Who will struggle in 2011? The Uneducated (and those with Awake! degrees)

by truman 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  truman

  Despite the Watchtower's drumbeat of anti-higher education rhetoric, they are tragically misguiding their followers about the relationship between a college education and job prospects. I ran across this tidbit in my internet travels:

  Who Will Struggle in 2011

  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Who-Will-Struggle-in-usnews-1712944905.html?x=0

  "The undereducated. The value of education has never been clearer. The unemployment rate for people who never graduated high school is 15 percent--depression-level joblessness. For high-school grads with no college, unemployment is 10.4 percent, and for college grads it's just 4.9 percent. Unskilled or low-skilled jobs in manufacturing, construction, and other fields will return slowly, if at all, since many of them can be outsourced to other countries where labor costs are lower. That makes education the single-biggest determinant of career success."

  Such information does not mean that a motivated and talented person who lacks a college degree cannot be successful. My own son, who was raised as a JW and homeschooled by me, has worked his way up from forklift driver to a management position in his company's IT department. The WTS gets no credit for his achievement, however. He left at the end of his teens (and opened the door for my own exit). He has a quick mind and has worked very hard. And he had a boss who recognized talent and gave him a chance.

  Still, most who follow the WT's plan for minimum education and subsistence employment will be struggling in 2011 and beyond. I have another son who is still a JW (and just as quick-minded as his brother). His situation is much less rosy--and, sadly, inclined to stay that way.
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  Curtains

  I so agree, truman. I also endorse getting educated as it will help one cope emotionally with the recession even if there don't seem to be many jobs around.

  A staunch JW I know who has also been focusing on their education really surprised me recently. They started talking about the evolution of the eye to explain something. I managed to quickly get over my surprise and agree wholeheartedly.
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  Alfred

  Believe it or not, my escape from the cult this year was facilitated by my PO (or "coordinator")... Everytime I asked for a meeting with him to discuss 607-1914, the 144K or any other subject, he would agree, set a date/time and then almost immediately pospone our meeting or cancel altogether... This continued for many months in 2010... In fact, we only met 2 times in the entire year. Eventually, after I pressed him about this, he admitted to me that he had very little free time on his hands because he was in the process of obtaining his "Doctorate's" degree from an on-line university in Spain. My first reaction was utter disbelief!!!... But I quickly cheered him on and even strongly advised him not to tell anyone else about this (lest the CO get wind of this and strip him of his glorified status)... Anyway, he let one "sheep" out of the gate on his watch because he was too busy preparing himself for the material world. How incredibly ironic!

  I guess he won't be one of those who will struggle in 2011.
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  WTWizard

  Most people without college education are going to be up sxxx creek without a paddle, if they aren't already. These days, college is essential with any job, and Osama Obama is going to make starting a business so difficult and dangerous (too many regulations and tax traps) that no new businesses will be started in the United Tyranny States of America. About the only way you can succeed in this economy without a college degree is if you are in the entertainment business, a sports star, or your father already owns a major business.

  And I am afraid that reading the Asleep! rag does not count as "college education". Do employers give people credit for reading the Asleep!? I never had to take required tests, nor did I ever get a proper grade point average (which the Establishment uses to see if a person is going to just do as they are told) reading the Asleep!. In fact, most of the articles in the Asleep! are so poorly referenced that one could scarcely even find a term to do a Google search on, let alone find the sources themselves. Hardly "college" quality.
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  LostGeneration

  Awake degree...LOL

  I can see it now - Interview with a JW

  Employer: "So I see here you graduated high school, but never went to college, how come?"

  JW: "Well, I was told by one of my church elders that reading the Awake magazine is equivalent to a 4 year degree. I have been reading the Awake for 15 years now, so I'm sure I have made it by now"

  Employer "I've never heard of the Awake magazine, what is it about"

  JW: (Moving into recruiting mode) "The Awake covers news and current events, with the Bible's view in mind. It used to be published twice each month, but for about the last five years, it is only published once a month."

  Employer "How big is this magazine?"

  JW: "Each issue is 32 pages long!"

  Employer: "So before 2005, you read 64 pages a month, and since then you have read 32 pages a month, right?"

  JW: "Uhhhhhh"

  Employer: "Does this magazine have pictures?"

  JW: "Yes"

  Employer "How many pages per magazine are pictures or ads?"

  JW: "About 6 or 7"

  Employer: "So you read 25 pages a month of a religious magazine, and you think that equals a four year degree?"

  JW "Ummmmmmmmm"

  Employer: "Ok, thanks for coming in, we'll be in touch. Actually, we won't be in touch, you didn't get the job"
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  PYRAMIDSCHEME

  I have an Awake! degree. I don't know what you people are so uptight about. I have a great job as a Janitor and it's all thanks to the Awake!
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  Listener

  Even Jesus learnt the trade of carpentry before he became full time in the ministry.

  Being poor also teaches people some valuable lessons and there may be many JWs who fare pretty well in 2011. Learning not to desire having more and more worldly goods helps to stop wasting money. Learning to get by with very little teaches you to make do. There are lots a JWs who will probably be more content than many others.

  The problem is if you have no skills or knowledge that employers are willing to pay for then it can be very difficult, competition is getting more fierce amongst unemployed. If the Government reduces it's handouts then it will get really tough. Since the JWs have such a giving nature to one of their own they should manage fine. (yes I know but the theory is there).

  Then there are all those young ones that have left in droves, even though their parents may shun them I am sure those kids will give the necessary aid to their parents when it comes to the crunch. Won't they be grateful then.
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  truman

  Yeah, that degree from the Awake! university looks real good on a resume. Not.

  I agree that being poor CAN teach valuable lessons to those who are willing to learn. I have learned a few that way. Learning to desire less of the consumer products that lead many to a long-term ride on the debt merry-go-round can be good for the individual and maybe for the planet as well. Being frugal is a good old-fashioned value, as I see it.

  The education issue, on the other hand, is about much more than simply putting oneself in a position to have a better income (although that is no small concern for families trying to get by in a depressed economy). Education is not just about acquiring job skills, but about learning to use the tools of critical thinking.

  As I see it, the WT org. fears losing people’s theocratically beclouded minds to critical thinking much more than it worries about losing their bodies to well-paying jobs. Nevertheless, demanding they be uneducated and poor keeps them dependent and needy for an emotional anchor, and the WTS is happy to put one around their necks with a heavy chain.

  @ Alfred: That elder you describe sounds like he will be an ex-jw soon.