STEM vs Soft Skills Valerie Strauss and Cathy N. Davidson share their negative sentiments towards STEM majors in “The surprising thing Google learned about its employees – and what it means for today’s students”. Davidson sites studies from Google arguing that majoring in a STEM field is not necessary, or even ideal, in order to be successful in the work world. She includes literary techniques including either/or reasoning and emotionally loaded terms in order to persuade the reader that STEM skills are not vital to success. Davidson questions the requirement of receiving a STEM based education to succeed in the real world. She quotes studies performed by Google to justify her claim that soft skills are the difference between success or …show more content…
She suggests that if soft skills are important in the workplace then STEM skills are detrimental; she never explores the idea that both may be important. “Could it be that top Google employees were succeeding despite their technical training, not because of it.” (Davidson 2) She suggests that simply because soft skills are helping them succeed that STEM skills are hurting them; she never broadens her view to examine whether other skills may be important alongside of soft skills. Furthermore, she makes hasty generalization by suggesting that technical training is detrimental to their careers when she only provides information regarding the importance of soft skills, nothing that says STEM skills can actually negatively affect one’s career. Later on, she makes another reference that either one or the other will lead to success, but not both. “What helps you thrive in a changing world isn’t rocket science. It may just well be social science.” (Davidson 3) She attempts to downplay STEM skills by suggesting that only one type of skill set is important in the work world, while in reality there are …show more content…
She uses strong language to draw sympathy from the reader. “company enlarged its previous hiring practices to include humanities majors, artists, and even MBA’s that, initially, Brim and Page viewed with disdain.” (Davidson 3) The use of the word disdain suggests that times are changing, and that a major, previously looked on so harshly, could be accepted in the world leads the reader to believe the argument. The fact that a large technical company would accept such a variety of people could be moving for people who feel as if they are different or not accepted. She attracts young dreamers by suggesting that no one should choose a major they do not love. “No student should be prevented from majoring in an area they love based on a false idea of what they need to succeed.” (Davidson 4) She makes an emotional statement about personal choice to attract the reader and follows it with a statement to continue persuading the reader. She uses personal freedom and acceptance to attach readers emotionally, making it easy to manipulate their
Specialization is a theme that Kohn addresses as he analyzes Angela Duckworth’s studies conducted on grit. Kohn reflects on a commendable argument that life is better when there is variety and exploration as opposed to being one minded. Kohn provides examples of Duckworth’s studies as he quotes her idea that “maybe it’s more fun to try something new, but high levels of achievement require a certain single-mindedness” (par.19) which is questioned by himself. Therefore, time should be spent attempting to improve on a single thing and that is more important than experimentation Kohn describes as Duckworth’s view on the topic (20). Specialization can spill into many aspects and areas of life, not just school. Many go into one specific field because that is what they “specialize” in. In the cooking and baking fields, there are bakers and then there are chefs. Culinary and baking is what I am going to college for, except I am not specializing; but exploring both baking and culinary. Growing up I was interested in cooking and baking and still have both at heart. Specialization is boring and not in everyone’s
... amazing ability to be able to plan a future and when that future is altered we want to hold on to it. I have seen it tear people down and make people stronger. I have seen it make people bitter and I chose for it to make me grateful. We construct fantasy and Quindlen ask if “the fantasy has within it a nugget of fact” (Quindlen 32) and the torture seems to be never knowing. Anna Quindlen let me and all of her readers into a very personal experience in her life and through it I was vividly reminded of a time in my own life. These experiences change people, it changed Quindlen and it changed me. I try and stay present with the people I have right now. I know what I have and I know that some people never get to have it. When you lose people in your life you lose the ability to be naive and complacent, you lose the ability to take relationships for granted.
He tells us that when he was in school he and another student met with a tutor every week, after reading each of their paper’s the tutor would then tell them “in blistering detail” what each of them should have taken from the readings and written without showing any “delicate concern” to their feelings (3610). In contrast, his daughter, Frances will participate “in discussion groups with professors and teaching assistants, all of whom have been trained in sensitivity and diversity (3611).”
It really made me think, and ask myself some questions about my major. He knew what he was doing whenever writing this essay, but what happens whenever everyone starts majoring in the “liberal arts?” It would not leave anyone else for anything else. That brings me to Charles Murray, and to an extent his opinions are my own, but some I could not fathom being okay with.
It may be disappointing to realize we are the kind of person who we do not like in others; however, it is more disconcerting to realize we are not the kind of person that we believe we should be or are. We think we are smart, optimistic, popular or possess greatness, but later we perceive that we are not that good. Unwittingly, and without rational thought, “Wall Street smartness is, in a sense, ‘generic’ and it is precisely this notion of elitism so pervasive as to be commonplace, smartness so sweeping as to become generic, that reinforces Wall Street’s claims of extraordinariness” (Ho 184). Wall Street does not realize the negative influence of focusing only on credentials. In fact, they do not care. This hiring process has become a tradition for them. Even though they may overlook potentially qualified employees, they do not want to recognize that their system is imperfect; it is easier to blame inadequate candidates, claiming that they should have studied harder to get into a better university. If Wall Street insists their system works, they will continue to lose opportunities to groom talent. Being rejected by Wall Street is not the time to implement a defensive “immune system” to console oneself. It is the chance to recognize our status and to be who we want to be. We face our shortcomings, admit that we still need to work harder or change in order to be the person we want to be. Even though this is
Plumer, Brad. "Only 27 percent of college grads have a job related to their major." The Washington Post 25 May 2013.
Through the various types of texts I went through, Mike Rose’s article on “Blue-Collar Brilliance” was the one that I felt I could personally relate to. I grew up in a family where manual labor was the key to a good income. Out of my entire family, I was the only one who graduated high school and went to college, therefore I grew up realizing that people didn’t necessarily need a college education to be considered “smart”. My father has been one of the smartest people in my family, I could explain my calculus homework to him and he would be able to quickly grasp at all the equations and concepts, even though he dropped out of high school as a freshmen in Mexico. In the fall of 2015, I had decided to skip a semester of college to find job opportunities outside of the education field. Starting off with high hopes, I quickly came to realize that job opportunities were hard to find. I came to have a lot
The Hart Report, on the other hand, also states the same problem of unemployment and the global recession which has left employers focusing on employees not only with specialists’ skills but also a “broader range of skills and knowledge” (page 6-7). The Hart Report clearly reflects what the needs of contemporary employers are, but the question is whether it is the universities or the students themselves who fail to cope with the requirements of the contemporary world which is filled with technological advancement and critical thinking. The Texas Work Source has also played an important role in examining what is actually missing in today’s generation and the reasons behind such a great decline in employment. The central Shafiq 2 problem discussed by all the three reports is the employment crisis which the millennials will be facing due to the educational problems, either in the schools or in the students, and at the same time the increasing demand of symbol analysts. All three reports are an eye-opener for the millennials, as they have clearly demonstrated all the prob... ...
She imagines that the world is going to be more diverse than ever before. And the ability to work with different people is critical to every student. Students can meet people from different cultures and different backgrounds, and they will see the different ways of thinking. As a result, they will be thinking in different angles and more critical. And the ability to think critically is also important in research.
As a female university student, I feel deeply related to Marjorie since her personality is quietly similar to mine. Analogously, I could feel Bernice’s “vague pain” (Fitzgerald, 3) and realize her sensitivity as the things have happened to me when I was younger. In order to comprehend author’s main idea, I did numerous researches about the jazz age. Thus it can be seen, reader’s background is also crucial when responding to this literary texts. The writer’s main target audiences are women, who have different desires and needs than men. The meaning of the text often competes when we have a better understanding of our self-identities. We interpret the text based on our own psyches, experiences, and judgments. Literature, are like music, without interaction with its audiences, no profound meaning would be
This is key to helping widen the target audience even more to further the lasting impressions on his readers and add motivation. This is a very good, and positive reinforcement especially for undecided majors like myself who may be stressed out about not knowing what they are wanting to do as a career or not figuring out their
They are not the technical skills required by an occupation but are the enabling skills that are necessary in most occupations and that allow people to do their jobs successfully. (Molson)
...y you have enthusiasm for and do well in,” is advice often given by employers. Lynn Cheney, former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, agrees: “Students who follow their hearts in choosing majors will most likely end up laboring at what they love. They’re the ones who will put in the long hours and intense effort that achievement requires. And they’re the ones who will find the sense of purpose that underlies most human happiness.”
Seymour, Elaine, and Hewitt, Nancy. Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences. Westview Press: Boulder, CO: 1997.
...prevent this. This can be done through increasing importance on aspects such as the arts, or things that cannot be reproduced by computers or technology. Friedman stresses the importance of fine-tuning right-brained activities and applications. Also, a passion for what one is doing and having good people skills can greatly increase one’s desirability.