of you folks are feeling. Having said that, this economy's pretty good. There are some -- there's definitely some storm clouds. And concerns. But the underpinning is good. And we'll work our way through this period.

ROMANS: But if the economy slips into recession next year ...

PETER MORICI, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Either we won't create many jobs or we'll lose them and the jobs that we create won't pay great wages, because we're simply not doing very well in construction and manufacturing and the other areas that traditionally offer good, solid middle-class jobs to working Americans.

ROMANS: Wages have been falling for years now. According to the Economic Mobility Project, median economic for men in their 30s dropped 12 percent over the three decades beginning in 1974. Jobs growth in the past few months has not kept up with growth in the working-age population.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS (on camera): This the first time that "U.S. News & World Report" editors have considered what they called offshore resistance in their best careers categories. Why? The magazine says at the same time we're sending ever-more students to college, corporations are offshoring and automating jobs that require the college degrees.

PILGRIM: It's interesting because the shifts occur so quickly in this global economy. It takes a while for the knowledge of society to catch up where you get an article like this.

ROMANS: It's absolutely right. And what about the ladder to the middle-class that people have climbed through those, you know, manufacturing jobs and the like for so many decades in this country? Are we replacing them? As Larry Mishel pointed out, you know, we were told information technology jobs were going to replace those. Now we're told that those can be offshored, think of something else. People's education and careers don't move as quickly as this global economy seems to be moving.

PILGRIM: It would certainly help if we don't have administration officials denying the trend as it is actually happening.

ROMANS: And trade policies that actually exacerbate it in some cases.

PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Christine Romans.

Aired http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ ... dt.01.html

There has definitely been degree inflation. People with college degrees working in jobs that really shouldn't require it. And, even careers that are resistant to offshoring are vulnerable to guestworker visa fraud and abuse.

Basically we are moving to a rich/poor society, only jobs available will
be service jobs so therefore we will have people with degrees working
in Lowes, Walmart, etc. Simply no middle-class.

I've been trying to get some of those biomedical jobs since I have an extensive background with almost all lab machines you can think of. I sometimes think I would be perfect for the lab tech job on CSI. No response from ANY of them. I am overqualified and way underemployed and nothing I apply for seems to change that. Everyone is starting to tell me to remove all my science degrees - I did and that didn't help either. I made a new friend last week; he has a BS in Physics, a BS in math analysis, and MS in computer simulation with a lot of experience. He now works as a secretary at a temp agency. He can't believe it either.
I also met a young woman from Santa Cruz with my background in materials engineering who wants to do the same thing I want - to work on renewable energy. She said she is switching to civil engineering because it sounds less risky. I never, ever thought that a materials engineering degree was a dead end. It's the most versatile and encompassing degree there is (in engineering), with so much potential to change the world. Talent goes to waste in America, it just doesn't make sense. On the news this morning, it said most elementary schools in CA spend one hour a week on science since they are too busy preparing for NCLB tests. What message are our kids getting about science? That it is better to train for a blue-collar job than to be a creative inventor. I always thought that was what makes this country competitive.

In the meantime foreign students fill US colleges and people like Huckabee want illegals to have college educations.

“To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of menâ€

The paper shufflers who run companies don’t create wealth they just redistribute it.

Originally Posted by sofedup

I made a new friend last week; he has a BS in Physics, a BS in math analysis, and MS in computer simulation with a lot of experience. He now works as a secretary at a temp agency. He can't believe it either.

What a shame and what are people doing about it, are they standing up and speaking out? not enough, by the time they figure it out it will be to late to turn this country around......

Now is the time to make big changes in our government, we are sinking fast folks once it has gone to far there will be no turning back!!

This is so sad to see how our country is being strangle by the elistist in this country of course with the help of the dam politicians who don't give a dam about the American people and the US itself.


I wish all those engineers and IT people can get together and start fighting back and reclaim job or start business using their talents to bring the American people back on its feet. - silly wishful thinking in my part I guess.


As for the schools, here in California they are busy teaching kids about Diversity and putting Condoms on Cucumbers, they don't have time to teach children the very education to help them bring about a productive life and enrich our country.


I remember as a child hearing how it was very important to earn those degrees and such because that will help you get a good job, now hearing this there are no words but to say I'm speechless.

Sofedup
BS in Physics, a BS in math analysis, and MS in computer simulation with a lot of experience. He now works as a secretary at a temp agency

Sofedup, that is so sad. So much talent wasted there.

I don't want to ever hear a dam politicians about education and the children who are the future, because they dam well know they are doing everything possible to make our nation unproductive.

It will be a matter of time, we all become slaves, not if we can help it.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: I fully understand the pinch some of you folks are feeling

I don't know about you, but I'm so tired of Senor Boosh calling the American people "folks". It's as if he thinks we're all a bunch of toothless nobody's from the hill country.