Thanks for the link. It’s these two
http://siliconvalley-redcross.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=158:emergency-response-training-hspro103&catid=75:professional-responder-courses-&Itemid=164
http://siliconvalley-redcross.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149:wilderness-first-aid-32290&catid=76:specialty-health-a-safety-courses-&Itemid=165
I may have to go south. I’m closer to Oakland/east bay area than San Jose or the peninsula.

In my life and times, I have seen a whole arena of young men appear in my circles and become involved in various jobs, training, and learning skills. In this post I speak only of males. These young men came with everything from a “GED” to a Post Grad, and once even a West Point Education. Some came with knowledge that was impressive in some areas, but was of no value in the particular area they were entering. Some came with little knowledge of higher education, but had such natural minds of analysis that no task ever took them totally aback. The most important key point in success, that I saw from this experience, was long term focus, or “stick-to-until conquered”. Those men who had the confidence that no task was too hard, or too complex, or too time consuming, were the ones who always made the day. Another good quality I saw in many of these young men, was the fact that they would soon adopt a mentor in the workplace. They would associate themselves with an experienced person, befriend that person, and begin to absorb the wealth of knowledge that person had to offer. I have concluded that any person can make or break themselves, and a lot of it centers on drive and attitude, and most of all—confidence in themselves.

I think you are missing the whole point of your education. You are not trained to work for someone else; you are trained to study the problem, find probable solutions, and just do it or hire someone for the implementation. If you just want a job then you go learn a trade. This is one of the biggest problems I see in Ph.D. students. They want to have someone give them a job when they have the capacity to create their own job/carrier/business.

In my generation, most males with a High School education could get technical training in the military. Most unions had 4 & 5 year on the job training. To day, Vo-Tech & Community College’s provide the training for a trade.

Cisco Academy has a CCNA & CCNP, on-line training. These are in demand certs. With your back ground you could zip through & take the certs & probablely work full or part time.

I worked for the Cisco Academies for several years. Email me if I can answer any questions.

The problems you assign to PhD students also apply to many MS and BS degreed people as well. I spend a long time in industry and ran into quite a few college graduates who had no work experience or any idea how to accomplish things.

Many came in with the attitude that they were much smarter than the production workers or supervisors who have spent their life in the factory. These were often the ones who failed miserably.

Knowing how to work, being self motivated, understanding how to accomplish things is something that every one needs to learn. Confidence allows us to face the unknown and grow.

Good luck on finding the places to develop the skills you are looking for. They will definitely benefit you in the future.

There is a reason people graduate without knowing how to do anything. It’s actually planned that way. The reason is that school is specifically a way to manage the flow of people into the workforce. I got that tidbit from one of Daniel Quinn’s books, I think it was “My Ishmael,” not “Ishmael,” his first book. “My Ishmael was a sequel.

It makes a lot of sense. And it doesn’t necessarily apply to every single occupation, b/c some of them do need advanced training, but when the population increases (and people are being kept alive longer), why does the requirement for a basic job that doesn’t need any advanced training go from high school diploma to bachelor’s degree? It’s to keep people in school longer, hoping the people already working will retire or die, which is one reason I am pissed off at a coworker who won’t retire at 71. She’ll work until she’s physically unable to, and this is keeping some new med tech graduate from a job.

The only think of worth I learned from my Chemical Engineering degree was this one single fact.

Every system no matter how complex can be broken down into solvable simple problems.

Modern public schooling was instituted along with the industrial revolution to be able to churn out people with a minimal amount of skills and the ability to follow orders without thought. What else did you need for a factory worker in the early days? Someone with basic reading skills, basic math skills and an willingness to follow rote directions for a long period of time.

Today’s society has changed a lot but the majority of people still fit into that category.. and always well. I read a book many years ago called The Bell Curve ( I think ). It covers why people fall into the categories they do and why it won’t change.

Marcy..why is your 71 year old coworker (assuming she is doing her work in a competent manner) any less entitled to keep working than the recent graduate?

Well, if you’re not Swiss, then my guess is Dutch or Belgain and your native language is Flemish.

Anyway, I think you should immediately watch the past five seasons of Deadliest Catch and then get thee to Dutch Harbor Alaska and get thee hired on a Crab Fishing Boat. That’ll test your mettle!

Good Luck, and I look forward to watching your Greenhorn adventurs next summer on Discovery.