As higher education costs are driving students into horrible debt laden lives, apprenticeships must be revived in a big way; I got into software development field in 1984 like an apprentice
Good to see this in USA. I think India should learn from this.
In my case though I did my graduation, B.Sc. in Physics, I dropped out of M.Sc. Physics in end 1983/early 1984 and, in a few months time, joined a Mumbai software company as trainee programmer on very low salary for initial training period, and a 3 year bond. That was like an apprenticeship and it worked wonders for me by making me a member of the then sunrise industry of software developers.
If the higher education system today is drowning students in horrible debt then it is better to have good alternatives to such higher education. Apprenticeship seems to have been the way people learned trades for centuries and millennia prior to higher education replacing them. Perhaps now that higher education is making a mess of the lives of many students due to its high costs, maybe it is a good time to revive apprenticeships in a big way.
[USA] Want a White-Collar Career Without College Debt? Become an Apprentice, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/apprenticeships-white-collar-jobs.html, 10th Dec. 2019
Certification exams that allow an apprentice to prove his/her knowledge should be made mainstream. So there will be two pathways to acquiring knowledge in a field - the formal expensive higher education path and the no-cost apprentice path. Certification exams will help society to know whether any person, either from formal higher education path or industry-trained apprentice path, can be viewed as knowledgeable in the field.
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Given below are my comments (slightly edited) from an exchange on my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2691069504442943, associated with this blog post:
In response to a comment, I wrote: The impression that I get from my informal readings of history is that the welfare state concept where the state (government) provides free or subsidized education and health care, besides some other services, is a very new concept historically. I think 20th century is when some countries were able to provide such welfare services.
In theory, it is just great. But can it work in practice across the world? That is the big question.
Post World War II Western Europe achieved welfare state wonders! But it was USA that helped Western Europe get to its feet after World War II through the Marshall plan! If I recall correctly, there was fear of starvation in immediate post World War II Western Europe. The USA has to be credited for a wonderful generosity of spirit that helped Western Europe (which was the land of origin for many American citizens) get back to its feet after World War II.
After the global financial crisis of 2007-08, there are serious questions about viability of such welfare schemes in many countries of Western Europe. Italy, Greece and Spain went through a horrible period but seem to have recovered somewhat now.
Both China and India, giant nations of Asia, struggled with communism and socialism in the decades after World War II, with immense suffering of its masses and poor development. China turned the corner economy-wise after it embraced 'capitalism with Chinese characteristics' in the 1970s. India turned the corner economy-wise after liberalization in 1991, moving to more capitalism and less socialism.
The social democracy or democratic socialism that worked and still works wonders for Scandinavian countries failed miserably in India bringing India to the brink of bankruptcy (financially failed state) in 1991, where we had to beg big money from IMF/WB to get us out of that terrible hole that we (India) had got into. On paper, India still has government funded health care - govt. hospitals - and government funded schools - municipal schools. But usually those who cannot afford private hospitals and doctors, and private schools, go to govt. hospitals and schools. The exception is people who have some influence and so can be sure of getting good service from govt. hospitals. So as compared to Western European govt. funded education and health care, Indian govt. funded education and health care has been dismal right from the 1970s to now (period which I can recall).
I think there are no easy answers here. Countries experiment with various models and go with what works for them, and what works for one country may not work for another.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Given India's history, even in my lifetime (Bangladesh refugee crisis leading to 1971 war, Islamic terror attacks in India, including in Mumbai when I was living in Mumbai, Kargil incursion by Pakistan army or forces backed by them, Doklam tension with China, unresolved border issues with China ...), I fully support funding for Indian military to effectively defend India from threats and attacks from other countries as well as from terror groups.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Yes, it is difficult for ordinary citizens to distinguish between real and fictional enemies, and between real and imagined defense needs. So national security funding can be very difficult to question and understand for the normal citizen. He/she has to blindly trust the leaders on it.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Leadership of a country is a tough job. One cannot satisfy everybody. ... In democracies today, it takes lot of courage to be a political leader as the person gets viciously abused by the opposition. It is terrifying for an ordinary person.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Well, are you willing to become a leader to change things?
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: That is the issue. Politics in democracies today is a very tough and dangerous field - dangerous not only at physical level but also at mental level due to the incessant verbal attacks from the opposition.
And so as voters, we have to choose the person(s) whom we view as the best among those on offer to us.
The serenity prayer comes to mind: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer.
-----
In my case though I did my graduation, B.Sc. in Physics, I dropped out of M.Sc. Physics in end 1983/early 1984 and, in a few months time, joined a Mumbai software company as trainee programmer on very low salary for initial training period, and a 3 year bond. That was like an apprenticeship and it worked wonders for me by making me a member of the then sunrise industry of software developers.
If the higher education system today is drowning students in horrible debt then it is better to have good alternatives to such higher education. Apprenticeship seems to have been the way people learned trades for centuries and millennia prior to higher education replacing them. Perhaps now that higher education is making a mess of the lives of many students due to its high costs, maybe it is a good time to revive apprenticeships in a big way.
[USA] Want a White-Collar Career Without College Debt? Become an Apprentice, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/apprenticeships-white-collar-jobs.html, 10th Dec. 2019
Certification exams that allow an apprentice to prove his/her knowledge should be made mainstream. So there will be two pathways to acquiring knowledge in a field - the formal expensive higher education path and the no-cost apprentice path. Certification exams will help society to know whether any person, either from formal higher education path or industry-trained apprentice path, can be viewed as knowledgeable in the field.
=======================
Given below are my comments (slightly edited) from an exchange on my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2691069504442943, associated with this blog post:
In response to a comment, I wrote: The impression that I get from my informal readings of history is that the welfare state concept where the state (government) provides free or subsidized education and health care, besides some other services, is a very new concept historically. I think 20th century is when some countries were able to provide such welfare services.
In theory, it is just great. But can it work in practice across the world? That is the big question.
Post World War II Western Europe achieved welfare state wonders! But it was USA that helped Western Europe get to its feet after World War II through the Marshall plan! If I recall correctly, there was fear of starvation in immediate post World War II Western Europe. The USA has to be credited for a wonderful generosity of spirit that helped Western Europe (which was the land of origin for many American citizens) get back to its feet after World War II.
After the global financial crisis of 2007-08, there are serious questions about viability of such welfare schemes in many countries of Western Europe. Italy, Greece and Spain went through a horrible period but seem to have recovered somewhat now.
Both China and India, giant nations of Asia, struggled with communism and socialism in the decades after World War II, with immense suffering of its masses and poor development. China turned the corner economy-wise after it embraced 'capitalism with Chinese characteristics' in the 1970s. India turned the corner economy-wise after liberalization in 1991, moving to more capitalism and less socialism.
The social democracy or democratic socialism that worked and still works wonders for Scandinavian countries failed miserably in India bringing India to the brink of bankruptcy (financially failed state) in 1991, where we had to beg big money from IMF/WB to get us out of that terrible hole that we (India) had got into. On paper, India still has government funded health care - govt. hospitals - and government funded schools - municipal schools. But usually those who cannot afford private hospitals and doctors, and private schools, go to govt. hospitals and schools. The exception is people who have some influence and so can be sure of getting good service from govt. hospitals. So as compared to Western European govt. funded education and health care, Indian govt. funded education and health care has been dismal right from the 1970s to now (period which I can recall).
I think there are no easy answers here. Countries experiment with various models and go with what works for them, and what works for one country may not work for another.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Given India's history, even in my lifetime (Bangladesh refugee crisis leading to 1971 war, Islamic terror attacks in India, including in Mumbai when I was living in Mumbai, Kargil incursion by Pakistan army or forces backed by them, Doklam tension with China, unresolved border issues with China ...), I fully support funding for Indian military to effectively defend India from threats and attacks from other countries as well as from terror groups.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Yes, it is difficult for ordinary citizens to distinguish between real and fictional enemies, and between real and imagined defense needs. So national security funding can be very difficult to question and understand for the normal citizen. He/she has to blindly trust the leaders on it.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Leadership of a country is a tough job. One cannot satisfy everybody. ... In democracies today, it takes lot of courage to be a political leader as the person gets viciously abused by the opposition. It is terrifying for an ordinary person.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: Well, are you willing to become a leader to change things?
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote: That is the issue. Politics in democracies today is a very tough and dangerous field - dangerous not only at physical level but also at mental level due to the incessant verbal attacks from the opposition.
And so as voters, we have to choose the person(s) whom we view as the best among those on offer to us.
The serenity prayer comes to mind: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer.
-----
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