It is shocking to me that no one has commented on this provocative article. Being a technology guy, I viscerally am inclined to agree with everything Doug serves up in his treatise. But alas, I have a nagging suspicion that the enactment of a STEM based education, to the exclusion of a more traditional subject matter, would prejudice that portion of the student body who simply do not possess either the intellect, or the ability to leverage that knowledge into a productive future. What happens to them? Furthermore, if the unlikely happens and every student successfully graduates from a STEM based program, who pray tell, will fill the jobs those graduates certainly will view as beneath them.
The animal kingdom provides an inarguable window into humanity in my opinion. With that said, every ant colony needs its worker ants. Every beehive needs its drones. What I'm suggesting is that we, as a society, need workers to occupy jobs that objectively conflicts with the concept of a STEM graduate. Should Doug's vision someday find its way to reality, you'll be asked by a C# savant, "would you like fries with that Quarter Pounder?". Or perhaps your local barista will concoct some amazing caffeinated drinks, leveraging that bio-chem expertise attained by virtue of his/her high school diploma.
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STEManifesto: Want To Fix Education And STEM Skills Gap? Give Up!
It is shocking to me that no one has commented on this provocative article. Being a technology guy, I viscerally am inclined to agree with everything Doug serves up in his treatise. But alas, I have a nagging suspicion that the enactment of a STEM based education, to the exclusion of a more traditional subject matter, would prejudice that portion of the student body who simply do not possess either the intellect, or the ability to leverage that knowledge into a productive future. What happens to them? Furthermore, if the unlikely happens and every student successfully graduates from a STEM based program, who pray tell, will fill the jobs those graduates certainly will view as beneath them.
The animal kingdom provides an inarguable window into humanity in my opinion. With that said, every ant colony needs its worker ants. Every beehive needs its drones. What I'm suggesting is that we, as a society, need workers to occupy jobs that objectively conflicts with the concept of a STEM graduate. Should Doug's vision someday find its way to reality, you'll be asked by a C# savant, "would you like fries with that Quarter Pounder?". Or perhaps your local barista will concoct some amazing caffeinated drinks, leveraging that bio-chem expertise attained by virtue of his/her high school diploma.