The Cuts. Is YOUR arse twitchin?

[feral chile]

nope...

I'm saying that the age the choices are being made is too early.. generally

Edited February 12, 2011 by feral chile

[worm]

they could carry on having a broader education.

Edited February 12, 2011 by worm

[feral chile]

my sister more or less dropped out of education by the time she was 14. She kept up the pretence as long as was necessary - being dropped off at the gates, walking towards the school until our mum had gone, then turned around and wandered around town for the day - and by the time she was 20 she had an idea of what she might want to do with her life, and has done very well. The options are much more limited today

[feral chile]

yes, ideally

It's very difficult

good for you though.

[feral chile]

why would it have to be chaotic?

The choices are way too limited.. it IS true

the A level process starts too early. You disagree... fine

[irons]

I remember feeling absolute panic at being expected to choose a career. You don't really know who you are, much less who you want to become, at that age.

[markeee]

I think everyone feels the same when it comes to careers talks at a young age-- no real idea of what they want or where they'll be! i don't think A levels start too early, I think it works well as it is,as it is you dont have to do a levels, with many choosing to go straight into a job - however you can carry on with a levels and then choose to carry on with your education or now go out and get a job

the danger with a levels starting later imo, would be that there's a chance more people would then go into work earning a bit of money, getting used to it - then in years to come when they're getting overlooked as there are younger, more qualified people, earning more money -- wishng they had carried on with some form of education earlier rather than later?!

Edited February 13, 2011 by markeee

[gratedenini]

Its interesting--there are a few older people posting here.

Things have changed massively since I was at school..and whilst I often look back at the 70s as being quite "wild" etc..in reality..when you watch documetaries etc.. things were still very traditional in lots of ways.

In the early 70s..there was still lots of jobs to be had...most people who left (my) school went straight into jobs..you were a waster if you didnt.

It changed very dramatically in the mid 70s--esp Up Narth with the demise of lots of manufacturing industries.

What happened (mostly) was that kids went to school--and the vast majority,left to go to jobs.

Its turned on its head now because as there are very few jobs to go to--kids go on to study..I think mostly cos theres nowt else to do.

I think if there were jobs to go to--the majority--would choose to go to work to earn brass.

I know I come across as old fashioned and all that... but to me--it looks too easy to go to uni to study quite spurious subjects imo.

God-- being 16/17 nowadays looks to be a nightmare to me...and for the parents too. It looks awful.

Theres no answer of course.

Regarding A levels... I dont think kids of 14/15 have enough off for that level. I couldn`t be arsed with Othello or Metaphysical Poetry when I was that age...I wasn`t interested..but when i got older.. I wanted to know about it.

But--often, by that time... responsibilities take over..family mostly..and all you become interested in is making ends meet.

But thats life eh.

Cuppa req. fuse paper is here ....... **$$""!??!!##.....

den

[worm]

why would it have to be chaotic?

[eFestivals]

the A level process starts too early.

Unless it's changed recently, it's a general level of education that is taught at school, not an advanced level.

It's not changed recently.

It's not the general level of education that is taught at school.

It is the advanced level - the clue is in the name. The 'a' is simply an abbreviation of 'advanced'.

It's a good job that you know so much about our education system, eh? There's no doubt at all that your ideas about it will sort out the problems.

PMSL.

[worm]

It's not changed recently.

It's not the general level of education that is taught at school.

It is the advanced level - the clue is in the name. The 'a' is simply an abbreviation of 'advanced'.

It's a good job that you know so much about our education system, eh? There's no doubt at all that your ideas about it will sort out the problems.

PMSL.

Edited February 13, 2011 by worm

[worm]

eh...?

[eFestivals]

If I were you I'd be ashamed to come in this thread.

Says the person who...

1. invents his own degree names to try and imply it's something more than it is.

2. who is so arrogant he believes himself the "best read person" using these forums, who clearly believes that only what he's personally read is of any value, that others can't have read equal or more than him but in different areas, and that no one here is more qualified than himself (cos those with PhD's are less well read in his eyes than he is himself).

3. who has dismissed things he's not read of before as wrong, despite him having done no reading on the matter to know one way or another.

4. who claims to be an academic but who at no point has submitted his own work to the rigorous scrutiny of academic peer review.

[worm]

1. invents his own degree names to try and imply it's something more than it is.

[worm]

ok, so you want to get into semantics about when a child becomes an adult..??

Edited February 13, 2011 by worm

[TalkShow Bob]

ok, so you want to get into semantics about when a child becomes an adult..??

people HAVE to make serious decisions about their future at the age of 14, because of the way the education system currently works. I think it's too early. So do many others. I'm losing interest in what you think as you seem to be being deliberately obtuse

[eFestivals]

Lies.

I have said that I have an MA in World Literature, which is a philisophical degree in the study of the humanities to a masters degree level.

No, it's a Masters of Arts degree. End of.

I said I was better read than anyone here. I believe this to be the case.

Yes, I know that you do. You're more than welcome to think that. You're more than welcome to be very very wrong.

I've called you a conspiracy theorist and dismissed you because I don't believe or respect your opinion on this subject. This is my perogative.

It is. It's also a view you have without evidence. It's also against you being the academic you like to believe yourself.

I've told you on countless occasions that if you would call someone with a MA and that continues to work in academia an academic, then I am one. If not, then I'm not. I couldn't care less Chief, it's just a label.

You do not work in academia. That requires your work to be subject to peer review, which none of your work has EVER been subject to.

[eFestivals]

They might as well be compulsory, there isn't much else, especially if they want to go on to university, which is pretty much the sole purpose of secondary education. The school and the system pretty much make the kids WHEN THEY ARE 14/15 YEARS YOUNG have to choose which A levels they will be taking in 2 years time.

They have to choose NOT to take some subjects that they are already doing and might want to carry on in before they are at a point in time when they might be better equipped to make a more informed decision.

You're always refering to unrealistic extremes....they don't have to be taught everything.

what's rather amusing is that the method that's used for kids education - them having to choose and learn the subjects they'll pursue in later life long before they have much idea what they'll be pursuing in their later life - isn't the way that things are done within universities themselves.

Because it's the case that someone might do a degree in a specific speciality (say - to use an example of one of my friends - Chemical Engineering) which will take them a minimum of three years, and then do something completely unrelated at Masters level (in the example I'm using, a Masters of Business Administration) which they do in about 14 months.

So the result is that the level of learning and understanding of a Masters degree can be quite reasonably considered to be of no greater level (and in the eyes of many who've done them, of a lower level) to the study they did for their initial degree.

[Ed209]

In some instances that's true, but that's only really the case for business related masters degrees where not too much base knowledge is required. If your friend decided to do a masters in chemical engineering then they'd be doing subject matter that was more difficult than his/her undergrad. Also the only people who could do this masters would be people with the necessary technical background, and it is highly unlikely your friend could have done a masters in maths or physics, or even English or history.

[worm]

it's a Masters of Arts degree.

[worm]

The school and the system pretty much make the kids WHEN THEY ARE 14/15 YEARS YOUNG have to choose which A levels they will be taking in 2 years time.

[worm]

So the result is that the level of learning and understanding of a Masters degree can be quite reasonably considered to be of no greater level (and in the eyes of many who've done them, of a lower level) to the study they did for their initial degree.

[worm]

14 is too young but I dont think you do make serous dicisions about your future then. You chose 2 options (maybe 3) in your GCSEs - which are normally the subject you are best at not the subjects you like (though again thats normally the same thing) but they have very little baring on your later life. In my experance all we needed was good GCSEs to be let onto A-level courses not relivant ones. Even with A-levels and Degrees it was pritty loose on what you had and what you needed.

[eFestivals]

This is because, as I've been saying all along, a bachelor degree is not a speciality degree.

I actually believe that you beliueve this is the case, and that you think yourself no less knowledgeable about (say) Chemical Engineering as you do (say) psychology.

For example, the skills you learn from a bachelors in maths are hardly any different to the skills you learn from a bachelors in travel and tourism.

that's right - a person with a degree in travel and tourism is perfectly suited to go straight into a Chemical Engineer's job.

What you've achieved is the ability to research the key principles and be able to articulate them - the discipline has very little significance.

That's right. We get great chemical engineers from those people with travel and tourism degrees.

[eFestivals]

Stop lying then.

Yep, stop lying and claiming to be an academic. None of your work has been subject to peer review except for your uni dissertations.

Or have the journals started peer reviewing un-credited work nowadays? ... after all, you insist that none of your work has your name on it.