ShouldOpia.com

What should we do in North America to give next generation a better life?

I don’t want to talk about the low tech ones such as protecting the environment, creating more art programs or trying to make health care better. Those are easy. The Romans had done those thousands years ago. What about the hard ones? In fact they are so hard that no one even wants to tackle, even thinking about it makes us feel sad and helpless.
Manufacturing jobs out sourced = Engineering jobs gone
R&D out sourced = scientific or creativity jobs gone
At the same time we are stuck for decades with real estate fueled economy = house affordability gone
Easy credit = young people carrying debt before they even find a way to make a living

Where is the next generation’s future? Do they have to go to China for their PhD thesis because China already has the biggest telescope?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_hund ... _Telescope
And they will have a super collider
https://www.theguardian.com/science/201 ... nce-leader

We shall feel ashamed to give the next generation less and less. What happened to the new world once was the center of innovation and visionary? Actually this article from back in 2010 already pointed out the problems and even introduced great solutions https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... re/263579/

5 years passed since; do you think we are doing better to prepare them for the future? Actually do you think we are doing anything at all?

While your math seems wrong (2017 -2010 = 7) I think you are otherwise right.
It makes me angry so I hope you’ll excuse my grammar license.
I’m not attracted by conspiracy theories but I can’t find any other explanation for the state and trend of the educational system at all levels: DOWN.
Sure, there are a few bright points but look, from top down:
- Most engineering/science jobs are gone indeed
- So the ratio of STEM to Humanities degrees went up. Not that there’s anything wrong with Humanities in the right proportion, but I think their purpose is to support the well-being of the economic engine that is (or should be) fundamentally STEM (don’t get me started on finance; it should be at same level as janitorial services, not that there’s anything wrong with them, they just don’t require much education. Pardon me, financial services do, but only to make creative ways to move more money from middle class to the rich)
- So somebody with power realized it’s better to not prepare kids for STEM careers (because there are few jobs) so they somehow control schools and make them dumber and dumber, from K to 12. And make it invisible by removing more and more tests, exams, competitions, and other ways to know where one stands. All in the name of “happiness”. Don’t upset the kids!
- So most kids now can’t get (and shouldn’t; no jobs) into STEM degrees but they still have to get a degree, just to get a crappy job, because statistics show that unemployment is higher for those without degrees.
- So they and their parents will do anything, including borrowing (that might destroy their lives, see https://www.google.ca/search?q=college+ ... troy+lives) just so crappy financial and higher education institutions bosses make lots of money while supporting a lot of low paying jobs.
- So we throw away good creative jobs but can statistically show low unemployment because of all these many low-paying crappy jobs that enhance neither individuals nor country.
It makes me sick! Capitalism was supposed to work because rich people are smart and know what to do for the good of the rest of the country. That’s why they were taxed less.
Now, they may still be smart but they are something else, a hundred times more: GREEDY!
The solution? Smarter people need to find it; but I think we need to agree on something: it will be painful, and it will upset a lot of people.
Spending more on education is only a solution if it’s SMART spending.
More internships/training/entry level jobs can only be the result of change, not tools of change. Where are you going to get MORE good ones, not crappy ones?
Governments can’t do much until they have a way to upset people without the fear they’ll be upset. Somehow all politicians and parties should sit down and agree on those unpleasant things that MUST be done, and therefore GET done and be excluded from advertisings, campaigns, etc.
Until then... totalitarian regimes that can make unpopular decisions will just pass us by.