Home > Gwinnett.talk > Archives > 2008 > May
May 2008
Do colleges prepare graduates for evolving market?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
I recently read reports indicating that 89 percent of Gwinnett County Public School graduates will seek post-secondary education, although there was no breakdown of the types of institutions being contemplated.
It wasn’t very many years ago when graduating from college was almost a guarantee of a stable, rewarding job, at least financially. But is that still the case?
According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor concerning occupations with the largest projected (numerical) increases over the next eight years, very few will require a college degree.
Some do: registered nurses, post-secondary and elementary school teachers, computer specialists, accountants and perhaps executive secretaries.
But overwhelmingly, the occupations involve jobs as retail salespersons, customer service reps, fast food preparers and servers, waiters and waitresses, general office clerks, home care and home health aides, janitors and cleaners, nursing aides and orderlies, child care workers, landscaping workers, bookkeeping clerks, receptionists and information clerks.
The path toward manufacturing jobs in our country is increasingly being closed, due to increased outsourcing. But the same is true for many jobs requiring a college degree.
If work can be done primarily from a computer keyboard, it likely can be outsourced, as computer programmers, architects and radiologists have discovered. These dynamics - outsourcing and the scarcity of some jobs - are having an impact on wages, even for college graduates. Wages have been flat throughout the 2000s, despite growth of the economy.
Frequent advice given to college graduates is to find a job they “love to do.” Though well-intentioned, the advice is probably unrealistic and may add unneeded pressure. Few people really know what they would love to do and, even if they do, enjoyment is often dependent on the workplace culture in which they find themselves. Add to that the dynamics of the job marketplace, and it is easy to see why college graduates may experience difficulty in finding suitable employment.
There is always the argument that college is not intended for job training; its purpose being to produce well-rounded, knowledgeable individuals capable of being employed in any number of fields. However, most students attend college with job prospects foremost in their minds.
In many ways, colleges and universities are a business. Have they oversold their product? Should any accountability be placed on institutions for the world of work their graduates will face?
A college education requires a huge financial sacrifice. Do graduates and their families get what they pay for?
Maybe it is time to examine in detail the role of colleges and universities in today’s changing economic times.
What are your thoughts about attending college or other post-secondary institutions? How do you see the role of post-secondary education in the future job market?
Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife, Shirley, and four golden retrievers.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: My View
Is anyone happy with the political process?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
The current election cycle raises the question of who can be happy with the nature of political campaigns and the performance of government?
We have been witnessing presidential campaigns that have gone on ad nauseam, are mind-numbingly repetitious and superficial, consist mostly of barbs directed at opponents and are covered mostly as a horse race.
In looking at the federal government, very real problems, such as environmental degradation, dependence on foreign suppliers of energy, arbitrary denial of health care despite being insured, a mortgage fiasco, erosion of our manufacturing base and consequent loss of well-paying jobs and illegal immigration - to name only a few, are allowed to worsen to the detriment of most of us.
Of course, there are those who have prospered in this climate of ineffectualness, which only points to a system failure when some can so blatantly benefit from other’s misery.
Ironically, the incessant noise of campaigns provides the illusion of a vigorous process. But the superficiality of it all should be a warning. It is no wonder that elected leaders fail to address our real problems. When were they required to expound any plans or coherent philosophies?
A major factor in the ineffectiveness of government is the philosophy that has gained ascendancy in the last few decades, having been severely discredited in the Great Depression, that market forces alone will solve our problems. Under that thinking, everything is “free”: trade, markets, and enterprise. Apparently, the President and our Congressmen have adopted the position that they are “free” from the responsibility of ensuring that our economy works for the long term for all of us.
We have learned repeatedly in our history that capitalism requires regulation to not self-destruct. In other words, there is no invisible hand that aggregates all self-interests toward a sustainable end.
Just look at our current problems. We’ve known since the 1970s that dependence on foreign oil was potentially a huge problem. Any actions taken then were mere tokenism. Did big oil companies solve our problems? Obviously, no. We knew when NAFTA was signed that the exit of U.S. jobs and manufacturing would begin in earnest. We have known for years that we were in the midst of an unsustainable housing bubble fueled by risky loans, while investment firms adopted the pretense that these mortgages were sound investments. We could have, through incentives, mandates and effective regulation, been way ahead of the curve for these problems.
But now it is average Americans who are bearing the costs and the repercussions for our failure to act appropriately.
Long and loud political campaigns where such shibboleths as “change” are repeated endlessly are more than tiresome. Where is the credible evidence that any political candidate truly believes or understands that a bogus economic philosophy has gotten us to this point and is willing to make wholesale, actual changes?
Do you feel that political campaigns are effective and actually indicate future actions? Are you content with the idea that market forces alone will solve our problems?
Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife, Shirley, and four golden retrievers.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: My View
Cal Warlick/On Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Cal Warlick / On Gwinnett
What’s the skinny on the obesity issue?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
Obesity has been in the news recently. One in three adults are considered to be obese, with eight out of 10 being overweight.
Studies have suggested, with childhood obesity rates tripling over the last 25 years in advanced societies, that longevity may start to decline, despite the counteractive impact of modern medicines.
But do such articles have an impact on our thinking, especially those who fall in the obese classification —those with a body mass index (BMI) over 30?
Obesity is an emotionally charged issue. Denial is common. Others may acknowledge obesity but seem unable to do anything about it.
Some claim obesity is irrelevant. Yet, it is well established that there is a correlation between obesity and diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.
Is obesity, or being overweight, simply a condition of modern life? Are there solutions?
There have been campaigns to require that physical education be mandated for all students at all grade levels. But will the effects of that extend beyond school into adulthood?
Should adults depend upon regular visits to a commercial health club?
The components of being of normal weight and good fitness are not unknown. Fundamentally, being moderately active several times a week and not consuming excessive calories are what is required. Of course, there is an assumption that the harmful activities of smoking and undue alcohol consumption are avoided.
In many ways, a sufficient level of activity can be maintained around a home, simply by pushing a lawnmower, performing maintenance, cleaning house or washing a car (now restricted in the county).
However, there are obstacles to maintaining weight and fitness. The lack of sidewalks and bike lanes can make walking and biking unpleasant, if not dangerous, activities.
To the credit of Gwinnett County, many parks are now opening with paved trails for walking and biking. But doesn’t driving to a park for exercise seem counterintuitive?
It is the unusually restrained person who can regularly eat out and not gain weight. Restaurant food is invariably laden with fats. For most, saying “no” to eating out is a first step in decreasing caloric intake.
It seems evident that combating obesity does require a change in mindset - a willingness to not accept blindly the conventions of modern life.
Do you think obesity is a problem? If so, what are you personally doing to prevent or combat it? Should the community or government be doing more to facilitate fitness activities?
- Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife Shirley and four Golden Retrievers.”
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: My View
