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> maybe women are better off in medicine, law, dentistry or other processions, not because they're women, but because most people would be better off in these f

by jdp23 16y ago

> maybe women are better off in medicine, law, dentistry or other processions, not because they're women, but because most people would be better off in these fields. really? if you had a teenage son or younger brother, would you be encouraging them to be a doctor, dentist, or lawyer? or would you be encouraging them to learn about computers, software, networking, mobile phones, social networks, the cloud, the web, and all the other cool things we love that are changing the world?

geebee 16y ago
I would encourage my child to pursue his or her own passions My goal is to expose my kids to a broad range of fields, and strive to ensure that they are well educated enough to understand and make wise decisions about their own lives. But if we're concerned about how women aren't going into graduate engineering or CS programs, that means we think something's wrong with their choice, right? It might not be their fault. It could be discrimination, an unfriendly environment, a lack of friendly encouragement (or a lack of pressure, which also works, though often at the expense of the person's happiness). So think of it this way - if my daughter was interested in following grandpa's steps and going into medicine rather than dad's steps and going into computing, I certainly wouldn't discourage her. BTW, I've posted about an article from the RAND foundation about the "shortage" of science and engineering PhDs in the US (it's easy to find on their site). RAND found that this is, essentially, a rational reaction to poor prospects and pay relative to the professions. I understand we're not robots, passion matters. But when researchers are RAND are reaching this conclusion, it starts to be very difficult to hold the position that women are somehow losing out by choosing professions over grad programs in CS/Eng.
- jdp23 16y ago
  okay, suppose your son is like most smart teenagers: he loves hanging out with his friends on social networks and talking on the phone, video games, and talking with other smart people who share his interests. he hates going to the doctor and the dentist and thinks that most lawyers don't add a lot to society. he likes all his classes: math, science, english. what would you recommend to him? > it starts to be very difficult to hold the position that women are somehow losing out by choosing professions over grad programs in CS/Eng. but that's not what this article was about. we're talking choices at 16 years old, long before people have chosen a specialty.

by jdp23 16y ago

geebee 16y ago

I would encourage my child to pursue his or her own passions My goal is to expose my kids to a broad range of fields, and strive to ensure that they are well educated enough to understand and make wise decisions about their own lives. But if we're concerned about how women aren't going into graduate engineering or CS programs, that means we think something's wrong with their choice, right? It might not be their fault. It could be discrimination, an unfriendly environment, a lack of friendly encouragement (or a lack of pressure, which also works, though often at the expense of the person's happiness). So think of it this way - if my daughter was interested in following grandpa's steps and going into medicine rather than dad's steps and going into computing, I certainly wouldn't discourage her. BTW, I've posted about an article from the RAND foundation about the "shortage" of science and engineering PhDs in the US (it's easy to find on their site). RAND found that this is, essentially, a rational reaction to poor prospects and pay relative to the professions. I understand we're not robots, passion matters. But when researchers are RAND are reaching this conclusion, it starts to be very difficult to hold the position that women are somehow losing out by choosing professions over grad programs in CS/Eng.

jdp23 16y ago
okay, suppose your son is like most smart teenagers: he loves hanging out with his friends on social networks and talking on the phone, video games, and talking with other smart people who share his interests. he hates going to the doctor and the dentist and thinks that most lawyers don't add a lot to society. he likes all his classes: math, science, english. what would you recommend to him? > it starts to be very difficult to hold the position that women are somehow losing out by choosing professions over grad programs in CS/Eng. but that's not what this article was about. we're talking choices at 16 years old, long before people have chosen a specialty.