Kate Zernike recently wrote an article in the New York Times that addresses the relevance of a college degree in the work force. The article can be found below:
Making College Relevant
I found the article to be both pertinent and accurate. In order to promote student occupational success and to provide society with competent contributors, post-secondary institutions will always need to evolve with the greater industrial and socio-political climates. As a result, universities must adapt.
This is especially true today. As fast as technology is evolving, it is difficult to foresee what jobs will require. This sentiment is echoed in much of the curricula research; there is a call for a stronger emphasis on soft skills development rather than hard skill development. That is, instead of teaching undergrads specific knowledge, universities should equip students to thinking critically, write clearly, organize and present coherently, and think flexibly. When soliciting the opinions of today's employers, Zernike reports similar findings.
So, what should an undergraduate degree look like? How specified should it be? What majors will be extinct and what courses will be added? In my opinion, it seems all students could benefit from a technology, a finance, a critical thinking, and a writing/speaking curriculum. I hope and anticipate that my children's undergradaute education will be much different than my own.
1 comment:
I would add, from experience, that being able to build/sustain an effective work team and effectively working with other people, especially when you don't see eye-to-eye with those people, are critical skills in the workplace.
Thanks for sharing the article!
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