tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post974097569295712941..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Is anyone doing well, these days? An Early Thirsty From Froderick Frankenstien from FresnoUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-72929252226896960712016-06-23T19:45:00.739-04:002016-06-23T19:45:00.739-04:00I sure wish high schools were better funded for wh...I sure wish high schools were better funded for what used to be called vocational ed. They still push it in Germany, and look how much better off they are. The problem is that in our eagerness to create an educational system that is fair to everyone, we have created one that serves no one particularly well. Not everyone should go to college because not everyone likes what we do in college.Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-57920737159770918292016-06-23T10:15:35.778-04:002016-06-23T10:15:35.778-04:00Tell them to drop out and learn a trade. As a plum...Tell them to drop out and learn a trade. As a plumber or an electrician they have the opportunity to become licensed and then self-employed. It can be hard to find work sometimes, although you can wind up with a pretty sweet gig in a union or for a major company. In NY, the MTA is one of the best places for an electrician to work. The work is hard, but once you are licensed the pay can be quite Jimhttp://www.google.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-87422896523090516892016-06-22T20:47:50.581-04:002016-06-22T20:47:50.581-04:00An up-and-coming field that combines computer savv...An up-and-coming field that combines computer savviness and health care is Health Information Technology. Students with a strong background in either and a willingness to learn the other can do well.<br />It's a lesser-known career field that has been around a while but is starting to grow exponentially due to some of the "buried" regulations in ObamaCare. Thanks, Obama!Sawyer in Student Serviceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463333151790071057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-7479015860123874722016-06-21T21:42:03.816-04:002016-06-21T21:42:03.816-04:00Health sciences adjunct/clinician here. Not an MD,...Health sciences adjunct/clinician here. Not an MD, but work closely and do research with many. I would give a big fat N O to medical school. Many of my MD colleagues are unhappy for a variety of reasons, including debt and overall changes in healthcare. Physician assistants have the best of it all - working in healthcare, getting in the workforce right after PA school (only 2 years), good I Feed Hamstersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-5670195647801737082016-06-21T21:32:42.983-04:002016-06-21T21:32:42.983-04:00Yeah, some of my students could use a brain sharp...Yeah, some of my students could use a brain sharpener.<br /><br />Or a dick sharpener, but that's what heavy-duty STAPLE GUNS are for.Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-57872213765549158162016-06-21T18:11:48.838-04:002016-06-21T18:11:48.838-04:00or invent a banana sharpener
:-)or invent a <a href="https://youtu.be/Mggl7cC8iys" rel="nofollow">banana sharpener</a><br /><br />:-)<br />Southern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-77503995155064739252016-06-21T13:43:59.376-04:002016-06-21T13:43:59.376-04:00I'm not sure there's EVER been a good answ...I'm not sure there's EVER been a good answer to that question; there's certainly never been a one-size-fits-all answer. I would tell students to study 1) something they are good at; and 2) something they care about deeply enough to WANT to do more than the minimum. Anecdotally, I'd say that students who are both good and passionate -- the ones who seek out internships and show Fretful Porpentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165078003123517013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-33756862524457467312016-06-21T10:54:34.188-04:002016-06-21T10:54:34.188-04:00a good buddy of mine majored in Japanese. That go...a good buddy of mine majored in Japanese. That got some odd looks. He makes a good living translating technical documents. (He also met his wife, a very sweet lady, in Japan where they worked together. Any job where you meet the love of your life is a good one.) Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75027500973236030532016-06-21T10:52:20.406-04:002016-06-21T10:52:20.406-04:00Yes, I've thought of escape to K-12 too. I co...Yes, I've thought of escape to K-12 too. I contemplated trying to get into a high school position, as I thought to myself "if I teach the upper grades, then all of those students in the class are keen about science and want to be there, as they've already got the 2 science credits they need for their high school diploma, right?"<br />Nope. I volunteered several times to give aProf Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-12047853059889797112016-06-21T10:52:18.993-04:002016-06-21T10:52:18.993-04:00just borrow $1,000,000 from your parents and start...just borrow $1,000,000 from your parents and start your own company! (sarcasm) Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-30823352992067781162016-06-21T10:51:10.305-04:002016-06-21T10:51:10.305-04:00starting salary for a teacher with a BA and no exp...starting salary for a teacher with a BA and no experience in my county is $47,000. Sounds like a lot, but...the median home price here is $496,000.<br /><br />Back in the rust belt 'burb where I grew up the median home price is $89,000. The starting teacher salary with a B.S. is $35,000. Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-76166179335455829482016-06-20T23:37:06.730-04:002016-06-20T23:37:06.730-04:00I would not recommend Library Science unless you h...I would not recommend Library Science unless you have a major/minor in a STEM field (i.e. computer science) and you have a strong interest in information technology as well as the dogma of the profession. Too many wannabe librarians and too many Master of Library Science (MLIS) degrees out there.<br /><br />I work in retail now and my company has practically been begging for people with STEM Ripbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685894007541567391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49961539393433616902016-06-20T23:27:43.739-04:002016-06-20T23:27:43.739-04:00"And bacteria are much easier to work with th..."And bacteria are much easier to work with than administrators! They’re more likeable, intelligent, ethical, and smell better, too."<br /><br />Many bacteria are actually quite useful to their hosts.Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-36941236620312679902016-06-20T23:24:48.784-04:002016-06-20T23:24:48.784-04:00People always gonna get sick and break stuff.
Peo...People always gonna get sick and break stuff. <br />People always gonna be ignorant.<br />People always wanna pay less to fix the latter than the former, assuming they want to fix it at all.Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-56858416793020137022016-06-20T22:59:11.485-04:002016-06-20T22:59:11.485-04:00Strong is the want to see greener pastures, somewh...Strong is the want to see greener pastures, somewhere.Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-73684123453889529942016-06-20T22:45:27.277-04:002016-06-20T22:45:27.277-04:00My brain stuff was discombobulated by the "Un...My brain stuff was discombobulated by the "Unknown Sender"-Frod fiasco (and the bourbon). <br />K-12 is clearly hell. <br /><br />:-)<br />Southern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-7180459131262970012016-06-20T20:34:17.805-04:002016-06-20T20:34:17.805-04:00I'm not sure whether this is still the case, b...I'm not sure whether this is still the case, but at least as of a year or two ago, I was hearing from my nursing majors that, while there's plenty of work for them, what hospitals would really like is someone who's fully trained as an R.N., but is willing to work as (and at the wages of) a L.P.N. or some other lower-paying certified job. That, sadly, sounds rather familiar to those Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-11088126757640679132016-06-20T20:15:33.172-04:002016-06-20T20:15:33.172-04:00Good heavens, I forgot to include nursing. They...Good heavens, I forgot to include nursing. They're going great guns here. One might think that petroleum geology is doing well with the fracking boom, but they may be facing a slump, a victim of their own success. (One needn't hire lots of people to find oil and gas if other people recently found a whole bunch of it that is accessible with a new technique.) Aerospace engineering is Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9808573769882584622016-06-20T20:08:39.568-04:002016-06-20T20:08:39.568-04:00@Ben: I am "pulling a Carl Sagan," or in...@Ben: I am "pulling a Carl Sagan," or in other words, arguing on both sides of the issue, in the hope of getting a discussion going, of course. Actually, engineering can be lots of fun, if one is the kind of person who can think abstractly, is good at mathematics and can put it to good use, and above all likes to build things, and has an aptitude for it. Business can also be lots of funFroderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-82285917322828499462016-06-20T20:08:15.115-04:002016-06-20T20:08:15.115-04:00If they're good with people (and smart enough ...If they're good with people (and smart enough to pass the necessary STEM classes), then at least some health sciences careers are probably pretty good bets. Nursing is tough in a variety of ways (including scheduling). I'm not sure about being a Physician's Assistant, which may involve a slightly better cost/benefit balance than becoming a doctor. I'm pretty sure there's Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-74732631485823414342016-06-20T19:50:23.760-04:002016-06-20T19:50:23.760-04:00As I understand it, the problem with teaching kind...As I understand it, the problem with teaching kindergarten these days (in addition to and underlying everything else mentioned above) is that the expectations are no longer age-appropriate. So you basically get to spend the day with a bunch of unhappy, stressed-out, little kids, who are exhibiting that stress in all the ways that people without much practice in handling their emotions are likely Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-19737705583244200152016-06-20T19:45:22.421-04:002016-06-20T19:45:22.421-04:00I was pretty sure this was Frod (but yes, I believ...I was pretty sure this was Frod (but yes, I believe there are other astronomers out there, if not, perhaps, on this blog). <br /><br />I think a good many of our biology majors want to be forensic something-or-others, a la CSI. Whether they actually want to work with bodily fluids and dead bodies and bugs and such, I'm not so sure. <br /><br />A good many of the rest want to go to medical Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-60294571156545891662016-06-20T19:20:35.217-04:002016-06-20T19:20:35.217-04:00Bubba, you are sooooo off the mark. I recently sp...Bubba, you are sooooo off the mark. I recently spent a day volunteering for a day-long school trip for my 9-year old. Those teachers don't get paid enough. When it was over and we got home I lay down on the couch and took a long nap in order to try and recuperate and squelch the massive headache I'd developed by lunchtime. And I've previously taken substantial time off during a Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84968279387168372532016-06-20T18:53:42.803-04:002016-06-20T18:53:42.803-04:00Oh, ghwawd, dealing with NCLB bullshit and helicop...Oh, ghwawd, dealing with NCLB bullshit and helicopter parents and Dunning-Kruger school boards would give me an aneurysm.Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-58622561374932443362016-06-20T17:22:15.739-04:002016-06-20T17:22:15.739-04:00There was no name in the text of the post. The sub...There was no name in the text of the post. The submissions go directly in the queue and are not received or seen ad emails, hence the instructions. I assumed we had dozens of astronomers on the page.College Miseryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01371354682300032653noreply@blogger.com