The Sky Is The Limit

Thanks to a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net for passing along this video & his comments : "If you are wondering why some folks are starting to question whether a college education is worth the cost, the video goes a long way towards explaining it. Recently, the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) sponsored two college courses: Introduction to Labor Studies and Labor Politics and Society, to be taught simultaneously through a video conference between the two campuses.

The Professors are Judy Ancel, Director of Labor Studies at UMKC and Don Giljum, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers at Ameren UE in St. Louis. (Bonus: he is a member of the Communist Party.)

In the class, the Professors not only advocate the occasional need for violence and industrial sabotage, they outline specific tactics that can be used. As one of our colleagues pointed out, its the matter-of-factness of it all that is so disturbing.

And yes, the schools, and the professors' salaries, are funded by taxpayers."

Now it does not have to be that desperate. On the same day I received this message from our subscriber (along with a ton of others on equally interesting topics) I also read the following letter in the WSJ written by a Professional Engineer who actually hires people of worth - much like I always thought I did when I managed engineering-construction projects all over the world. America has to choose between the sorry state outlined in the above video or the one described below where our properly educated young people, 23 years old, can command a $67,000 per year starting salary right out of college where the sky is the limit - for them & America.

Top Engineer Grads Should Get Good Jobs

Regarding "We Need Scientists and Engineers, and They Need Jobs" (Letters, April 20): I've been an engineer for 20 years, with bachelor and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering, and I manage an engineering business.

Engineering is built from the ground up with calculus and calculus-based physics. If students don't master these building blocks, they are not going to get anywhere with "real" engineering course work. Second, I don't know that engineering students need to have their loans forgiven or given massive tax deductions for their loan interest payments. Bachelor of science engineers pull down $58,000 in the upper Midwest, and master of science engineers pull down about $67,000 right out of college.

I don't understand the claim that engineers cannot find jobs out of school. We have hired engineers right through the depths of the recession, and competition for top talent while cooling a little remained hot.

We hire for strong engineering fundamentals with good communication skills. These qualities will always be in high demand. The bottom line: My experience is that smart and ambitious candidates are in high demand, but they had to be smart and ambitious back in their college days as well.

Jeffrey Ihnen, P.E.