Indeed. So-called "institutions of higher learning" in the modern era shoehorn political indoctrination into the minds of their students for one reason only—subjugate servitude to the 'State,' or in this case an emerging political Oligarchy. And we ALL know what that means. Nobody has to say anything else. After 40+ years in Electronics and Engineering, it is appalling to witness the demise of education in America. Degreed students exhausted (spewed?) from the tailpipes of indoctrination centers are ill-equipped to handle the real world, and many are bereft of independent thought, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and basic logic/comprehension. English/spelling/writing are other problems left for another time. Clueless automatons are spouting the 'Party" line and not much else. Given time, all things go from bad to worse. We have fallen from the higher branches in the tree of knowledge to impacting terra-firma with a resounding thud. Getting back to the issue and survey, industrial-based mathematics/theory is a mutually beneficial undertaking. I see no downside. General education has been absolutely worthless for decades preparing students for the real world, save some well-known technical/engineering colleges and universities and many private schools. Public Education has become an oxymoron of the century.
I am someone who abandoned the survey after a couple minutes. Early on I wanted to be an engineer but got filtered out in my first calculus course. Looking back the trig course I took was the most valuable. I enjoyed not having to use software for everything.
I have a PHD, and use it from time to time. Works pretty well. ...oh...wait....by "PHD" I mean "Post Hole Digger". That's what we're talking about, right? 73 de Jim, N2EY
Half of the battle in learning coordinating is knowing what a student intends to be. Without a specific to go by the a generality is all that left. Therefore training wise its only a taste of each. Education requirements in each country is drastically different. Here in the US too much emphasis is put on performing arts and sports. Required courses are barely enough to get by because the lack of specialized teachers. In china each student is required to take and pass a course in robotics. (Robotics is an elective in the US) if its even taught at high school level at all. So they are asking what math should be taught? Well that depends highly on the technical field. Sampling various types serves very little applicable purpose So a new tech is immediatly put into the position of sink or swim and has to learn on the fly. Dependance on electronics ( calculators, computers) to solve equations is too prevalent, so much that many kids today cannot make change without a calculator to do the math. That is just wrong on so many fronts.
Sometimes maybe just a reminder of which units to use is good: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-climate-orbiter/in-depth/
I attended University (Northwestern Tech) in the early-mid 1970's. I often am able to use most everything I learned but yes had to update myself. I had no problem learning programming and expanded my electronics hobby to embedded programming which led me to understand SDR, non of which I had anticipated in the 70's. I have even been able to bring my Chem Eng backround into play many times even to this day. The point is that a well rounded education is a preparation not the end in itself, but rather a basis for future growth. We should stop thinking of college as job training as remember what education is.
And i agree here, but the biggest problem is that employers want that degree and will accept nothing less. You can have 10 to 12 years in college education in any field, but unless you have a degree to back it up your nothing. My field in the navy ( weapons system specialist) dealt with electricity, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, ballistics, engineering, and chemistry. And we had to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in order to advance in rate. BUT according to employers we are untrained hacks without the degree.
School is about preparing the mind with the tools to make sound decisions based upon a reality that has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. It is NOT a place for 'industrialists' to steer education towards their commercial needs first. If YOU want to study to move into a certain profession then the correct choice of institution will train you for that particular role. However, the true modern-world is based upon a 'classical' styled education. Change that and you only get levels of hierarchy where certain educational groups are unable to think beyond their means... Remember Huxley's Alpha, Beta and Gamma's...
I qualify my opinion here: parents sent me to grammar school (read books), I chose to be an engineer (grad + post grad). PS: I should have done banking/economics/finance! That's where the big money (private equity) is... but "youth is wasted on the young"!
Ultimately, money is but one sign of success. There is dedication to arts and science, the humanities, the common good, your family, friends, colleagues, and the body of knowledge. If nothing else, teach children to make wise choices, and to not fight the battles of their ancestors. This is their life. Not mine, not yours. A value system based on community is a well that never goes dry and always rewards. I have an innate suspicion of academics, and they suspect me. Grad and post-grad work left me wondering a great deal about educational systems. Mentoring is huge, the one-on-one. It's not possible given most procedural educational methods. The real world needs that fraction of individuals that are skeptics, mavericks, creatives, strange-for-strangeness-sake, and the slightly bent. Normalcy and conformity never invented anything, although it does provide for less drama. My math genes needed nurturing at a young age, and it took two decades thence to evolve them. Then I started writing books on electronic spreadsheets, formulas and algorithms. None of these are in print any more, because evolution has taking computer science and relational computation many steps further than anyone dreamed in 1972. So much the better. To give a child curiosity and motivation is to feed them, and others, for a lifetime. 73 Tom W9YW
Precisely There are so many fields to choose from and way too much importance placed on un needed classes. Many of the basic requirements are shunted aside. Depending on ones environment and choice of vocation, primary education is not considered or requirements have seriously degraded. Math? yes, sciences? yes, reading? yes Basics in agriculture? Yes History and social studies? To a certain extent For example the history of your country and the social studies of other countries. But no one needs to know what a caveman was thinking when the tiger was chewing on his arse. There is nothing wrong with wanting a good well rounded education But is education what you are receiving or is it brainwashing? So when you think education, we as amateur radio operators are to a certain extent teachers. When a question is asked, is it met with answers or sarcasm? I may not know everything but if i cant answer a question i will research until i find the correct answer. But when it comes down to the gist of it, We are the ones who can change education, but we cant do it alone.
I had to fudge a bit since I AM an octo-whatever, retired from several accupations and interests who had a good education in math but little in how to apply it. My "fudging" was when I was in the field and little recently. I have had to work and retrain techs who ranged from poor OJT to licensed grads of A&P couses and state tech schools. Most were severely challenged by simple math problems mainly because their schooling never showed how beneficial and fun it could be.
I don't want to blather on the subject.... but a couple of things to add: Monolithic disciplines are the bane of our existence. We turn out great health care professionals, few of whom are able to cross boundaries from their training-- although general practitioners and internists are good exceptions. Nonetheless, each discipline has much to keep up with, and a generalist finds it very difficult to sift through inter-disciplinary information. Law also has the same problem. Finding an attorney who's willing to take on a general practice is nigh impossible. People with two different disciplines as academic credentials are highly sought after, but the educational system doesn't actively promote this. An engineer-physician is tough to find because of the time needed to accredit both disciplines-- imagine the student loans! You're 35 before you're making your first dollar. The trades are no better. General contractors emerge from those that are (licensed, perhaps) plumbers, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, paving, and other disciplines who must also wade through the mind-numbing regulations regarding housing, zoning, local electrical code, permits, insurance, and more. This has lead to silos, also known as the walls and barriers and lines that have been legally and ethically endowed to protect each profession from both liability, but also inter-disciplinary engagement. These barriers become monolithic, and become business plans, rather than professional engagement with the public and world. Ex: We do HVAC but not plumbing, Hams are a highly inter-disciplinary bunch. Although electronics and engineering are common denominators, our local club has hams from all walks of life. There are professors, lawyers, accountants, HVAC techs, grandmothers, and more with a science-bent. Another common denominator is music, something that ties many tech/geek professions together as a common denominator. We should learn from the motivations of people in amateur radio to find ways to sew the silos together. That is all. 73 Tom W9YW
