Wow! Man this is kinda of scary...

In the year 2014 the United States Department of Education predicts that 22% of jobs will require ATLEAST a 4 year college degree and 55%of all jobs will require ATLEAST a 2 year associate's degree. As I was reading this I thought.."What is gonna happen to my friends that dropped out in their senior year?" Kids at my highschool are dropping  out like flies.What the hell are they gonna do?

Man, times are changing at expontial rates!!! For example, I was a freshman in highschool  in 06(now a junior*2nd semester* in 09) Our freahman class for the whole state of louisiana  was required to take 2 more classes to gradute than previous years. Now the freshman's of the 08=09 school year are required to take 2 more classes to gradute. We need 28 to graduate they need 30. Why are they doing this? They never changed the graduation requirments that often in the 80's or even the freakin 90's and early 2000's. I remeber in Kindergarden we just took naps and colored. Now my lilittle cousin actually does math, english, science, and social studies in Kindergarden:D WTF? America you need to slow down on this education thing.
My only complaint is why does all this have to start now? I have had to do waaaaay more crap to gradaute in 2010 than my brother did when he garduated in 2004.
THIS SUCKS!
End Rant/

woah, I never knew thast things were this weird in the USA!

How does that suck? 

I didn't graduate highschool because I didn't complete a 15 minute red booklet that asks me questions about my feelings...
I can go back and complete it any time I want I guess, but I'm too lazy.

"I didn't graduate highschool because I didn't complete a 15 minute red booklet that asks me questions about my feelings...
I can go back and complete it any time I want I guess, but I'm too lazy."

"How does that suck? "

"keyhunter said:

"I didn't graduate highschool because I didn't complete a 15 minute red booklet that asks me questions about my feelings...
I can go back and complete it any time I want I guess, but I'm too lazy."

Are you serious???"

"Austin said:

"keyhunter said:

"I didn't graduate highschool because I didn't complete a 15 minute red booklet that asks me questions about my feelings...
I can go back and complete it any time I want I guess, but I'm too lazy."

Are you serious???"

Yes. Government sanctioned red booklet. "What is your healthy living plan and how will you complete these goals and who will help you with these goals and what will you do to keep peace of mind a blah blah blah now show us a bunch of resume's and college applications""

According to statistics, a well rounded carpenter always has a job, and a well paid one. And that I am.

I'm from the UK so I can't really comment on what the education system is like in the USA. But what I can tell you is that these sort of statistics are plucked out of a top hat by "professionals" in this area of research. And I use the word professionals in the loosest possible way as no one can predict whats going to happen in a few years. Hell just look at those economy / financial experts they pay to predict that sort of stuff, good job they did in helping stop the current global credit crunch from occuring!

When I entered my senior year in secondary school they said everyone is going to need a University degree, PhD, BA etc qualification to get a job. They were wrong, so very wrong as employers do not look for qualifications but rather experience in the field of work they are employing you for. Sure you could have a qualification saying you can program computers, repair cars and vehicles or know crazy mathematical equations. But can you actually put whats on the resume into practice? Have you actually got experience doing the job, meeting deadlines, dealing with customers, maintaining a high standard and quality of work etc? Thats what employers want when they hire people, they want people who actually have put all that theory and years of education into practice. Not some wet behind the ears student fresh out of college or university who barely remembers half if any of his course work from his first year.

Then there is also the fact that all the "high paid" or "white collar" jobs are the ones that are being made redundant these days. If your in a trade (electrician, plumber, carpenter or joiner etc) you make more money than a teacher in most cities. Not to mention you'll be hard pressed to ever struggle in finding work. Lets face it how many banks across the world have gone out of business or had to make cut backs on the amount of staff employed compared to the number of business's involved in the trades?

Don't be so caught up in the "oh shit I have to go to college and university to get a good job or I'll never be employed by anyone" frame of mind. At the end of the day with the world the way it is now economically your probably a lot better off bypassing further education and going straight for a job. Get some experience and references on that resume for multiple employers and any future employers will be more inclined to hire you as they atleast know you've actually worked a day in your life instead of sat in a classroom and pretended to understand and learn how to work a day in your life.

America you need to slow down on this education thing.

shit.... i only got a HS diploma.... it better be good for the rest of my life lol

Sad but true: A Four Year Degree is the new High School Diploma, and the High School Diploma is the new High School Dropout.

"In the year 2014 the United States Department of Education predicts that 22% of jobs will require ATLEAST a 4 year college degree and 55%of all jobs will require ATLEAST a 2 year associate's degree. As I was reading this I thought.."What is gonna happen to my friends that dropped out in their senior year?" Kids at my highschool are dropping  out like flies.What the hell are they gonna do?

Man, times are changing at expontial rates!!! For example, I was a freshman in highschool  in 06(now a junior*2nd semester* in 09) Our freahman class for the whole state of louisiana  was required to take 2 more classes to gradute than previous years. Now the freshman's of the 08=09 school year are required to take 2 more classes to gradute. We need 28 to graduate they need 30. Why are they doing this? They never changed the graduation requirments that often in the 80's or even the freakin 90's and early 2000's. I remeber in Kindergarden we just took naps and colored. Now my lilittle cousin actually does math, english, science, and social studies in Kindergarden:D WTF? America you need to slow down on this education thing.
My only complaint is why does all this have to start now? I have had to do waaaaay more crap to gradaute in 2010 than my brother did when he garduated in 2004.
THIS SUCKS!
End Rant/"

Is it sad that I learned more on the internet than my entire gradeschool and some of high school now than in shool?

"Discorsi said:

"How does that suck? "

Because its not fair we have to do more required crap in school than previous generations."

"According to statistics, a well rounded carpenter always has a job, and a well paid one. And that I am."

"Discorsi said:

"How does that suck? "

Because its not fair we have to do more required crap in school than previous generations."

The world ends in 2012 anyway, so dont worry about it haha. But really, that would suck balls if that prediction is accurate, good thing i live in Canada but i doubt it will be much different.

"America you need to slow down on this education thing. "

To follow on from what Hamz said here in the UK university is all laid out for us. We get government backing to go (so long as we got the right A-levels or college merits [which are the 16-18 year old grades]) and the courses all sit there ready to be taken.

The thing is, universities being business' know that lots of kids aspire to and realistically can go to university and thus they have to entice them. Which is where all the stupid degrees come in: drama, art, music, sports psychology, etc. etc. They may sound like rational subjects but when there are 10,000 kids or so (maybe more) all "learning" art every year and graduating -- well what the fuck is the next job? Most of these kids are giving false hope by the universities that their degree is relevant when in reality it's just not. Sure they are legitimate subjects (we could have mentioned the likes of Golf Course Design) but realistically they have no weight in the real world.

People go into their drama degree thinking they're going to end up in Hollywood -- reality is they come out of it £30,000 in debt with a supermarket job.

In most cases experience is key but sadly it's also true that a piece of paper can push you right up the ladder of an office on day one, where a lifetimes dedicated work will move you nowhere.

I wonder what would happen to you if you ever applied to an IIT.

I would also like to add that it will always depend on your career path. If you're something like an artist, then degrees and certificates don't mean much. People go to art school for four years and can't draw shit. It doesn't hurt to have a degree, but at the end of the day, your portfolio is going to be showing off what you can do.

"Austin said:

"In the year 2014 the United States Department of Education predicts that 22% of jobs will require ATLEAST a 4 year college degree and 55%of all jobs will require ATLEAST a 2 year associate's degree. As I was reading this I thought.."What is gonna happen to my friends that dropped out in their senior year?" Kids at my highschool are dropping  out like flies.What the hell are they gonna do?

Man, times are changing at expontial rates!!! For example, I was a freshman in highschool  in 06(now a junior*2nd semester* in 09) Our freahman class for the whole state of louisiana  was required to take 2 more classes to gradute than previous years. Now the freshman's of the 08=09 school year are required to take 2 more classes to gradute. We need 28 to graduate they need 30. Why are they doing this? They never changed the graduation requirments that often in the 80's or even the freakin 90's and early 2000's. I remeber in Kindergarden we just took naps and colored. Now my lilittle cousin actually does math, english, science, and social studies in Kindergarden:D WTF? America you need to slow down on this education thing.
My only complaint is why does all this have to start now? I have had to do waaaaay more crap to gradaute in 2010 than my brother did when he garduated in 2004.
THIS SUCKS!
End Rant/"

Lets take the biggest statistic there. 55% of all jobs will will at least an associate degree.

That 55% includes your plumber, your car mechanic, anything that takes the least amount of skill.

I'm gonna stop myself before I go into a rant, but America is sadly not that high in terms of education compared with the world. We are actually playing catch up. Also, just like our generation gets better technology and better standards of living than our previous generations, we can only keep that up if we work harder or is generally smarter than out previous generation."

Same thing happened over here, I need 24 credits, the year before us needed 22. The year after us needs 28 and the one after them 30.

The problem is, the most you can get, if you take a full schedule every year, is 28 credits in four years. Which means you have to either trade volunteer or work hours for credits. And it's like 70 volunteer hours for half a credit. And double for paid hours per half a credit.

It's pretty crazy, I wait for the day they announce 8 period days, and school goes an hour longer. Luckily, I'll be in college by then.

To sum it up: People will have to be more knowledgeable. I see no big disadvantage.

I don't know why you'd complain about this, it's rather obvious that as the world gets more complicated, jobs are going to require higher education. There used to be a day where you could easily get a good paying job with a high school degree. Now a days, I wouldn't recommend any young person to go into the work force without any college education.

"Same thing happened over here, I need 24 credits, the year before us needed 22. The year after us needs 28 and the one after them 30.

The problem is, the most you can get, if you take a full schedule every year, is 28 credits in four years. Which means you have to either trade volunteer or work hours for credits. And it's like 70 volunteer hours for half a credit. And double for paid hours per half a credit.

It's pretty crazy, I wait for the day they announce 8 period days, and school goes an hour longer. Luckily, I'll be in college by then."

doesnt matter to me, pfft

Just dont drop out of high school and you'll be fine.

This is inevitable.  Think back 100 years, you didn't need an education at all.  All you needed to know was how to tend to the farm, or whatever the household chores were.   Now fast forward to when schools were started and how the industrial revolution created more demands for specialized people to watch the machines.  Now all of a sudden, back then, some sort of education was required for some jobs.  Now fast forward to the 1970's era, most high school drop-outs went on to work good jobs, but all that was -needed- to have a great job was the standard high school diploma.  Then the 80's hit, where the technology revolution moved at twice the speed of the industrial revolution, if not faster. 

My point is that specialization creates the demand for more jobs.  And given the current condition of the earth, and the "green" mentality that America is taking on, science fields (which means "specialized jobs only") will be high in demand as we try to research more efficient means of energy.  

That's my take on this whole thing.  It's only a matter of time before a Masters Degree is needed for a larger percentage of the jobs its needed now.  Be glad we have an education system in our country, use it and abuse it. 

Topic creator, they've been saying that shit for ages now. It's bullshit every time. I'm the fourth person to finish high school in my family and every family member owns their own house.  Those people are paid to say those things.

The smarter people are and the more specialized they are in their respective field can only be good. Its called hard work.

Would you mind providing some links from your original post. Besides, why does it matter? I mean, we're all going to be dead at the end of 2012 -- amirite?

I worry for my future kids.

Don't believe everything you hear ... Scare mongering is a American Hobby .  That being said having a education is no guaruntee for a bright future it just increases the odds that you will find the job you want .  Having looks and Money go a long way as well , either that or a lot of charisma .  Don't get hung up on what may or may not be in the not to distant future just focus on what you can do today that can make a difference in your world .  Everything changes !