Articles like this make me very, very angry

[phuriku]

<p>Pretty infuriating. I guess the gist of her argument is that we need to start career planning at an early age? At least, that’s what the following seems to imply.</p>

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A new Harvard study suggests that it’s not an abandonment of the college curriculum that’s needed, but a re-envisioning and better preparation. The study compares the U.S. system unfavorably to its European counterparts where students begin thinking about what sort of career they’ll pursue and the sort of preparation they’ll need for it in middle school. Could that be the answer?

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<p>Career planning in middle school? Really? That’s her solution? It sounds like she’s so bitter about her career (and her own lack of proper preparation) that she desires a world wherein everyone is forced to consider and prepare for a specific career from a young age. It’s emotionally-charged nonsense.</p>

<p>That being said, there’s a good point to be taken from this article.</p>

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And the common thread in all these stories seems to be how surprised these graduates were by their utter unemployability, a feeling of having been misled into complacency, issued reassurances about how the pedigree or prestige of the institution they’d attended would save them.

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<p>I think this is a good point, and one especially relevant to the University of Chicago. </p>

<p>Many students believe that because they are a graduate of UChicago, they will be able to find a great job regardless of their major or qualifications. I’ve seen many students in EALC and English have this misconception, and they’re annoying as hell when they realize that a UChicago degree isn’t an immediate ticket to riches. Their complaints usually come in the form of a shot at UChicago’s prestige: “People at Northwestern and Stanford have jobs. You don’t even understand how screwed UChicago is in the job market.” The people at NU/Stanford who have jobs are the ones who put effort into increasing their qualifications, regardless of their degree. Those at NU/Stanford who are as complacent as these whiners are just as underemployed.</p>

<p>Often, it appears that UChicago students become so caught up in the purported prestige of the school that they come to believe that this prestige itself is entirely sufficient to land a great, high-paying job straight out of school. The university and its students would benefit if these rampant misconceptions were cleared up via meetings with one’s advisors or CAPS. (I’m sure they are to some extent, but perhaps it is not emphasized enough.)</p>

<p>Of course, this attitude isn’t limited to Chicago; it affects its peers as well. However, it’s particularly disappointing to see such attitudes of entitlement from a university that purportedly embodies the spirit of dedication and hard work, a spirit that shouldn’t be limited to one’s activity in academia.</p>