Dumping down or trading up: Technical skills 101

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Gadget Girl
marielwong, Australia

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Aug 28, 2010

Update: Jan 2017

Dumping down or trading up: Technical skills 101

Recently, I was engaged in conversation with a friend who was an engineer-turned-lawyer. She spoke of how back as a student, while studying mechanical engineering, trips to the workshop were more of a rarity than a need. In fact, practical experience was lamentably limited.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to all. There are definitely engineers, lawyers and media studies professionals who enjoy what they are doing. But, with technological advances that speed up the initial pondering and thinking process, fundamentals are often thrown out the window. Would you need to know how to build a car from scratch when these days, vehicles are built to last longer and function better? Or, how about building your own roof thatch and fixing your hot water system? Basic science or simply a phone call away from ordering a new one?

This brings us to the point: What exactly are we supposed to take away from our degrees or further education?

Throughout the transitional phase from my initial studies for my degree to my current postgraduate arrangement, I have met plenty of friends–Australian-born Chinese and even local Aussies–who have passed the vote of confidence that studies are not essential. Or rather, what you take away from university may never translate into real-world skills.

Clint Steele, a senior lecturer in Engineering Design (at Swinburne University), noted that overtime, students are enrolling in classes which they previously would not have thought of. (Read his article @smh.com) on the economic situation that prompts us where to bank our educational dollar.

This drills home an issue. Are we studying for the sake of studying? Or are we doing so for the passion of it all? Would drilling and welding be second nature, or is it something that has to be pursued due to its lucrative pay packet?

Cars and equipment are built to last longer these days, where perhaps car repairs are less commonplace. Greasing one’s palm picking up skills from good ol’ dad these days just doesn’t cut it. And yet I remember a time when I would follow Dad around, being his little helper as he fiddled with the car’s radiator and took apart the old radio set.

Technical skills have a high reputation here in Australia. And yet, it seems students have forgotten that at the end of their formal education, the real world would not be half as forgiving of errors and fumblings. Nowadays, technology seem to come in a box, complete with a 100-page manual. Studying has become simplified. Who would have thought that mounting a solar panel or fixing a blocked drain pipe could be easily done simply by searching online for Wiki answers?

Of course, for more difficult tasks, the professionals should be called in. But, without being fully immersed or interested in welding pipes and scaling scaffolds to inspect a site, an educational certificate is akin to a piece of paper with gold-gilded words. Nothing more than that. Perhaps it’s best to rethink what studies would be beneficial in all aspects: Economically, psychologically (your own mental health), and conducive.

Counting a list of friends and the number of changes made during their educationalal lifespan, it seems that in Australia, or at least among the batch of people I associate with, there’s greater flexibility and freedom of choice. That would perhaps mean that they are actively engaging with what they studied and not simply committing to the motions of having to get it over and done with.

Why would I say this?

In terms of being able to reelect or simply take on another subject to change courses, I’ve met friends who have restudied over a period of five years, in order to change their degree pursuits.

Here’re a few examples as listed below:

 

• 1) Male who studied an Engineering degree -> changed to media (in Brisbane). Currently pursuing a Masters in Business (in Melbourne). And has never worked other than for his parent’s company.

• Currently working as a marketing co-ordinator. Female whose initial degree was in Media.
  
• Engineering degree. Female who is currently studying a diploma in Law.

• Information technology degree. Female and male, both studying a condensed one-year Masters in Business & Info Tech. Current fees cost as much as A$40,000.

• Chemical Engineering degree. Female currently studying a Masters in Nursing. Never worked before.

• Engineering degree -> Architecture degree (Melbourne). Male who suspended the degree before continuing it in Sydney after a few years of work.

• Female who did a Mechanical Engineering degree-> Law degree.

What this shows is that students these days are not pursuing their interests. And without this passion, often and sadly true, loyalty toward one’s company becomes dilluted. They proceed to where the highest pay is being offered. Hence, most first-time job seekers would potentially hold down their first few jobs for a year or two.

Of course, this isn’t a blanket observation, but rather that we do seek education to better our chances in life. And yet, at what price? For myself, I must say that I am grateful my supportive family allowed me to make my own choices.

Studies should not be that complex. Yet, it should not be so simplified that all you need to do is commit to paper and wing it when life throws you a fast ball. Perhaps educational standards should be revisited to allow students to have more hands-on, real-life experiences. Technology may have advanced, but not to the point of making professionals forget the very basics.

Comp-lify, as I would like to call it. But hey, real life was never meant to be easy.

Photo credits: rlv.zcache.com, siliconhell.com