21–30 of 222 posts
Admissions based on standardized test scores ONLY. Make colleges co-sign loans. Fixed it.
South Korea actually kinda does this (your university depends on one single test), and the results aren’t that pretty...
Technologies like online education would crush the existing education system if the playground is fair. Unfortunately the latter has public funding in it and prevents the society from moving forward.
Signaling doesn't buy you much. At least in engineering, because a technical interview will sort out whether or not you actually demonstrate basic programming skills very quick.
Software Engineering is a notable exception, most other fields don't quiz as part of the job interview process: soft skills and credentials or state licenses or bar exams are relied upon more heavily. Maybe signaling matters more in these fields? Again, signaling is no measure of real skill.
Obviously, like most people I'm upset about the pay-to-play scheme but in reality very, very few people choose that option. 99.9%+ of applications are not pay-to-play, so we should still hold a good deal of faith in our higher education system. It is imperfect and has many issues, but this article title is broadly incorrect about the purpose of higher education today.
edit:
> Researchers consistently find that most of education’s payoff comes from graduation, from crossing the academic finish line. The last year of high school is worth more than the first three; the last year of college is worth more than double the first three. This is hard to explain if employers are paying for acquired skills; do schools really wait until senior year to impart useful training?
My first company that hired me out of college got a much better deal waiting for me to complete my senior year. Yes, each year isn't worth the same. This makes sense. Senior year was my capstone -- building valuable communication skills in a team environment. Year 1? I was finishing the basics of CS 101. Of course the last year is worth more than the first.
Would you pay 50% the price for a half-finished version of Microsoft Word? Probably not. It'd be far less useful of a piece of software.
Has anyone seen a framework for companies to screen emotional skills such as resilience, drive and internal motivations for candidates and have done it well?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, but Harvard etc is super special snowflake exception.
My point is that signaling works without any sort of coursework. The instant you make it into Stanford, you're a Stanford kid, which puts you into an elite group of desirable employees. And of course these colleges are special snowflakes, they wouldn't be signals otherwise. Nobody cares if you went to a community college down the street, it associates no household name with you.
Admissions based on standardized test scores ONLY. Make colleges co-sign loans. Fixed it.
Maybe for the elite. But for middle class people like myself, I developed marketable skills, secured multiple internships, and found it easy to get a full-time job straight out of school. I had about a years worth of industry experience via internships (one for 6 months, two others 3 months each). Signaling doesn't buy you much. At least in engineering, because a technical interview will sort out whether or not you a…
The main problem is that students in the US are insanely busy. The curriculum is substandard no matter where you go. In the future, I’m hoping to see more individual studying encouraged by the school. It’s a good skill to pick up, esp considering skills might age faster. Classes are a waste of time, out of the 1.5 hrs, there’s maybe 20 minutes of content. Teachers tend to be full of themselves and incompetent. Profes…
The blatant sexism is also a problem.
The main problem is that students in the US are insanely busy. The curriculum is substandard no matter where you go. In the future, I’m hoping to see more individual studying encouraged by the school. It’s a good skill to pick up, esp considering skills might age faster. Classes are a waste of time, out of the 1.5 hrs, there’s maybe 20 minutes of content. Teachers tend to be full of themselves and incompetent. Profes…
Do you see the contradiction in saying that school was easy and pointless, and simultaneously saying it kept you from doing things? It sorta has to be one or the other. The blatant sexism is also a problem.
No, you are required to pay attention, and therefore unable to do something more productive.
The main problem is that students in the US are insanely busy. The curriculum is substandard no matter where you go. In the future, I’m hoping to see more individual studying encouraged by the school. It’s a good skill to pick up, esp considering skills might age faster. Classes are a waste of time, out of the 1.5 hrs, there’s maybe 20 minutes of content. Teachers tend to be full of themselves and incompetent. Profes…