rant of november 16, 2011

Is it too late to join NaBloPoMo? Because blogging has seemed like the thing to do these last few evenings. Maybe I'll go for a half month.

Topic for tonight: business majors and the state of education.

I've been really into several educational studies that have come out in the last 6 months or so that have touched on the following: College business majors.

I make no secret of my feelings about this as an "academic course of study" (it isn't). I want to be clear that I know "economics" to be a completely different major than "business". In economics, you study theories, philosophy and history. In business, as far as I can tell, you study "principals of accounting" and "advanced excel": two things anyone with a good education (or even a good high school education) can learn on the job. You write meaningless papers on trite subjects and generally don't learn anything you can't learn from the newspaper anyway. It is an abomination to the very essence of higher education. Education should be about expanding your understanding of the world through the study of philosophy and science (just to name a few core subjects, which also coincidentally happen to be my college majors! Yay for vanity!).

It comes as no surprise then that NPR has been doing some good reporting on this phenomenon! Did you know that 20% of college graduates are business majors! 1 in 5! It's the most popular major. These people are future voters! They don't understand anything about science (my concern)! Global warming, the basic thermodynamics and atmospheric chemistry that explain global warming? I guess Rick Perry does deserve to be president in the kind of country/culture we are headed towards. The authors of the study seemed more concerned with future leaders (after all, 20% of college graduates will have this degree) deciding to go to war without a basic understanding of world history.

Another NPR story reported that in addition to being the biggest major, it is also the major that gets the lowest scores on tests of general knowledge (science and math majors score the highest. Represent!). I guess we, as a cadre of future adults, think more about the myth of the business world rather than developing actual interests that might sustain a soul (and as a by-product make one interested in learning for interest, rather than for the goal of M-O-N-E-Y). America will never cease to shock and underwhelm (also, reading Friday Night Lights is contributing to this harshing of my mellow).

But I'm being harsh! I know some people with an MBA (namely my brother and my best friend's husband) that found what they love within the business world. I know it exists! I'm just guessing it doesn't for most people (like consultants).

I am reminded of Coach Taylor's speech to the East Dillon Lions during their state-winning year:

"Success is not a goal. It's a by-product. So let's put the work in."