“WE SIMPLY CANNOT sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science and engineering,” said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, who recommended that the nation double its graduates by 2015. Gates testified on U.S. competitiveness before a Senate committee Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
I travel and write on a popular forum started by the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, and I can’t believe the vast amount of ignorance towards basic education (and higher education). Many people of the forum believe that math, science and engineering are worthless in today’s society and argue that business is the “way to go”. They argue that they don’t need a public education or a college education to succeed and actually want to do away with advanced mathematics and science because they “don’t use them in the real world”. One guy actually said that schools should offer classes in critical thinking and common sense instead of advanced math and science. Really? I guess he will just invent the next microchip or vaccine using common sense while walking down the street. Last time I checked, mathematics is the sharpest tool for developing a critically thinking mind.
Too many of these people complain (or place blame) that society and the government wasted their time in school. Maybe so but I attended public school and graduated with a degree from college and never blamed anyone for wasted time because if I did waste anything; it was my own fault.
You don’t need a college or even high school degree to become wealthy and successful but the country and human evolution needs educated people that can fuel the growth of the economy. Maybe some of these ignorant people just can’t see past their own false beliefs and fall prey to an author that continues to sell fear to make his own fortune. It’s easy to place blame on others for your own faults in life but remember that only you can change your path in life; educate yourself!
If it wasn’t for people that have acquired this advanced knowledge, some Rich Dad followers wouldn’t be writing on their computers on the World Wide Web by using a wireless router on a broadband connection while watching HDTV on a 60” flat panel LCD. They seem to forget that technology advances society and business can only succeed, grow and increase revenue by taking advantage of these technologies.
How can our society advance technologies if we eliminate the basic subjects in schools? We can’t have 100% business people and 0% intellects and inventors. Only so many people can run successful businesses if the country lacks intelligent minds that increase and develop future technologies. And education is the only way to develop these minds in the fields of MATH, SCIENCE and ENGINEERING.
Too many people on the RichDad forums talk down to these subjects and completely miss the point of human evolution. Without technology – you and I have NOTHING!
What is technology?
Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species’ usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species’ ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances predate the two concepts.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today’s global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class.
We use technology to control the world in which we live. Technology is people using knowledge, tools, and systems to make their lives easier and better. People use technology to improve their ability to do work and increase wealth.
Bottom line: I enjoyed the original book Rich Dad Poor Dad but I feel that Robert Kiyosaki’s latest books and herd of sheep are feeding on fear and false pretenses. I have argued in these forums that the same people who argue against basic education also make numerous spelling and grammatical mistakes in their writings. I pointed this out and they explained that they don’t have the time to check their spelling. Maybe they didn’t learn how to use a spell check (a simple technology) or they are just too lazy to care. Either way, I wouldn’t want to do business with them. Our education system could use a makeover but eliminating math, science and engineering would be devastating. The lack of promoting these subjects is already hurting us around the world.
I agree 110% Chris. I completely support higher education for those that see it as fit for them, and its role in our world is immeasurable. I do also believe though that people can very easily attain wealth without college degrees, but to your point the bottom line is without technology we wouldn’t be here. Need more be said?
I work for Microsoft. At times, I’m torn between my desire to be a trader and my desire to work with technology.
For the past couple of years, I’ve done both — trading in my spare time and keeping my day job. Maybe one day I’ll be able to merge the two, perhaps merging MSN Moneycentral with IBD. 🙂
Excellent post. As an educator in math and science, I am constantly shocked at the poor critical thinking, analysis and math skills I see around the stock market, but then when I think about what I see in the classroom, well, no wonder there are so many adults that have so little math sense
Many whom are so quick to be critical of a broad based education are oblivious of their dire ignorance of the world and how this ignorance plays in their ability to come up with the craziest evaluations and conclusions.
Everyday of my childhood I listened to a father who on one side was supportive of an “education,” but on the other side was constantly critical. He did realize it, but his view of education was that it was for job skills only, so what he really valued was job training, but not eduction.
I value education because it is what connects the world and creates civility.
chris,
I am one of those parents who has often critisized the education system, but I am not against education, as a matter of fact, I think that education is one of the most important aspects of our lives and I beleive that eduction should be a never ending endeavor. yes we need inventors and intellect, but we also need common sense and money management skills. I propose a half way point. Why not work for education reform that instills a joy of learning geared toward each child’s learning style and stop labeling these kids as slow or LD. Lets make sure that each child has a firm grasp on reading and writing and other essential communication skills, and stop cramming information into thier brains for the sole purpose of ensuring high proficiency test scores that will secure funding for the public schools. Lets leave the higher math courses for the students who enjoy them and wish to persue careers in math intensive fields instead of confusing students with drawn out equations for simple math problems that can be solved in less time and with less confusion with basic math. Science and Math ARE VERY important, but at times the desire to take math education to the next level is, for lack of a better word, stupid. My 6th grader does not need 7 over r times the square root of pi to find out what the cost of an item would be with a 20% discount.
Why not make sure that our children are getting the basics down(reading, writing and basic math) and continue to teach them advanced subjects and how to use that knowledge. What good does it do us to have advanced classes in the technical arts, if a lot of the information is just sitting in the students’ brains and they do not know how to apply that knowledge?