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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is a sad indictment of our colleges.  I think this is why so many companies put job experience (even if not in your field) as a higher priority than what school you went to.  This is not applicable to all professions, but I think most college degrees should focus more on real-world experience rather than theory.  I think for some kids learning a trade that can pay well is better than going to college.

"There are plenty of requirements for the average professorship, but job experience generally isn’t high up on the list – in fact, a 2006 study of college professors in STEM fields showed that a whopping 59.8 percent hadn’t had any job experience in their industry. That means that a large portion of the professors tasked with teaching college grads how to become marketers, managers and salespeople have never marketed anything, managed anyone or sold anything at all. Our professors teach what they know, and [b]after years spent steeping in theory, it’s no wonder that they put such an emphasis on conceptual learning[/b]."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/08/27/i-studied-engineering-not-english-i-still-cant-find-a-job/

I haven't done the research, but how many top tier profs. have actual job experience?  I know that in my State univ., the majority of my Business professors had a job related to what they were teaching (Accounting prof had had an accounting practice, etc..).[/quote]

I'd add education to this list--many education professors have no or very little experience in an elementary or secondary classroom. Which is just one of the reasons why I won't allow my child to major in education, though she wants to be a teacher.

Your opinion on this issue likely depends on what you expect from college. If your child is studying humanities, social sciences, science, or math, the profs' "job" experience might not matter much to you (or to your child). If you view college as an avenue for learning a trade, you probably want profs to have, you know, actually practiced the trade.

I don't take the latter view generally, so I want college instructors to be good teachers--to have deep knowledge of and love for their subject, be able to convey that knowledge and generate excitement, and be interested in mentoring/guiding young people. Research experience is more or less important, depending on the field.[/quote]

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