All futures final.
So on Thursday in my Sociology class we had a guest speaker, I believe his name was Dr. Charles Simon... I didn't really catch that part. Anyway, he was there to talk about "Education, Social Class, and Globalization".
Dr. Simon talked about some rather interesting things; a nice change from the usual rush of the relative and useless information thrown at us each day. One thing that Dr. Simon said that stuck with me was on education. I'm sure it scared some people and woke others up, but what he said was reality.
Twenty to thirty years ago, people went to university to further improve themselves, to answer their own questions. The social contract that existed was that those who were educated would achieve good jobs. The social contract that once existed exists no more.
"The youth today go to university because they want good jobs; they want to make money."
We believe going to school will get us good jobs and we'll live happy lives. I believed in this probably from the day I learned what university was.
The reality is education no longer necessarily means good jobs, so why are high education and high marks of such importance?
He spoke a good point and a true one at that. It left me wondering as I walked to my next class as I discussed it with my girlfriend...
I sat down in the lecture hall and awaited for the next class to start. I forgot all that Dr. Simon had told us just a few minutes ago and focused on learning what the next professor had to say for I continued on ignoring reality and believing in the social contract that is the sole reason that I keep going.
Some have the contract fulfilled, others get left behind. Many university students believe that the social contract they dance with each day, each week, each term, will embrace them and they'll achieve their utopian lives.
The scary part in all this is that I believe.
Dr. Simon talked about some rather interesting things; a nice change from the usual rush of the relative and useless information thrown at us each day. One thing that Dr. Simon said that stuck with me was on education. I'm sure it scared some people and woke others up, but what he said was reality.
Twenty to thirty years ago, people went to university to further improve themselves, to answer their own questions. The social contract that existed was that those who were educated would achieve good jobs. The social contract that once existed exists no more.
"The youth today go to university because they want good jobs; they want to make money."
We believe going to school will get us good jobs and we'll live happy lives. I believed in this probably from the day I learned what university was.
The reality is education no longer necessarily means good jobs, so why are high education and high marks of such importance?
He spoke a good point and a true one at that. It left me wondering as I walked to my next class as I discussed it with my girlfriend...
I sat down in the lecture hall and awaited for the next class to start. I forgot all that Dr. Simon had told us just a few minutes ago and focused on learning what the next professor had to say for I continued on ignoring reality and believing in the social contract that is the sole reason that I keep going.
Some have the contract fulfilled, others get left behind. Many university students believe that the social contract they dance with each day, each week, each term, will embrace them and they'll achieve their utopian lives.
The scary part in all this is that I believe.
1 Comments:
What doesn't help is the fact that we were born into asian families with pretty traditional backgrounds, and the all-consuming asian apothoesis that education is the most signifigant contribution you can make to your life.
What doesn't help further is that my dad is the youngest of 10 surviving children, born in post-WWII Hong Kong, deliverer of the word of Communism, bringing justice to the capitalists.
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