Men abandoning College in Unprecidented Numbers

a reply to: JIMC5499


I retired in 2010, but even then they prized formal education over knowing your job. And for what? Just so commanders could brag about how educated their workforce is?


Im sorry, too many schmucks with time for degrees but crap at their job. Its a trainwreck and rewarded the wrong people.

a reply to: JIMC5499

Yup I hear you went from Flying crew chief to Flight Engineer and would still get over ridden by some prick ring knocker who just got to the aircraft.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I actually was accepted to OCS. I had to finish out the upcoming deployment to go. Damn helicopter zigged when I should have zagged and I got banged up. Had to get out about a year later.

a reply to: lakenheath24

Not the military but sort of a similar thing.

I worked in the packaging industry for a lot of years - ironically I've just gone back into it.
Started off in the crappest job in the factory, became a machine operator then Charge Hand.

As a sideline I became involved in Continuous Improvement and after around 14 years or so practical experience I was asked to run an improvement project for a major customer with whom we were having serious quality issues.
After the project was completed with significant and measurable improvements to both quality and delivery issues I was offered the position of Business Improvement Manager with more or less carte blanche with regards to which areas of the business I was able to analyse and run improvement projects - obviously in accordance with business goals and objectives.

Having achieved Six Sigma Green Belt accreditation I started training for my Black Belt.
The company I worked for was a large multinational packaging company and they provided their own training with people from different sites throughout the UK.
There was eight of us on this course, I was the only one without a University education - I left school without a single qualification - and I always got the impression that I was looked down upon for that, but that was very much water off a ducks back to me.

Several of the other people were on the company graduate fast track scheme.
One night whilst having a drink talk got round to work - rather inevitable on these sort of things - and this one guy was saying how he was going to run one of his projects and how well he would do, blah blah blah.
I asked him how he was going to get these operators and tradesmen to do what he wanted, he said he would 'just tell them'.
I then asked how he would get some hairy arsed printer who's been out on the piss all weekend and argued with his lass at 6 o'clock on a Monday morning to stop what he's be doing for 25 years and do it the way HE wanted?
He said he would 'just force him'.....I laughed and tried to change the conversation to something non-work related.

About six months after our training was finished I heard all his projects had failed miserably.
He's now flying high in a National role....despite his failings.
But he has all the formal qualifications and uses all the correct and in vogue buzz words and licks the right arses etc.

Its nothing unique.
I've seen lots of fast tracked graduates and other university types 'progress' up the ladder whilst good, hard working and knowledgeable people who have come from the shop floor have been held back.
They don't just have the technical skills and experience they also have the life and personal skills that many university graduates will never have....but it seems they count for very little.

a reply to: Freeborn


Oh yeaah......6 sigma. I got my black belt, but I was thinking during the class.....aint this snip just common sense?????

a reply to: lakenheath24

Common sense ain't so common, possibly the biggest misnomer there is.

Its my experience that unless you are working in something like the pharmaceutical industry or somewhere like NASA a lot of it is like smashing eggs with hammers.
I got involved with some really complicated projects and the methodology sort of helped the process but a lot of the actual doing was really quite simple and straight forward.

I fear I am about to be dragged back into that world!

a reply to: Freeborn

When it came down to it I learned very little in college, but, the knowledge that I acquired through experience didn't count until I had that piece of paper that said I knew stuff.

One of our vendors called and said that they were having a problem with a sheet metal part that I designed. Their shop was across the road from our company so I said that I'd be over. I'm walking out to the press brake with the Floor Manager when I hear the brake operator say that "some dumbass engineer is coming over to show me how to do my job". I got there, setup the brake and bent the part in about 20 minutes. I turned and looked at the operator and said "This dumbass engineer ran a press brake for three years, how long have you been running one?" He laughed and said "six months" and apologized. Just had a few beers with him last night.

a reply to: JIMC5499

University education absolutely plays an important role and I think EVERYONE should have the right to attend university if that is what is right for that person, regardless of background.

That right and opportunity has been diminished in the UK, especially England - I won't go into the why's here - and that is criminal.

Studying for a degree is not the right choice for everyone and that sort of goes against current thinking.

But when allied to practical and life skills like you describe it can be literally invaluable.