MemeStreams should organize a 'happening' on this topic ...

Decius wrote:
] Oh, if only things were so simple. There are several problems:
] First: After studying computer engineering for 5 years at
] Georgia Tech, I'm honestly quite dismayed that my degree
] appears to have been useful for about 2 years after
] graduation. It is now extremely difficult to get good jobs in
] my chosen profession, and it looks as if that situation may
] never improve.

The problem with this problem is the fallacy of the "technical" degree program. No one who graduates from Harvard with an undergraduate degree in English literature should assume that the expert knowledge of Shakespeare acquired over the preceding four years will guarantee them a six figure salary until the end of their days. In the information age, the same applies to B.S. degree programs. As disappointing as it may be, choosing a profession is exactly the industrial age strategy I was talking about.

] ... computer professionals ...

The world is likely to have a need for 'computer professionals' well into the future, but the meaning may change over time. Seventy five years ago, the tools of the computer trade were paper, pencil, desk, and lamp. In another seventy five, silicon-based tools may seem as antiquated as the graphite-based tools do now.

] The HR industry is set up to hire people who have degrees in
] particular professional fields.

Often, the best jobs don't end up in the hands of HR staff; they are facilitated through social networks. The best jobs are not on HotJobs or craigslist. (The other day I was browsing craigslist and clicked through some of the job postings. Ugh. Bo-ring.)

] ... corporate management are simply not set up to
] support people engaged in continuous learning.

This may be common, but it is certainly not absolute. For management to not position the company as a 'learning organization' is to wish death on that company. How can you stay competitive as a firm? Who wants to work on a team that doesn't improve itself?

] I think the US is going to have serious problems maintaining
] their standard of living over the long term.

Somehow we managed to survive the industrial revolution, and the agricultural jobs didn't even bother to move overseas. They just disappeared as productivity increases made them unnecessary.

RE: I.B.M. Explores Shift of White-Collar Jobs Overseas