The section of Chapter 8 that I found most interesting and relevant to me was the idea of experiential learning and how it would positively effect how students acquire specific skills for occupations (245). With the combination of university course work and practicum experience, I've enjoyed being able to take what I've learned and experienced in one area and apply it to the other and vice versa.
Many of my friends have gone through school and completed a trade, got a job as an apprentice and continue to work while making great money. Also, depending on the trade, most of them also are paid to go back to school to improve their skills and knowledge in order to become more "valuable". There is a direct relationship between the "knowledge economy" and actual economic/employment achievement; more education in this scenario leads to an increased competitiveness (and increased earning ability) in the market (244). In this scenario, everybody seems to gain from the integration of school and work. Employers get increasingly higher skilled and efficient workers, the economy/ marketplace benefits from the application of these skills and the worker gets to both earn money and improve his/her skills. Often it can be frustrating to know that friends my age are making incredibly good money (and spending it accordingly) while I'm still in school. I recognize the use of and need for "soft skills", but sometimes it seems that a full three year degree focused on these types of skills had an almost negative impact on my current and future education (245).
Discussion question: What experiences have you had in the work place in terms of working with people over-qualified (or under-qualified) for jobs? What road blocks or supports have they encountered along the way to finding meaningful employment?
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