Is what you are studying, or what you did study, what you really want to work at for the rest of your life?
How many people can actually answer that with passion, and not think about it first. I can imagine, not many, and certainly not everyone. Career advice and the choices we make if we're privileged enough to attend 3rd Level Higher education can have affects on the rest of our lives. Certainly this used to be the case, and we have built funding and educational models based on this.
This is the first in a series of posts that will aim to focus on the idea of a new state of growth within adulthood, the Emerging Adult. This shift away from Teenager to adult is a marked sign of the changes in our Developed world cultures following the great boom and bust of the early 21st century.
The Emerging Adult is a state of awakening and self discovery between being a teenager and a fully independent adult. In this post I will address the state of Higher education in the developed world, and if it is suited to young adults, and how they view and discover the world.
The old economy way of going through college was for the best and brightest to figure out what they wanted to do, to work on the side to make ends meet, and come out well rounded holding a degree and entering the work force. How many careers like that still exist? Not many. Nor are the paths that direct, the degrees that affordable, or the part time work that generous in pay or availability.
Each developed nation is different. We all have slight variations of entrance to college, fee's to be paid, domestic economic conditions, Minimum or living wages, and opportunities available to us when we're qualified. The experience and examples I will pull from are mainly in the context of Ireland, and our close neighbour the UK.
The Paths to Higher Education, and the cost:
Here in Ireland we study the Leaving Certificate. An ominous end of high school state exam in which you compete to get points out of your 6 best or only subjects, based on your grade and result. These points are awarded based on Levels of each grade, A1/A2/B1-3/C1-3 etc. The maximum you can be awarded that means anything, is out of 600. To apply for college students in-put their top 10 choices of college places, and 10 more of lower levels (highly recommended), into a process called the CAO.
The CAO offers a somewhat anonymous format for picking the students who apply. Those with the highest points downward are picked, based on the popularity of the course. If a course is over-subscribed and in high demand, the points "go up". This is why fields like Medicine and Architecture, are some of the hardest courses to get into. The quantity of spaces is also a factor, some institutions have in the past over-accepted in some courses, and their facilities allow them to do this, as an expectation of some drop outs and transfers is inevitable. I do not have the figures for this, but I have witnessed it, and it is often talked about amongst students.
Then we get to the Tuition, and fee's. Yes, they're separate. In the UK the maximum fee you can legally pay is £9,000. So quite obviously, OxBridge Universities are of this level. It is not all the same for all parts of the UK however, as Scotland has far lower fee's, and tuition is often subsidised by the Scottish Parliament. Here in Ireland we have "free tuition fee's". These fee's on average are < 6k to 9k depending on the course, and are paid to institutions out of general taxation. To help cover this cost on the Government, there exists the "student contribution charge". This fee is €3,000. The Student's Union of Ireland can tell you much more about how this compares to other nations.
International fee's are vastly more, and how they affect them is a whole other issue, which can have an effect on the diversity within our institutions, and the opportunities available to loose idea's such as Ireland's desire to have a "knowledge economy".
The Student contribution has slowly crept up over the recession and bailout years from less then 2,000 at the start of the credit crunch, to a budgeted level of 3k for 2015. Much to the anger of stretched parents, cash strapped students, and about to be/and just graduated students who face a jobs market that's not exactly welcoming.
So is this all working for Irish Students? It of course can depend on what you're studying, and if you feel it is meant for you.
Guidance, tenure and Secondary education:
The state of career advice services in many Secondary schools has been deteriorating over the years with budget cut backs, and attempts to force Career Advice Teachers to do more teaching, then actual advice. A Top down attitude that the Department of Education does not want to pay teacher wages to people who are not teaching, has meant many poorer resourced schools have struggled to offer quality supports for students. This has been a long cultural problem of secondary education in Ireland, but it's failings have been exacerbated by the recession.
There already exists a clear class and wealth gap in education in Ireland, where middle and Upper-Middle class parents will voluntarily spend upwards of €6k to send their kids to Private Schools. These schools are often single sex, or smaller in class size. They also are often based on Religious orders, or an ethos's that are apart from the main state schools. Most state schools in the country are part of a legacy of Catholic church's control over the education system. Their grip is still markedly higher on Primary education than Secondary level, but the legacy remains.
Most private schools can well afford a professional career advisor for students. Many private schools also offer Transition year to their students. This 4th year of education, just after the Junior certificate, is often seen as a way of allowing students to focus on personal development, and deciding on what they want to study. In actuality, it is a "dos" year, as many students referred to it in my time. This takes place around 16 years old for most students. Where as in other schools, mostly those who can not afford such services, students often automatically enter 5th year and begin studying for the Leaving Certificate.
Students then choose 6 subjects, English/Maths/Irish being mandatory, with options for more only available to schools who can afford more subjects, and the facilities to support them. History, Geography, the sciences of Biology/Chemistry/Physics, and Music and Art are the most common non-language courses. French, Spanish and German are often also popular, depending on provision. Most spoken and historical languages are also available, but their teaching is more limited. Many schools focus on other career prospects in Building Construction/Woodwork/Metalwork, and Home-Economics/ Catering, but again, depending on where you live and what you can afford.
The Knowledge economy during the recession:
Despite claims of seeking to develop a "knowledge economy" the Irish Government's of recent decades have been very slow to promote Information Technology courses in schools. Are high standard of 3rd level education has provided tens of thousands of graduates for ICT, Pharmaceuticals and international banking, but often falls short. Many multi-nationals bring in their own staff for their European operations from Ireland. Language skills being one of the main attractors of transient high-pay workers in these sectors. During the recession the growth of Internet companies has continued a-pace in Ireland due to generous tax arrangements. These multi-lingual online businesses have required workers that Ireland was not able to provide in the short to medium term. Their location within Europe (plus the Euro) and an English speaking country was also a key influencer of such growth and attraction.
Whilst international workers, and internal migration of lower wage workers within Europe continue to pass through Ireland, the domestic population struggles to compete in careers and fields that are radically changing, or leaving them unprepared for the current jobs market. During the boom Arts students could expect that a language, a historic period, or deep thought on a subject was a foundation in Higher thinking that would guarantee a leg up in any job. And it often did, especially if you came from certain Dublin institutions and backgrounds. But as the recession hit, this process changed. Suddenly it was no longer enough for the big money companies. STEM subjects were now a requirement. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths jumped to the forefront of what was required to do well in the emerging fields of the recession proof Multi-nationals.
As the workforce of Ireland faced greater and greater financial strain, negative equity, a stubborn rising rental market, more taxes, more charges for services previously delivered, and less options in the job market, many turned to higher education to re-train. We're slowly starting to see these returned adults graduate. Many Post-Leaving cert students have also faced a jobs market that does not want them. Emigration in the 18-25 bracket is higher than 25-35, who are also badly hit by the current market. Emigration from Ireland is a wonderful and shameful pressure valve on our problems, and has been since The Great Famine, and has come in waves since Independence.
The Graduate:
Graduates of Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and other medical fields, the Arts, the Humanities, journalism, and Architecture/Design/Construction have all faced recruitment freezes, a lack of places, and significantly altered wage prospects. Many who skipped lesser awards to go for the higher paying jobs now faced into a country that did not value their skills, did not value them, and was unwilling to offer many solutions.
Post-graduate study in Ireland also received a blow with changes to the grants systems offered by the government. This further limited students ability to progress in their fields to seek further employment opportunities, or even become academics themselves. Those who had been able to secure Masters/Phd's but were still under/un-employed also face the harsh strain of debt, and limitations on further study.
Unlike the standards of Finland and Sweden expecting Post-Graduates for Teachers, here in Ireland the Teaching qualification is equivalent to a Post-grad. Thus, no state funding is provided to students who wish to focus their skills and qualifications into adding to our education system. Such gifted and focused individuals have to somehow finance this themselves. Facing further limitations on a desire for a "knowledge" economy.
Generation Debt:
In 2014 the social welfare allocation for under 25s was cut to €100 a week. Over 25s who are seeking work receive €188 a week. The cost of living, especially in Dublin, means that food, utilities, transport, and rent make living independently almost impossible. This has seen the rise in "boomerang" kids to their parents home, and later starts in life, and independence for many.
Unlike the trend in the United States of "millennials" shirking car ownership for iPhones and transport, that kind of lifestyle is less possible as a sustainable way of living independently in Ireland.
In the case of Ireland due to our unique levels of Debt, following the Bank Guarantee, the Troika Bailout, the creation of NAMA, and global climate change, the current work force and emerging adults and graduates are faced with the bill. The consequences of failed economic practices, greed, corruption, crony-ism, centralisation of power, a less representative political process, diktats from Europe and Multi-nationals, has left the people of Ireland, living and yet to be born, with mountains of Debt and legacy issues that is simply not theirs. And yet they are expected to continue to work and pay for it all.
It is estimated that Ireland socialised 42% of the Banking debt liability taken on by Europe. Let that injustice settle in your mind for a moment.
When Ireland faces all these challenges, and the youth of Ireland are under-prepared and unwanted by their State and the current market, who exactly is meant to keep paying for this?
Despite promises of dealing with the "Diaspora" the current governments, and opposition parties have proffered no viable solutions for sustainable growth that is all inclusive of Ireland's lost generations. With a century that will see the last drops of Oil and Gas burned, and temperatures rising on average between 2-4 degrees, Climate change will radically change the future we all live in. While aiming to meet treaty obligations to reduce our carbon emissions, Ireland will also be desperately trying to pay off debts well into the 2030s.
How any future governments expect to promote and develop a "knowledge economy" with such limitations on it's people future is beyond most of us. Without the training and grounding in life that prepares Emerging adults for this ever shifting future, the future of Humanity on earth will likely struggle.
Education is a key component of how we're going to learn new ways of conducting business and living sustainably. It's taking a very long and slow process for the Developed world to understand that fossil fuels were a mistake. The car as an answer to all our transport needs, was a mistake. That International Finance and Property markets were illusory in their true gain to the wider economy. That trickle down growth and an end to boom and bust cycles was a fallacy.
Opening one's eyes to the wider world:
It takes a personal grounding in the wider issues facing the world to prepare emerging adults for these harsh realities. School leavers are not prepared for the job market or higher education if they are not also aware of the wider socio-economic and political issues of their day to day lives.
To understand the next new business, to understand the next breakthrough in science that could save the planet or cure a disease, apprentices/ under-graduates/ graduates/ post-grads require a greater foundation in the world in which they live.
To see the wood for the tree's allows the future workforce to be better armed for the challenges the world will throw at them at ever greater speeds. Without it, we as a Species, let alone a society, face the loss of potential that our developed and developing countries present us.
To demand that Emerging adults become pawns and cogs in the established systems of Capitalism, the moment of legal maturity, leaves us with ill-informed and less prepared individuals. They will long for the missed chance to follow a passion. They will be less productive as their satisfaction in life and work is diminished. The opportunity for connections, wider networks, life experiences and a world of differing opinions will be limited. It can't all happen in cyberspace. Emerging adults have to experience and study all of this in the real world. To take that gap year, to go inter-railing, to read thing's they never thought they'd read, meet people from all corners of the world, and to be aware of what their life means and what they can do with it.
To blindly march on as we always have, leaves us bereft of possibilities unimagined.
Higher education is not fit for purpose. For-profit Universities and degree mills do not produce a productive workforce or the thinkers of tomorrow. They produce indebted individuals who are stunted and muted, unwanted, under-appreciated, and bound to do less with their lives then they could ever dream to, if ever given the chance.
How many people can actually answer that with passion, and not think about it first. I can imagine, not many, and certainly not everyone. Career advice and the choices we make if we're privileged enough to attend 3rd Level Higher education can have affects on the rest of our lives. Certainly this used to be the case, and we have built funding and educational models based on this.
This is the first in a series of posts that will aim to focus on the idea of a new state of growth within adulthood, the Emerging Adult. This shift away from Teenager to adult is a marked sign of the changes in our Developed world cultures following the great boom and bust of the early 21st century.
The Emerging Adult is a state of awakening and self discovery between being a teenager and a fully independent adult. In this post I will address the state of Higher education in the developed world, and if it is suited to young adults, and how they view and discover the world.
The old economy way of going through college was for the best and brightest to figure out what they wanted to do, to work on the side to make ends meet, and come out well rounded holding a degree and entering the work force. How many careers like that still exist? Not many. Nor are the paths that direct, the degrees that affordable, or the part time work that generous in pay or availability.
Each developed nation is different. We all have slight variations of entrance to college, fee's to be paid, domestic economic conditions, Minimum or living wages, and opportunities available to us when we're qualified. The experience and examples I will pull from are mainly in the context of Ireland, and our close neighbour the UK.
The Paths to Higher Education, and the cost:
Here in Ireland we study the Leaving Certificate. An ominous end of high school state exam in which you compete to get points out of your 6 best or only subjects, based on your grade and result. These points are awarded based on Levels of each grade, A1/A2/B1-3/C1-3 etc. The maximum you can be awarded that means anything, is out of 600. To apply for college students in-put their top 10 choices of college places, and 10 more of lower levels (highly recommended), into a process called the CAO.
The CAO offers a somewhat anonymous format for picking the students who apply. Those with the highest points downward are picked, based on the popularity of the course. If a course is over-subscribed and in high demand, the points "go up". This is why fields like Medicine and Architecture, are some of the hardest courses to get into. The quantity of spaces is also a factor, some institutions have in the past over-accepted in some courses, and their facilities allow them to do this, as an expectation of some drop outs and transfers is inevitable. I do not have the figures for this, but I have witnessed it, and it is often talked about amongst students.
Then we get to the Tuition, and fee's. Yes, they're separate. In the UK the maximum fee you can legally pay is £9,000. So quite obviously, OxBridge Universities are of this level. It is not all the same for all parts of the UK however, as Scotland has far lower fee's, and tuition is often subsidised by the Scottish Parliament. Here in Ireland we have "free tuition fee's". These fee's on average are < 6k to 9k depending on the course, and are paid to institutions out of general taxation. To help cover this cost on the Government, there exists the "student contribution charge". This fee is €3,000. The Student's Union of Ireland can tell you much more about how this compares to other nations.
International fee's are vastly more, and how they affect them is a whole other issue, which can have an effect on the diversity within our institutions, and the opportunities available to loose idea's such as Ireland's desire to have a "knowledge economy".
The Student contribution has slowly crept up over the recession and bailout years from less then 2,000 at the start of the credit crunch, to a budgeted level of 3k for 2015. Much to the anger of stretched parents, cash strapped students, and about to be/and just graduated students who face a jobs market that's not exactly welcoming.
So is this all working for Irish Students? It of course can depend on what you're studying, and if you feel it is meant for you.
Guidance, tenure and Secondary education:
The state of career advice services in many Secondary schools has been deteriorating over the years with budget cut backs, and attempts to force Career Advice Teachers to do more teaching, then actual advice. A Top down attitude that the Department of Education does not want to pay teacher wages to people who are not teaching, has meant many poorer resourced schools have struggled to offer quality supports for students. This has been a long cultural problem of secondary education in Ireland, but it's failings have been exacerbated by the recession.
There already exists a clear class and wealth gap in education in Ireland, where middle and Upper-Middle class parents will voluntarily spend upwards of €6k to send their kids to Private Schools. These schools are often single sex, or smaller in class size. They also are often based on Religious orders, or an ethos's that are apart from the main state schools. Most state schools in the country are part of a legacy of Catholic church's control over the education system. Their grip is still markedly higher on Primary education than Secondary level, but the legacy remains.
Most private schools can well afford a professional career advisor for students. Many private schools also offer Transition year to their students. This 4th year of education, just after the Junior certificate, is often seen as a way of allowing students to focus on personal development, and deciding on what they want to study. In actuality, it is a "dos" year, as many students referred to it in my time. This takes place around 16 years old for most students. Where as in other schools, mostly those who can not afford such services, students often automatically enter 5th year and begin studying for the Leaving Certificate.
Students then choose 6 subjects, English/Maths/Irish being mandatory, with options for more only available to schools who can afford more subjects, and the facilities to support them. History, Geography, the sciences of Biology/Chemistry/Physics, and Music and Art are the most common non-language courses. French, Spanish and German are often also popular, depending on provision. Most spoken and historical languages are also available, but their teaching is more limited. Many schools focus on other career prospects in Building Construction/Woodwork/Metalwork, and Home-Economics/ Catering, but again, depending on where you live and what you can afford.
The Knowledge economy during the recession:
Despite claims of seeking to develop a "knowledge economy" the Irish Government's of recent decades have been very slow to promote Information Technology courses in schools. Are high standard of 3rd level education has provided tens of thousands of graduates for ICT, Pharmaceuticals and international banking, but often falls short. Many multi-nationals bring in their own staff for their European operations from Ireland. Language skills being one of the main attractors of transient high-pay workers in these sectors. During the recession the growth of Internet companies has continued a-pace in Ireland due to generous tax arrangements. These multi-lingual online businesses have required workers that Ireland was not able to provide in the short to medium term. Their location within Europe (plus the Euro) and an English speaking country was also a key influencer of such growth and attraction.
Whilst international workers, and internal migration of lower wage workers within Europe continue to pass through Ireland, the domestic population struggles to compete in careers and fields that are radically changing, or leaving them unprepared for the current jobs market. During the boom Arts students could expect that a language, a historic period, or deep thought on a subject was a foundation in Higher thinking that would guarantee a leg up in any job. And it often did, especially if you came from certain Dublin institutions and backgrounds. But as the recession hit, this process changed. Suddenly it was no longer enough for the big money companies. STEM subjects were now a requirement. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths jumped to the forefront of what was required to do well in the emerging fields of the recession proof Multi-nationals.
As the workforce of Ireland faced greater and greater financial strain, negative equity, a stubborn rising rental market, more taxes, more charges for services previously delivered, and less options in the job market, many turned to higher education to re-train. We're slowly starting to see these returned adults graduate. Many Post-Leaving cert students have also faced a jobs market that does not want them. Emigration in the 18-25 bracket is higher than 25-35, who are also badly hit by the current market. Emigration from Ireland is a wonderful and shameful pressure valve on our problems, and has been since The Great Famine, and has come in waves since Independence.
The Graduate:
Graduates of Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and other medical fields, the Arts, the Humanities, journalism, and Architecture/Design/Construction have all faced recruitment freezes, a lack of places, and significantly altered wage prospects. Many who skipped lesser awards to go for the higher paying jobs now faced into a country that did not value their skills, did not value them, and was unwilling to offer many solutions.
Post-graduate study in Ireland also received a blow with changes to the grants systems offered by the government. This further limited students ability to progress in their fields to seek further employment opportunities, or even become academics themselves. Those who had been able to secure Masters/Phd's but were still under/un-employed also face the harsh strain of debt, and limitations on further study.
Unlike the standards of Finland and Sweden expecting Post-Graduates for Teachers, here in Ireland the Teaching qualification is equivalent to a Post-grad. Thus, no state funding is provided to students who wish to focus their skills and qualifications into adding to our education system. Such gifted and focused individuals have to somehow finance this themselves. Facing further limitations on a desire for a "knowledge" economy.
Generation Debt:
In 2014 the social welfare allocation for under 25s was cut to €100 a week. Over 25s who are seeking work receive €188 a week. The cost of living, especially in Dublin, means that food, utilities, transport, and rent make living independently almost impossible. This has seen the rise in "boomerang" kids to their parents home, and later starts in life, and independence for many.
Unlike the trend in the United States of "millennials" shirking car ownership for iPhones and transport, that kind of lifestyle is less possible as a sustainable way of living independently in Ireland.
In the case of Ireland due to our unique levels of Debt, following the Bank Guarantee, the Troika Bailout, the creation of NAMA, and global climate change, the current work force and emerging adults and graduates are faced with the bill. The consequences of failed economic practices, greed, corruption, crony-ism, centralisation of power, a less representative political process, diktats from Europe and Multi-nationals, has left the people of Ireland, living and yet to be born, with mountains of Debt and legacy issues that is simply not theirs. And yet they are expected to continue to work and pay for it all.
It is estimated that Ireland socialised 42% of the Banking debt liability taken on by Europe. Let that injustice settle in your mind for a moment.
When Ireland faces all these challenges, and the youth of Ireland are under-prepared and unwanted by their State and the current market, who exactly is meant to keep paying for this?
Despite promises of dealing with the "Diaspora" the current governments, and opposition parties have proffered no viable solutions for sustainable growth that is all inclusive of Ireland's lost generations. With a century that will see the last drops of Oil and Gas burned, and temperatures rising on average between 2-4 degrees, Climate change will radically change the future we all live in. While aiming to meet treaty obligations to reduce our carbon emissions, Ireland will also be desperately trying to pay off debts well into the 2030s.
How any future governments expect to promote and develop a "knowledge economy" with such limitations on it's people future is beyond most of us. Without the training and grounding in life that prepares Emerging adults for this ever shifting future, the future of Humanity on earth will likely struggle.
Education is a key component of how we're going to learn new ways of conducting business and living sustainably. It's taking a very long and slow process for the Developed world to understand that fossil fuels were a mistake. The car as an answer to all our transport needs, was a mistake. That International Finance and Property markets were illusory in their true gain to the wider economy. That trickle down growth and an end to boom and bust cycles was a fallacy.
Opening one's eyes to the wider world:
It takes a personal grounding in the wider issues facing the world to prepare emerging adults for these harsh realities. School leavers are not prepared for the job market or higher education if they are not also aware of the wider socio-economic and political issues of their day to day lives.
To understand the next new business, to understand the next breakthrough in science that could save the planet or cure a disease, apprentices/ under-graduates/ graduates/ post-grads require a greater foundation in the world in which they live.
To see the wood for the tree's allows the future workforce to be better armed for the challenges the world will throw at them at ever greater speeds. Without it, we as a Species, let alone a society, face the loss of potential that our developed and developing countries present us.
To demand that Emerging adults become pawns and cogs in the established systems of Capitalism, the moment of legal maturity, leaves us with ill-informed and less prepared individuals. They will long for the missed chance to follow a passion. They will be less productive as their satisfaction in life and work is diminished. The opportunity for connections, wider networks, life experiences and a world of differing opinions will be limited. It can't all happen in cyberspace. Emerging adults have to experience and study all of this in the real world. To take that gap year, to go inter-railing, to read thing's they never thought they'd read, meet people from all corners of the world, and to be aware of what their life means and what they can do with it.
To blindly march on as we always have, leaves us bereft of possibilities unimagined.
Higher education is not fit for purpose. For-profit Universities and degree mills do not produce a productive workforce or the thinkers of tomorrow. They produce indebted individuals who are stunted and muted, unwanted, under-appreciated, and bound to do less with their lives then they could ever dream to, if ever given the chance.
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