Is the younger generation destined for financial failure?

[borg69unimatrix]

Just remember, when you need a plumber, electrician, mover, mechanic... one of those "really really really really really stupid" guys are going to do it, and charge you through the ass for it.

 

[youfiad]

I think you're having a hard time separating the two. They are mutually exclusive qualities. My mom will be the first person to tell you that she is not smart, and she even calls her self very stupid and she doesn't know a lot. I happen to agree with my mom; she's not smart at all. Does that mean I want her to die and that I wouldn't bring her to the hospital if she needed medical attention? I'm sorry, but it just makes no sense what you're saying..

My ACT score was one of the lowest I have ever seen. Quite literally. There are a number of medical reasons that show that people don't do well on test. Some people have learning disabilities, but that doesn't make them stupid.. I have more learning disabilities than I can even think of right now. All of them helped me get a horrible score on the ACT. However, in college, I graduated .05 GPA away from highest honors. I don't believe for one second that these standardized test scores are a good indication of what one is capable to achieve. Plus, there are many studies out there that tend to agree with my thought. Actually, a large majority of studies do.


The origionally point of this thread is not what we're talking about now. Of course if you and I keep going off on irrelevant tangents, it's going to seem like "You have repeatedly posted comments or threads that collectively constitute a jaded embittered and inaccurate view of the larger world." However, the larger world, the one that you say I am inaccurately talking about, seems to effect countless millions of people, and is not simply situated in the USA. It is happening, to a lesser extent, all around the world. I guess that seems like a larger world to me.

 

[Callum]

I feel you're not applying "stupid" to what youfiad meant, Dejavudoo. I would argue a lot people are too stupid for medical school -- but that doesn't mean "stupid" in general. It's more of following a theory of multiple intelligences. I'm sure youfiad's mom is smart in different ways.

As an example, I'm pretty "stupid" at several things. I can't read music. I've tried all my life, just doesn't compute. I cannot connect the sound to the notes. I just don't get it, and no matter the number of music lessons I had to attend as a child, I always hit a wall translating between the medium. To that end, I have little phonemic awareness -- I could never be a linguist or translator. While I enjoy amateur carpentry, I'm not good with power tools, even after years of using them 'correctly'. I would be a shitty carpenter, even with experience. I cannot do advanced physics or mathematics. There's some sort of mental veil over my brain with strings of numbers. I could never be an engineer, or computer scientist. Call me self-defeatist, but I am simply not naturally attuned to do anything in the former categories of 'intelligence'. I'm 'stupid' with them.

 

[youfiad]

Just to be clear, I don't even consider myself amongst the intellectually superior. I consider myself only a little ahead of the heard.

But yes, Callum, I almost forgot what I was calling really really really really stupid. That was the origional intent. SHAME ON YOU DEJAVUDOO FOR TAKING MY THING OUT OF CONTEXT

 

[Devois]

I don't know anything about the UK, sorry. Was your degree specialized? From personal experience a lot of BSc degrees are not specialized enough for lab work (have to be supervised), aside from being a lab rat/test tube kid for $15/hr.

By "human molecular therapeutics genetics", I meant molecular genetics mostly in the context human health, especially in drug development, as opposed to the more fun biotechnology applications that they go in for more at the University of Manchester like genetically modified crops, biofuels and biological catalysts for use in chemical industries. I also studied protein structure, but that was mostly theory, not even much in silico practice.

As a British degree, it was quite specialised starting with a bit of biochemistry, physiology, histology and pharmacology in the first year, then mostly what I described above for the second and third. The laboratory techniques I used were the bread and butter gene cloning techniques like PCR and gel electrophoresis.

I did a three month original research project and that was a privilege granted to about half the year group. The techniques I used for that were quite primitive and it's no substitute for a summer studentship/internship.


Aside from "Is Devois destined for financial failure", I'll say that our government did claim to want 50% of school leavers to go to university at one point as I recall. Presumably they were either hoping for a massive growth of graduate jobs to replace all the manual jobs we lost during 70's and 80's or a war which would wipe out a chunk of the civilian population.

I think there are a lot of opportunities for students to succeed, so long as they know what they're doing, but funnily enough, a lot of teenagers are ignorant fools who don't know about such opportunities and that included me. And we have been steered towards 1. Get a degree 2. ??? 3. Profit!
Hopefully with the increasing tuition fees some of the snobbery involved will fade. So that you don't need a degree to apply for the assistant manager job at the factory warehouse, people actually consider universities outside the English speaking world and Canadian youths take up apprenticeships to learn trades (honestly, I knew lots of boys who wanted to do that sort thing then, even if middle class teenagers don't so much).

 

[youfiad]

And to add to that Devois, a lot of students, such as myself had absolutely no resources to even know what university is like. I am the first person ever in my family to go to college. I couldn't ask my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents anything because they had no friggen clue. The only advice I ever got when I was researching college was 1)Get your generals done 2) Get a degree 3)graduate 4)get a job.

 

[youfiad]

I don't think it was any stretch. Who calls his fellow man "really really really really stupid" and means it only in reference to rarefied knowledge, and I still don't believe you are being honest with yourself about a generalized contempt for men and society at large. Be fair: you didn't refer to a condition of ignorance, but a large class of college people who are stupid.

I'm not crusading here, only trying to get you to be honest with yourself. I think you are either saying things you don't mean, or you're not admitting what is really inside.

It follows that not being "really really really really stupid" is inherently "intellectually superior."

As you KNOW I am not against you and have tried to encourage you on JUB repeatedly, I don't think you can seriously think over it and conclude that I should be ashamed of trying to help you. You may not want the help, but the discrepancy is there, whether you honestly address it or not.

Don't need to believe me. I'm not bothered by that. People can believe whatever they want. I believe that no matter what I say, it's not going to matter unless I reaffirm your initial beliefs, so we will just leave it at that.

 

[Ryuukie]

You will enjoy life because of your education. And you will come to see that your education cost very little when you compare it to what it has given back to you.

The reason why I think most people are destined to live life as paupers is because they spend too much money and don't save any. They rack up huge credit card debts and find it impossible to get ahead of the curve.

I admire the fact that you took such frugal trip.