Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Are "Nerdism" and "Coolness" mutually exclusive?

A question that has befuddled me for decades is: Why do so many Americans think it is not cool to study science and technology?

So many people want to go into liberal arts, political science, and the like. If a person is good in science and technology, he is branded a nerd in school. How long can the US continue on this path and still prosper? These days, most people in high schools want to major in "business" in college. Ask them what they want to do in the future and most of them state they want to be a senior executive. I have encountered thousands of college seniors and graduate students who want to be "consultants." Ask them what they know about the real world for them to be "consultants" and all one gets back is blank stares. We have too many Chiefs and too few Indians in the US. (Coming from an Indian immigrant, the pun was intended!!!)

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