Do we lack the skills?

[w8tlftr]

lol

Du we lak da skillz#?

whut? i can has yobz? wewt!

[headhuntersix]

Half the problem is that we allow or provide everybody the opportunity to go to college. Alot of folks coming out of school aren't even at the level of a High school graduate in 1965. Besides computer training, these people barely speak english and know where half the countries on the map are. has anybody looked at school curriculums. 240 can speak on this but...what ever happened to reading/history/English/math/science. They do all kinds of other bullshit that leaves us behind. I don't think people realize how well mechanics and plumbers can make. We've pushed college so hard and made that piece of paper mean so much that some people look down on tech skills.

[240 is Back]

Half the problem is that we allow or provide everybody the opportunity to go to college. Alot of folks coming out of school aren't even at the level of a High school graduate in 1965. Besides computer training, these people barely speak english and know where half the countries on the map are. has anybody looked at school curriculums. 240 can speak on this but...what ever happened to reading/history/English/math/science. They do all kinds of other bullshit that leaves us behind. I don't think people realize how well mechanics and plumbers can make. We've pushed college so hard and made that piece of paper mean so much that some people look down on tech skills.

social studies and science have been optional subjects for 8 years in FL.

They're taken that time and devoted it to reading, writin' and math.

As a result, you have a bunch of kids who have no idea how govt, history, or science relate to their lives.

[shootfighter1]

Some very good points here.  Definitely seems like work ethic has plummeted. 
Hats off to the legal immigrants that come in and take advantage of the situation, as w8tlftr pointed out.

[headhuntersix]

social studies and science have been optional subjects for 8 years in FL.

They're taken that time and devoted it to reading, writin' and math.

As a result, you have a bunch of kids who have no idea how govt, history, or science relate to their lives.

These kids don't know anything about the revolution, no civil war battles...they don't identify with this stuff as part of their heritage.

[240 is Back]

These kids don't know anything about the revolution, no civil war battles...they don't identify with this stuff as part of their heritage.

Correct.  They don't have national pride because they don't know much about their nation's history.  I can still remember things I learned in 5th and 6th grade social studies class... I still remember staying up all night in th grade memorizing the chambers of hte heart for a "health class" test.

They don't have these things in many schools anymore as mandatory - kids have to choose electives ("Do I pick Science or do I pick Basketball Class?")

The cause?  IMO, kids are staying online and watching TV all night instead of reading books.  As a result, they have to dedicate MORE class time to reading.  Which means other essential things get timecrunched or abandoned. 

[JBGRAY]

Don't forget about all the junk degrees out there such as liberal arts and political science.  Despite being a nation of 300+ million people, we still have to go overseas to find engineers and mathematicians.   We have too many consultants, analysts, advisers, brokers, and customer service workers and not enough engineers, technicians, and other skilled labor.

[24KT]

How much faster do you think/type/read thanks to getbig?

{LOL} So true. Since I got on the internet in 98, my typing speed has gone through the roof!

They've actually done studies and found that thanks to the internet, kids are doing much more reading than they used to. They also found benefits for senior citizens too,...all the increased brain activity wards off alzheimers and other degenerative brain diseases by creating new synaptic pathways in the brain.

[24KT]

I think/type/read fast because I've worked in signals analysis and the IT field all my adult life.

Of course it didn't hurt that I was a typical Asian nerd in high school with my face always buried in a book.

The real problem, Rob, and we see it all the time in our society is that people no longer want to work for anything. They expect everything like it's owed to them and no one takes responsibility for anything. We see this in our own damn government right down to the everyday Joe Sixpack.

There is a good reason why immigrants come to America, work their bony asses off, and in a few years live the American dream - they work for it and don't expect shit from anyone.

Good proof of this is Louisiana after Katrina. I was listening to a radio program talking about all the Vietnamese immigrants in that state that took up work in the fishing industry. They came here dirt poor and worked their way up, started their own businesses and were eventually able to put their kids through college. No hand outs, no "the man owes me" crap, just long days and hard fvcking work. Anyways, in all the coverage we saw I don't recall seeing ANY of them bitching about anything. They just put their lives back together, worked hard, and carried on.

Yep. I see that in my own business as well. We share this opportunity with people elsewhere in the world, and they grab onto it, and run with it, ...whereas the North Americans sit on their collectives tushes complaining.

[24KT]

hahaha i almost got him potty trained.  17 months old, and he takes his diaper off and squats on the potty chair.  granted, there's still some spraying, but hey, it's a start.

{LOL}  Holy Cow, ...is he that old already?    More pics please.