Business Education
The Art of Dropping Out
College drop outs who go on to do great things in the world of business demonstrate the true value of a university education
The Old Boy Society
Do prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge discriminate in their selection process?
Weighing in on the MBA
Do European business schools have a competitive edge on the world scale? by Brian Mitchell
What are the most important values to teach your child?
Europe
Goodwin Humiliation an Empty Token Gesture
The decision to strip Sir Fred Goodwin of his knighthood is a populist move that does not really mean anything
Cycling and the City
Moving toward more liveable cities In recent years a trend of changing mobility patterns has been observed, a movement toward active transport like cycling or walking.
Main Content
Many Choices, No Solution
Getting a job is not as easy as ABC, 123
A higher education has long been considered a standard and clear road to a better life. In recent decades, institutions labelling themselves as colleges or universities have mushroomed to unprecedented proportions, each spring producing a new army of young people boasting a Bachelor's degree.
As the commonality of a BA rose, so did the number of recent recipients who opted for pursuing a Master's programme. The competitive edge of the additional qualification may, however, be losing its fresh sharpness as well. Unemployment and austerity measures, hiring freezes and cut-throat battles for any openings, have left even the brightest young minds on the long waiting list for a nine to five.
Andrew Hacker of Queens College in New York and Claudia Dreyfus of Columbia University suggest that the tough economic times may not be solely to blame. In their new book, Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids - And What We Can Do About It, they argue that the cost of university studies has spiralled out of control, while the quality has stagnated, or even fallen. With professors focusing on their own research and student often being taught by young, inexperienced adjuncts, degrees do not always equal competence. Ivy leagues are a rather clear target of their critique, but Hacker and Dreyfus do not believe that the problem is uniquely an American one. It rests within the approach, an approach that they view as becoming increasingly ridiculous, particularly in the rise of vocational BAs, such as fashion merchandising, that do not focus on what they call the true purpose of an undergraduate course of studies.
"All undergraduate education should be a liberal arts education where you think about the enduring ideas and issues of the human condition," Hacker said.
Reminiscent of a motto often held at Jesuit universities, the concept of cora personalis is one that Hacker and Dreyfus believe will give students the most bang for their university buck. Dabbling in philosophy, history, literature, alongside courses in the stricter sciences is optimal in their opinion. Simultaneously, they compare the outrageous spending of many universities to that of drunken sailors, encouraging students and parents to think twice before shedding out tens of thousands to pay for a name.
While Harvard, Oxford or the Sorbonne may still have a nice ring to many ears, some young people are opting for a more traditional form of vocation training, bypassing the degree game altogether. Dr. David Coggen of the Medical Research Council in Southampton, England may have some bad news here too. According to a recent study, he and his team have concluded that certain jobs may lead to certain diseases. Perhaps not en par with Marie Curie-Skladowska's research and subsequent cancerous death, but Coggen nevertheless argues that seamen, cooks and bartenders have a heightened risk of developing alcohol related diseases, while male hairdressers are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS.
"This study demonstrates that there are major differences between occupational groups in their risk of death from alcohol and drug-related diseases," said Coggen.
Just as Hacker and Dreyfus stereotyped extravagant spending to drunken sailors and contestants on the hit show Top Chef who continually mention the alcohol culture of the restaurant world, there may be some truth to the findings. Coggen sees the correlation as being related to the quick associations that are made to certain careers, something to which young people just entering the work force may be particularly susceptible. Either way, the possibility of being immersed in a lifestyle that causes premature death is certainly something that puts a damper on the possibility of vocational training within the mentioned categories.
The option of going abroad in search of employment has also joined the bandwagon in its loss of allure. Countries like Greece and Poland have experienced more than one exodus during the course of their respective histories, but with discussions of brain drain, not everyone wants to be considered a deserter when times get tough. Going abroad has not been ruled out altogether, however, and as the Thessaloniki based agency, To the Point, reports - out of 590 young people surveyed, half would like to leave the country. Cheap flights and open borders make Europe a less scary, less permanent sort of exodus for both those leaving and those left behind. Ideally, of course, many would prefer that an education, vocational or otherwise, would equal employment, at home or abroad. Choices rather than last resorts are quite obviously optimal, but for the millions of unemployed young people throughout Europe, they also seem like dreams rather than a potential reality.