Why America 's Obsession With Stem Education Is Dangerous

In “Blue Collar Brilliance,” the author, Mike Rose, challenges the assertion that intelligence and ability is measured by the amount of education one completes through his personal experiences, observations, and beliefs. In doing so, Rose suggests that blue collar workers actually require more intellect than assumed.

Many people in today’s society tend to believe that a good education is the fastest way to move up the ladder in their chosen. People believe that those who seek further education at a college or university are more intelligent. Indeed, a college education is a basic requirement for many white collar, and some blue collar, jobs. In an effort to persuade his audience that intelligence cannot be measured by the amount of education a person has Mike Rose wrote an article entitled “Blue Collar Brilliance”. The article that appeared in the American Scholar, a quarterly literary magazine of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, established in 1932. The American Scholar audience includes, Company’s , Employees,

“Universities teach students how to think, but they do not provide real world experience, so people leave school unprepared for the workplace” (Smith). “More than half of all companies (60%) said new graduates lacked critical thinking skills and attention to detail (56%), while 44% found fault with their writing proficiency, and 39% were critical of their public speaking ability” (Berr). Students find it very difficult to understand what they need to do to prepare for the workforce. Instead, students could have been doing other things that could increase their techniques to help them make money in different

The articles “Blue-Collar Brilliance” written by Mike Rose and “Are Too Many People Going to College?” by Charles Murray discuss the importance of education and its outcomes. Both authors talk about people’s careers on the aspect of whether a college degree made them succeed in life or it is just an expensive waste of time. Also, each article has its own opinion over the fact that some people with college education aren’t able to find jobs while others with no college background are able to succeed. Rose and Murray, both agreed on the idea that college isn’t for all just simply because of its cost, and how each person’s intelligence does not depend on their acceptance to a college; further, both authors also acknowledge the importance of blue-collar workers and their prosperity.

That fact that Americans are the most productive people on the planet says it all. According to Knoema.com, America's Gross Domestic Product, the single most commonly referenced measure of the value of goods produced by a country, was almost twice that of the second closest country in 2015. Americans have dominated this metric since the 1930's and we haven't let up since Jacoby's article in 2008. One could argue that being the biggest producer on the planet may not clarify the value we place on intellectualism, but leading the world in productivity is a feat that requires Americans as a people to continually innovate our technology, our education, our lifestyle, and of course

Although often taken for granted, education is a privilege the U.S. offers to aid in achieving the “American Dream”, in which some define as opportunity and success. The U.S. proves being the “greatest country in the world” by leading other countries in military strength, political strength, plentiful resources and a powerful economy. In order to maintain a mighty military, the “Department of Defense deploys 1.8 million soldiers in active duty and owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.” (military.com/military-trivia-facts.html) Economically, the U.S leads the United Nations in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with an annual production of $16,768.1

Many recent college graduates have faced record levels of unemployment. This situation has lead people to question what they value about higher education. Some high school students and their parents are wondering if a college education is worth the cost. Others, however, believe that a college prepares students for more than just a job or career. Many people then present the counter argument that people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg did not have a college degree, but unlike them most people are not geniuses and do not have the same entrepreneurial opportunities available to them, let alone the innovative ideas and proper timing. A college education is worth the cost because it is a requirement for many jobs, college graduates make substantially more than high school graduates, and college provides more opportunities for personal growth and networking.

Cofounder and executive chairman of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman calls for the broadened acceptance of alternative routes to higher education. He states, “there are an expanding number of ways to acquire specific skills and knowledge faster and less expensively than one can manage through a traditional four-year degree program” (Hoffman 1). Siemens and similar manufacturers have kickstarted programs that use real life experience in factories and other entry level jobs to build advanced skills in recent high school graduates. The employees are given the opportunity to earn their way up within the company, eliminating the need for a diploma. Although these programs exist, the underlying issue is most employers’ outlook; to employers, a four year bachelor’s degree signals a multitude of positive attributes: commitment, proficiency in at least one subject area, and self-sufficiency. However, the completion of a training program demonstrates these same qualities and is a more fiscally responsible route to preparedness for a job. Furthermore, expendable courses taken to fulfill the mandatory amount of credit hours for graduation waste time and money. School administrations impose such standards to ensure a sizeable profit, and students in turn are being forced to hand over the majority of their savings for knowledge not relevant to their

In recent years, much has changed in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Three sources entitled, Rising above the Gathering Storm, Innovative America, and Tapping America's Potential argue that if Americans do not improve in the STEM field our economy will suffer, so will our exports, and will heavily impact America. If we do not improve then the standard of living may fall and so will our economy. The three reports talk about using more innovation and technology, if we do this then our economy will be stable. The proponents argue that we need to close achievement gaps, improve the quality of teachers, increase labor supply, improve our international ranking, and issue more H-1B visas. Workers in the STEM field think that their employers are replacing them because the H-1B foreign workers are cheaper. Although, critics argue that the STEM movement is sabotaging other countries so, America can be ahead. But, for the US to be ahead in innovation and STEM education, we need to issue more H-1B visas. The H-1b program is for guest workers from different countries.

In this matter Adams Nager, a policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, state that “In reality, America’s innovators are far more likely to be immigrants with advanced degrees who have paid their dues through years of work in large companies.” (Chew,2016).

Marleen Clapp, a doctorate holder in higher education administration from Boston believes “In many aspects, a four-year college degree has essentially replaced the high school diploma as the necessary preparation for a career in the modern information economy. Higher-order skills, including critical- and creative-thinking abilities, are often required to compete globally” (Driscoll, Clapp). In this day in age, a high school diploma can only get an individual so far. The importance of college in the United States has been continually growing. While the importance of getting a higher education has grown, college tuition prices have risen as well.

The author uses assumption on statistics which she shows no evidence or support for. Rachel Mendleson claims Canada is losing its interest in base fundamentals in innovations and creativity such as science and math. “In math and science, Canada’s rank dropped to ninth and seventh respectively down from fifth in both subject (Para 3).” She uses the ranking system as statistics but no actual proof was provided to

Many of the entrepreneurs and technological innovators we have today started making strides in technology before even attending college. Some start as early as 16 or in their late teens. Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs are just the more well-known entrepreneurs, who changed the role that technology plays in our lives without the possession of a college degree or even a full college education. Another successful entrepreneur, who dropped out of school at the young age of sixteen and went on to become a millionaire when he sold two advertising companies by the age of 25 for $340 million, is Gurbaksh Chahal. He was able to achieve this using his own ideas and intelligence. In the book, The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions, Chahal explains, “ People tend to think that in order to start a new business they have to come up with something new and dazzling, but that’s a myth-and it’s often propagated by venture capitalists” (Chahal 59). This quote supports the claim that who people perceive to be intelligent and successful is not always determined by a college degree. He continues by saying that companies are obsessed with what makes someone’s business unique and unrelated to

A debate on whether education is still the driving factor to success in the 21st century has been blooming for some time now which has many of us asking, “Is education still necessary for one to succeed nowadays?” This issue of whether education still holds that value of being the primary aspect of achieving success is of particular interest because it could mean that it could potentially create depreciation in the demand for education in the future, and money spent on acquiring an education could be used to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

A STEM education is a necessity in the United States because the country is lacking knowledgeable people in such fields. However, one is better equipped for multiple job and career positions with the addition of a liberal arts education. It is nearly impossible to transition to different careers with only vocational training. In 2003, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development studied math and science literacy among fifteen year olds. The United States was ranked number twenty-four in math literacy (Drew 27). They are behind countries such as Finland, Slovak Republic, and Hungary. Likewise, the United States was ranked number nineteen in science literacy (Drew 27). It is obvious that the country is behind. STEM education needs to be reformed at the secondary and post-secondary levels of schooling. Katrina Trinko, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, agrees that more emphasis should be placed on STEM education; however, this emphasis should not be at the sacrifice of a good liberal arts education. She writes, “Even technology wizards can become more innovative with a solid background in liberal arts” (Trinko 6). A liberal arts education is beneficial to people in all career fields.