Concerning education, the economy, and the workforce in this state, there is much to write about. I've save my comments on the fiscal problems potentially facing the state in 2008 for another day. For now, I will respond to a "letter to the editor" I saw a little while back that is a good example of misinformation.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the letter, and obviously thanks to the Delaware State News's questionable new policy concerning their online content, I can't find it online either. Regardless, the gist of the letter said that the DOE may be too focused on getting kids to college when a lot of them only are there to play sports, aren't planning on going to college, and the educational standards may render otherwise non-academically gifted students ineligible, and consequently, they have no reason to go to school. The letter may have said something about school choice also, but I've already expressed why the education system should be unified across the state, so I'm not going to repeat my reasons here.
The problem I have with this letter (other than my general concern that his may not be a minority viewpoint) is that it overlooks the whole policy behind education in the first place. Now, I was a multi-sport high school athlete here in Delaware who had more than my fair share of conference and state glory, so I can certainly appreciate the point he makes. And I certainly am friends with people who were also athletes in high school and went onto college, and I am friends with people who did not. The ones who went on to get a college degree, in some respects, have no better jobs than some that did not. The difference is that their options are much greater.
Take, for example, a police officer. It used to be that you could be a cop right out of high school. Not so much anymore. Most town and state police require some sort of post-high school education (and most now require a 4-year college degree). Granted (and I'm being a little stereotypical here), it probably doesn't matter what type of degree you have; it's more of a door opener than anything else. The real reason why more and more jobs require a college degree is to simply help weed out the applicant pool. And realistically, any salaried job (and even some hourly jobs) is going to want you to have gone to college.
The statistics that a person with a high school degree will make more money over their lifetime is not a joke. It comes with the cost of debt, but so what. Whether you learn anything useful in college doesn't equate to half of what you learn just by being there and listening, absorbing other people's thoughts and just general exposure to a world beyond high school fiefdom.
The point to all of this isn't to rip into this guy for being mad that his kid probably didn't make the cut for a marking period or semester. And obviously, many of the high school students in this area have to work part-time jobs which must be balanced with the school load, and probably have a negative correlation with grades to some degree. The trick is to balance it all out, and just make a goal that once you go to college, you'll just borrow the money to survive. I submit that there is more money in terms of loans and scholarships out there than most people think. This is the job of the guidance counselors in these high schools to become more educated about that aspect of college and inform their students.
So that this entry doesn't go in any more different directions, I'll simply end it here and reiterate my plea for the next governor to sweettalk another MBNA-type organization to come to our state and set up shop. This way those with a college education aren't further tempted to just stay in their college town, or go to a big city to find a job that pays just as much but with a much higher cost of living. And if they can center down here (Kent County) (and the state comes up with some way of getting to the Philadelphia airport a little faster than 95), there may be some more added benefits.
The bottom line is that all of us, including the gentlemen who pled for lower educational standards, to start thinking about ways to improve this state. His point regarding education, however, is incorrect. This isn't the seventies (or the sixties or the fifties) anymore. If you can't finish high school for whatever reason, you're more likely to be an Uncle Rico type person than a real contributor to the economy. Get over it and graduate and quit assuming that high school is the be all end all. Times are changing, and if we don't get with it, the potential decrease in slot and gambling revenue is going to be the least of our state's problems.
Showing posts with label delaware job news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delaware job news. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Jobs for DE College Graduates
One of the major issues facing this state is education. I can guarantee that there will be future posts on this issue, but for now, I will direct the focus of this entry to one of the problems that is a consequence of pushing for higher education. That is, once you have the degree and want to come back to the State and do something, your options in Delaware are pretty limited. Outside of the state, certainly jobs await for you in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and any of the other 46 states, but how does that benefit Delaware? The answer to this rhetorical question is pretty obvious: Not at all.
With MBNA gone and with it all of the jobs and scholarships it gave out to a good percentage of the graduating high school seniors in this state, I submit that there is a shortage of entry level jobs for college graduates. With the exception of Astra-Zeneca, Gore, part of the duPont company, the state, and some banks that have stayed here, the remaining jobs are in the health, legal, and education industry, and half of those require an additional post-graduate degree. So my concern with this is that the state pushes for high schools to get their graduates up to "no child left behind" par, and a third or so go on to some type of college, and where do they expect these Delaware college graduates to come back and do? And even more to the point, is the state, by limiting these options, inherently telling the graduating seniors that unless you get a degree in these certain areas, you should look for jobs elsewhere?
Maybe, but probably not. Obviously your options with a college degree are more than they are without one. And there are a lot of jobs (although I agree there could be more) for those with just a high school diploma. But the gap is widening. And here, in 2007, I argue that a gap is beginning to form between those types of degrees people are getting. Thirty years from now, are you going to have to get a post-graduate degree in order to survive financially?
So what is the solution? (Meaning, how would I fix this?). I think the Governor, whoever the next one is, needs to make a concerted effort to recruit another Astra-Zeneca or MBNA-type (bank, insurance, etc.) (or Silicon Valley-type) company to relocate to Delaware. I would argue that this should be each of the '08 candidates' primary concern and platform (followed by the health care and education platforms that always show up at the top of the list). With the population growth spreading further south, the push shouldn't necessarily be to relocate this/these companies to Wilmington, but toward Kent or Sussex County. The population shift toward those counties is here anyway; the failure to recognize this and start to accommodate for it is just being short-sighted or disingenuous.
Even if one new company came in, that would create upwards of 2000+ jobs across the board (more if they build a new building and have to restructure the infrastructure). This would generate income for the state and the positive effects will certainly outweigh the negative ones I am conspicuously and purposely leaving out of this entry. Further, it would help fill out the void in the housing market that currently exists. While we are at it, why not start pushing for a branch of Toyota or some other car company to take over when Chrysler finally pulls out and leaves even more people out of a job? I think the effort to bring industry and business in shouldn't be focused directly on incorporation and the franchise tax; a scattergun recruiting effort across multiple industry lines could work. More research, admittedly, will need to be done (which helps create more jobs as well).
Lastly, for now, the idea of putting a new company south of the canal allows for the first step toward creating a mass transit system a more realistic idea. The current rail system exists for the industrial sector; putting the dual rails back in and recruiting a Septa-type organization to bid for the contract certainly would create additional jobs (both permanent and temporary) in building, running, maintaining, and policing this system. It could also help with the beach and tourist industry because many more would hop on the train to get to the beach, and could thereafter take Dart from the final train stop. Translation = more money for the state. More on this mass transit idea another day.
I can only invite commentary by posting; feel free post a comment and explain why this idea would or would not work.
With MBNA gone and with it all of the jobs and scholarships it gave out to a good percentage of the graduating high school seniors in this state, I submit that there is a shortage of entry level jobs for college graduates. With the exception of Astra-Zeneca, Gore, part of the duPont company, the state, and some banks that have stayed here, the remaining jobs are in the health, legal, and education industry, and half of those require an additional post-graduate degree. So my concern with this is that the state pushes for high schools to get their graduates up to "no child left behind" par, and a third or so go on to some type of college, and where do they expect these Delaware college graduates to come back and do? And even more to the point, is the state, by limiting these options, inherently telling the graduating seniors that unless you get a degree in these certain areas, you should look for jobs elsewhere?
Maybe, but probably not. Obviously your options with a college degree are more than they are without one. And there are a lot of jobs (although I agree there could be more) for those with just a high school diploma. But the gap is widening. And here, in 2007, I argue that a gap is beginning to form between those types of degrees people are getting. Thirty years from now, are you going to have to get a post-graduate degree in order to survive financially?
So what is the solution? (Meaning, how would I fix this?). I think the Governor, whoever the next one is, needs to make a concerted effort to recruit another Astra-Zeneca or MBNA-type (bank, insurance, etc.) (or Silicon Valley-type) company to relocate to Delaware. I would argue that this should be each of the '08 candidates' primary concern and platform (followed by the health care and education platforms that always show up at the top of the list). With the population growth spreading further south, the push shouldn't necessarily be to relocate this/these companies to Wilmington, but toward Kent or Sussex County. The population shift toward those counties is here anyway; the failure to recognize this and start to accommodate for it is just being short-sighted or disingenuous.
Even if one new company came in, that would create upwards of 2000+ jobs across the board (more if they build a new building and have to restructure the infrastructure). This would generate income for the state and the positive effects will certainly outweigh the negative ones I am conspicuously and purposely leaving out of this entry. Further, it would help fill out the void in the housing market that currently exists. While we are at it, why not start pushing for a branch of Toyota or some other car company to take over when Chrysler finally pulls out and leaves even more people out of a job? I think the effort to bring industry and business in shouldn't be focused directly on incorporation and the franchise tax; a scattergun recruiting effort across multiple industry lines could work. More research, admittedly, will need to be done (which helps create more jobs as well).
Lastly, for now, the idea of putting a new company south of the canal allows for the first step toward creating a mass transit system a more realistic idea. The current rail system exists for the industrial sector; putting the dual rails back in and recruiting a Septa-type organization to bid for the contract certainly would create additional jobs (both permanent and temporary) in building, running, maintaining, and policing this system. It could also help with the beach and tourist industry because many more would hop on the train to get to the beach, and could thereafter take Dart from the final train stop. Translation = more money for the state. More on this mass transit idea another day.
I can only invite commentary by posting; feel free post a comment and explain why this idea would or would not work.
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