Globalization, Education and Careers
by Among the effects of globalization is change in the way education is understood and careers pursued.
I took up a technical writing piece on how the institution of education is currently being shaped by the phenomenon of globalizaton. According to an author that I consulted, among the impact that globalized society has on education is precisely the redefinition of education in more ways than one.
The present job market has been evolving as obviously more and more employers resort to multi-tasking and short-term contracts. As a result, schools are seeing more and more students who chase after split degrees like accountancy and law or computer and business. Other students are avoiding post-graduate studies or specialized courses of fixed disciplines in favor of multi-discipline studies. It is because the future is said to be favorable with people who have multiple skills and career flexibility and to those who are able to adapt to different work-environments.
As a result, as globalization deepens, there is a growing disconnect between what is studied in universities and the students’ subsequent careers — a trend that is observed in the developed world where old businesses disappear almost overnight and new ones spring up, which poses new problems for graduates with inflexible job expectations.
In the past, a doctor was a doctor; a biologist generally worked in the lab; a lawyer argued cases in courts. Square pegs in square holes, indeed.
But, today, the world has been consistently moving away from this neat pattern.
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Post Commentathena goodlight
On September 6, 2009 at 5:55 am
This is a very good and factual observation of the present career and education practices. In the Philippines, most of the graduates of any general course would opt to take a job at a call center after graduating (from whatever course). Very recently, most parents of especially in the provinces wanted their children to be nurses. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future there will be Nurse- CSR or Business Admin- CSR specialization.
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xoxo
On September 6, 2009 at 8:39 am
With our present situation, graduates will grab anything available. Nice observation.
cutedrishti8
On September 6, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Nice to share this one… Great work…
ember
On September 7, 2009 at 12:45 pm
“But, today, the world has been consistently moving away from this neat pattern.”
Well, the world was never neat to start with, Moron Savant. Only obsessive-compulsive (OC) people and those with whose behavior borders on being an OC experience problems in adapting to this chaotic world. The world was not created in seven days, you know. Out of the creative chaos, the One Big Bang or the several Big Bangs, whatever, did we come to have this beautiful, frenzied world we live in.
Funny how we’d come to think like this, criticizing multi-tasking and lauding specialization. Before, we used to say that the world is becoming more and more specialized, what with mass production in the advent of industrialization and modernity. For a time we became allergic to specialization, saying that it only psychologically prepares us for mass production, with the individual worker not having an idea on the final output because he or she is merely focused on one task. Specialization and mechanical solidarity will lead to anomie, or a sense of normlessness because one is so focused on one’s specialized task. Or so the contentions of Emile Durkheim in his work “Suicide”.
Haven’t you noticed? The people from the academic community used to criticize specialization, and later on advocated for a more generalist approach in education. I remember my thesis adviser telling me something to this effect, “No, Ember, don’t specialize. Specialization is for dinosaurs. They are all extinct now, see?” It sounds funny, but there is wisdom in what she said. Another mentor used to say that specialization is for ants. Funny. But that’s how the academe, among other institutions, slowly went back to a more holistic approach in looking at the world. Or were you dead to the world or asleep while all of these were happening?
You are correct in your contention that Globalization has changed the way people viewed education and career paths, but I do not agree with how you argued your point. There is nothing really wrong with multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking operates using lateral thinking. And lateral thinking is more creative way of finding solutions to a problem, not just the tried and tested, “one-best way” approach. That is so yesterday’s news, so under “Modernity”. Multi-tasking lets people take a breather from banging one’s head in finding a solution to a problem. So it is actually good that organizations, institutions, employers now recognizes that people are not ants who just carries on a specific task and would go home happy knowing that they contributed to the colony.
As for short-term contracts, now that is all together a different matter, consisting of, and involving various issues that merits a different venue for discussion altogether. But needless to say that it is also important, and has its merits. However, samok man ini, kaayo, pag diniskusyon ug comment one by one.
Really, I do not find accountancy and law, and business and computer so much different, “split-degrees” you call it. Accountancy and law both uses and operates on logic. Computer is but a tool for a lot things, business included. Computer and computing merely automates and speeds up, and systematize things, businesses included.
You said,
“As a result, as globalization deepens, there is a growing disconnect between what is studied in universities and the students’ subsequent careers — a trend that is observed in the developed world where old businesses disappear almost overnight and new ones spring up, which poses new problems for graduates with inflexible job expectations.”
This is true. But to conclude this with,
“In the past, a doctor was a doctor; a biologist generally worked in the lab; a lawyer argued cases in courts. Square pegs in square holes, indeed.”
would put you in a lot of trouble because if you really take a look at it, doctors are not just doctors to begin with. Orthopedic doctors are not merely bone doctors who would check on your lower lumbar area to determine what is wrong with it but not check if the pain is in any way related to the patient’s psychological make-up sometimes, they are “pseudo-psychologists”, too, as they check whether the pain is brought about or is being aggravated by depression. They are also managers who manages their clinic… And so on and so forth.
Your analysis is lacking, I am sorry to say. Great work? Bah. I don’t think so. Better write a well researched article next time.
JetBlack
On September 7, 2009 at 1:06 pm
distinctions, distinctions–
education vs vocational training
vocational training prepares the modern person to earn a living.
education makes the person “cultured”.
Education is not what you get from universities alone but from your own inquiries and from learning about culture. universities should guide in education not provide vocational training. education is a life-long pursuit continued beyond the senior years. assuming that a person with a PhD is educated is foolish.
does that mean that if a child grew up and did not have a specialization means that the person is uneducated? today’s prince and princess are barbarians? (most of them are but that’s not the point, heheheh…)
Vocational Training comes from guilds, from being an apprentice.
as for today, students should get a kick start in education, which is a life-long pursuit, from universities and they should get vocational trainings from practicum or OJTs–in the guilds, as an apprentice, an employee.
there is a dangerous trend of knowing more and more about less and less. an animal of burden is just a bit simpler than today’s experts–uncultured workers, valued as cash cows of the global economy, unable of a meaningful conversation outside their own fields– mental eunuchs incapable of creating new ideas outside of their own narrow field. i pity them.
relying today on universities for your education: to me is simply nearly missing stupidity on the bullseye.
where did you come from guys? we are in the information age. there is no job security anymore. there is no seniority. there are self-made millionaires under 25. computing gives timely and accurate information. information is leverage, money or capital is just a result and not a cause anymore. the big and the slow bows down to the light and the fast. information and computing is the key. it’s not capital anymore, neither labor nor land.
you stop moving and you’re dead.(–Bruce Lee)
being wealthy, being educated, being informed and being employed are four different things.
wisdom is the goal of education and you can’t get that by being an expert in just one field.
the valuable time spent in one own’s personal purpose is the goal of being wealthy and you can’t get wealth in just being employed.
having accurate and timely information gives you power and freedom.
being vocationally trained is supposed to get you employed.
it’s but natural to see the failure of “education” if you fail to recognize the distinction among these four areas.
factual observation indeed. yet facts alone, or even with great intelligence can never emerge the truth without insight or clear perception or clear distinctions. a blind dog may bark on every other tree except the right one.
cluves
On September 22, 2009 at 10:06 pm
hahaha! i like the comments more than the article!
JohnnyBizzle
On November 13, 2009 at 12:42 pm
JetBlack has what I believe to be the wisest comments on this subject here….