Soapbox Time

[Robert Maxey <Bob_Maxey -at- MTN -dot- 3COM -dot- COM>]

>>It's not just the US where there is a lack of technical workers. Here in
the UK a similar situation exists.  Over the past few years there has been
much tinkering with the education system and people generally bemoaning
dropping standards.

I experience this daily, and it frightens me. We seem to have a difficult
time getting qualified people. We occasionally have jobs open and posted
that go unfilled because most applicants do not have either the education
or the experience working in the high technology industry.

We have to train those we do end up with because it is the only way we can
fill the positions.

I lay blame on the current educational system for the most part, and this
is sad indeed. I sat at Lenny's...er Denny's and listened to people at the
table across from me try to figure out what 10% of something was. They all
had it wrong.

If you take a look at the tests given to school children in the early part
of the century, it is amazing how difficult these math tests were. I
seriously doubt if many high school teachers could take and pass these
grade school tests. But then I rented Stand And Deliver, and feel that if
we all insist of the level of teacher as portrayed in the film, all is not
lost. I suggest renting it and remembering that it is a true story, about a
remarkable teacher.

So what has happened? Is it our fate to 'dummy down' the quality of our
writing, to pander to the lowest common intelligence level?

Bob Maxey
3Com


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=