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Originally Posted by Gdeaver
I went through this with my son who is now finishing his second semester in ME. You don't go to college to learn how to do a job - thats what technical institutes are for and most in this country suck. I told my son that you go to college to learn how to learn. In high school you're more or less spoon fed the basic subjects. You're told exactly what to read and you're lectured in class. The tests are nothing more than a chance to regurgitate the info back. In college you should be practicing the skill of research. By the time you graduate you should be able to teach your self. This is important because the one constant in your future is change. If you can't adapt and constantly re-educate you're self you won't thrive and prosper in whatever career you choose. You have 4 years of not having to deal with the real world. Find yourself, have a good time, explore your horizons, etc. and learn how to learn.
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Hear, hear! I experienced a tough time finding myself in college, luckily ended up graduating only a semester behind (and in a field not even remotely like what I thought I wanted)...and my husband also had to find his way. So when it was time for our kids to choose their college paths, we told them up front that they would probably have some setbacks along the way, but that college gives one the tools you need to succeed in the world of work no matter what path you choose ultimately. We have found that college admissions people love undecided students, because they are open to new ideas and make confident decisions about a major faster than those students who come in so sure of their choices. Engineering poses a challenge, because in most schools, you must start with the heavy math and science right away...but if a student tries engineering and doesn't like it, it's easy enough to transfer the extra tech courses into elective slots for another major.
And I agree with what's been said before, not all kids should go to college - some don't want to right away, some just aren't cut out for the academic world, some have other plans for whatever their reasons...but that's ok. We desperately need service technicians, auto and other mechanics, and trades people in all fields - here is where students on FIRST teams have an edge, they have a lot of the skills that are needed out in the "real" world.