Recession isn't only thing holding millennials back; basic skill sets missing

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · Jul 1, 2012

I thank my mother for not allowing me to use cell phones until I was 18 and even then only for emergencies. I can't stand texting and I hate the idea of being attached to a cellphone. I think the technology of my generation has really been a detriment. It's easy to wait and think about your response before texting or typing, it's another thing to have an actual face to face conversation.

lovedijah · Jul 1, 2012

I agree. It amazes me people can't write basic sentences. Also amazes me proofreading cover letters for some people, is only hitting the spellcheck button. It's one thing to pass nursing school, but another to be able to go in for an interview and hold a conversation.

malamud69, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2012

Watch the movie : Idiocracy...it sums it all up. I was shocked returning to college after 20 years at how many young students cannot even do basic addition and subtraction...let alone discuss anything in a constructive manner without having their phone in one hand. I remember classrooms filled with lively debate and questions.(and that is not that long ago!) What has happened to education in this country??? I do not think I have become a curmudgeon...I see it everyday...shoot I had students in my last chemistry class that still do not believe in evolution! I had to asked what century they thought we lived in. Alas... that is ultimately what the oligarchy wants: Idiots that will do and buy anything that they are told to. Again I say...i phone the pacifier of the masses and the biggest detriment to human interaction ever put forth on this planet. How can we stop the dumbing down of our fellow humans....education?

leenak · Jul 1, 2012

Well I am surprised by the people who will text the entire class. I haven't really experienced it because I've been in classes with mostly older, working adults until I got into my current summer class. There are a few students that text without regard for the teacher.

As for me, when I first started emailing with friends (almost 20 years ago), we would try to be cute and misspell things on purpose. It wasn't text language but also wasn't far off from it. Anyway, I remember specifically being in class and having to write an essay and I had to think a bit too hard about how to spell certain words. At that point on, I decided that I would stop trying to be 'cute' and try to spell correctly for any online medium.

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2012

didn't read the whole article but the quote above about not texting in the lobby while WAITING for the interview sounds like just some touchy fruit cake who doesn't care for texting taking it out on interviewees. Would she feel better if they stared at the walls the whole time?

That said, this 34 year old will keep her phone to herself if ever waiting for an interview again just for the more sensitive among us. geez

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 2, 2012

Watch the movie : Idiocracy...it sums it all up. I was shocked returning to college after 20 years at how many young students cannot even do basic addition and subtraction...let alone discuss anything in a constructive manner without having their phone in one hand. I remember classrooms filled with lively debate and questions.(and that is not that long ago!) What has happened to education in this country??? I do not think I have become a curmudgeon...I see it everyday...shoot I had students in my last chemistry class that still do not believe in evolution! I had to asked what century they thought we lived in. Alas... that is ultimately what the oligarchy wants: Idiots that will do and buy anything that they are told to. Again I say...i phone the pacifier of the masses and the biggest detriment to human interaction ever put forth on this planet. How can we stop the dumbing down of our fellow humans....education?

I definitely noticed this in the History course I took online to see if I was ready to handle juggling work and school again and the level of discourse surprised me. This was the type of course where participation was mandatory and some of the responses were interesting. There were a few college level discussions going on but there was also something I noticed. Since 2 replies were mandatory posters would often reply to your discussion post and either parrot back exactly what you said or post a response that didn't actually address anything you had said as if they hadn't read it at all. There was a lot of writing to the rubric rather than free discussion.

On sneaky thing I noticed was to circumvent the timely posting requirement was to post a placeholder post and then go back and edit later.

So are we trading quality for quantity. Sometimes I don't understand why people are even IN college since they aren't trying to do anything expect a grade which won't mean anything if they don't have the knowledge.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

I There were a few college level discussions going on but there was also something I noticed. Since 2 replies were mandatory posters would often reply to your discussion post and either parrot back exactly what you said or post a response that didn't actually address anything you had said as if they hadn't read it at all. There was a lot of writing to the rubric rather than free discussion.
On sneaky thing I noticed was to circumvent the timely posting requirement was to post a placeholder post and then go back and edit later.
So are we trading quality for quantity.

*** That sounds like an RN to BSN program. I did RN to BSN at a local state university and I feel like I got dumber as a result of obtaing my BSN.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 2, 2012

*** That sounds like an RN to BSN program. I did RN to BSN at a local state university and I feel like I got dumber as a result of obtaing my BSN.

Oh please say it's not so. I thought by the time I get to that point that level of discourse would be behind me.

HM-8404, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

I definitely noticed this in the History course I took online to see if I was ready to handle juggling work and school again and the level of discourse surprised me. This was the type of course where participation was mandatory and some of the responses were interesting. There were a few college level discussions going on but there was also something I noticed. Since 2 replies were mandatory posters would often reply to your discussion post and either parrot back exactly what you said or post a response that didn't actually address anything you had said as if they hadn't read it at all. There was a lot of writing to the rubric rather than free discussion.
On sneaky thing I noticed was to circumvent the timely posting requirement was to post a placeholder post and then go back and edit later.
So are we trading quality for quantity. Sometimes I don't understand why people are even IN college since they aren't trying to do anything expect a grade which won't mean anything if they don't have the knowledge.

I took an online Ethics class. There were many mandatory class discussions we had to post online. We only had to meet with the professor once and that was for finals. When I signed in she saw my name and said she was glad to have had at least one student that expressed their real thoughts and not just posted what they assumed she wanted to read. I am an "older" student and my views on life are mostly through experience and not what a teacher passed on to me. Many of the other students posts were just shy of gibberish and read like a 4th grader posted them. In my Sociology class myself and another student close to my age wee the only students that voiced an opposing opinion. It appeared the other 130+ students were afraid to be seen as individuals. I have tried to raise my kids to be free thinkers but I have noticed they and their friends are not very accepting of those with different opinions. Even less so than when I was a young adult.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 2, 2012

Oh well at least I get quotable nuggets from these classes like "The president was a peaceful man so he wanted to keep it cool like that with the other countries."

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jul 2, 2012

didn't read the whole article but the quote above about not texting in the lobby while WAITING for the interview sounds like just some touchy fruit cake who doesn't care for texting taking it out on interviewees. Would she feel better if they stared at the walls the whole time?
That said, this 34 year old will keep her phone to herself if ever waiting for an interview again just for the more sensitive among us. geez

I can't speak for her, but yes, I would. You should sit straight, with your ankles crossed and your hands in your lap like a lady and wait patiently. The phone (if you even had to bring it in) is off, not on vibrate, OFF, in your pocket book, on the floor. Well, if you want the job that is. If you don't, text away and I'll hire a person that knows how to behave. geez.

And yes, I am perfectly serious. They are called manners.