Why donesn't every American have a Ph.D?????

Question

In the hopes of maintaining superiority in the following areas: military, business and science, why doesn't every American citizen have a Ph.D. For example, why are 1 million nurses from Asia being granted emergency passes (work visas) to care for American citizens in American hospitals. I would think there are enough un-employed people in New Orleans to fill every nursing job for the next 20 years.

Answer 1

Ok, the US population is now mixed in culture and color more than ever. Lots of pride is put into those graduations from kindergarten, 8th grade, and high school. That's 3 graduations per kid before they really have ever done something significant as an adult! Many of the graduates are alone in their families--they are first generation graduates. The message that is sent is that "...it's ok to stop if you want to...you've made it passed the hump..." Much of our population, be it pale or not, settles into the work world b/c earning money satisfies the immediate gratification need. Higher education takes years and sacrifices that many are already too burned out to make.

Also, East Indians, Asians, and Arabic money converts to buku bucks here. They're currency is worth more here in the States. Our higher education is prized anywhere in the world (except for England), so a person on an education visa is in a win-win situation.

Then there is the US standard of living that makes many stay to do their life's work here. But there are many more who return gladly to their home country...Brain Drain...so the USA still looses what is called "human capital".

Personaly, I have had better treatment all my life from Asian female doctors regardless of where I lived/worked in the USA.

Vive competition! Maybe we [the USA] need to export our human capital a bit more and infiltrate different markets. But it is so hard to get Americans to leave American way of life and become de-westernized. So, this form of exportation is nearly impossible. And now that almost the whole entire globe "hates" Americans, we really can't broaden or markets unless we give up more than just American conveniences.

Answer 2

Not every American needs a PhD. Do you what work entails to earn a PhD? If so, you wouldn't ask. It would cost a fortune to get one, most Americans cannot afford to go to college, let alone go on for a PhD.

You write about a nursing shortage. This is true. There is a shortage of nurses in America. There is also a shortage of teachers, too. These are stressful professions, and those who are in these professions burn out. To get a nursing degree in the United States (as a R.N.) one needs to graduate from high school and go on to college - a 4 year degree and pass the boards.

You have a simplistic and naive solution to a difficult and complicated situation.

Answer 3

DON'T get me started on those people from New Orleans. If you have dealt with any of them that have transplanted to your area you would understand why those of us down South that they have transplanted to want them out (higher crime rate, refusal to work, etc...) We also got hit by the hurricane and are working hard instead of waiting for more handouts.

Sorry. To answer your question it is very expensive to get a PhD. I am still in debt for my associates, getting my bachelors, and if the government keeps cutting the student grants that at least cover part of my education I'm done. Also, many people that get out of high school lately don't have the education needed to make it in college. I saw many just graduated high school students end up dropping out of college because they not only couldn't handle the load but because they did not have the math, english, science, etc... skills needed for college.

The US doesn't have superiority in the science field, haven't for a long time if ever. Germans, S. Koreans, etc... are much more advanced than we are. Also, the reason the work visa are being administered is partly because we don't have the trained staff and also because they will work for less (at least they are paid less at the hospital my mom is a nurse at).

Thank you, sorry for my tirade at the beginning, very sore subject.

Answer 4

It really takes a lot of determination and smarts to get a Ph.D. Not everyone has the personality for it. Also, I suspect that the creativity required to be successful when publishing is actually screened out to some extent by the undergraduate experience. To be a successful undergraduate, you need to be very good at absorbing knowledge, but "coloring outside the lines" can get you in trouble. Ph.Ds need to be a source of knowledge, rather than a sink, so creativity and independence are extremely important. I'm not sure that the current educational system is really set up to efficiently generate Ph.Ds.

Answer 5

If everyone had a Ph.D., then nobody would get the job benefits that go along with it - as more and more people get degrees, they start to mean less and less as far as being an advantage.

Nurses are coming from Asia because we have worked our nurses to death here and a lot of them quit - and not many people want to take their jobs, considering they often work 12-16 hours a day and aren't paid much. We need to start taking care of our employees!

Answer 6

Obtaining a Ph.D is very costly. The cost of attending college has soared in years past, and is still rising. In addition to that, it takes a lot of time and effort. If one has a family, pursuing a Ph.D can prove to be difficult.

Answer 7

I agree with aussiechick - costs are too high and you often don't get enough help from a school's financial aid office in regards to filling out forms. Sometimes, they run you around - I think they hope to frustrate you into not filling out the forms. I got that when I first tried going to school, and it was aggravating.



(And to Pancakes: I love the doggie pic, but if you think it's the "liberals" who want less money for education and more for defense, you need your head examined.)

Answer 8

Let's see --

It took me 5 years to get a BA in Applied Math plus a BS in Mechanical Engineering (ME)
It took another 2 years to get a MS in ME
It took another 6 years to get my Ph.D. in Engineering

So I finished grade 25. I was lucky I finished and I didn't major in History. At my university it was taking another 4 to 6 years for the Ph.D.'s in history to finish.

Answer 9

There is a group of Americans that do not WANT the US to be superior in military, business, and science. They are called liberals.

Answer 10

look at the education system in the US...I didn't know about the info you just gave.....I have many skills and don't have a title of a Ph D !!! more than I can list...its kinda like the IQ test...it doesn't cover most aspects of human intelligence. Do these people in N.O. have the luxury of attending school full time..not to mention the $ for tuition ?? apparently..your Ph D left you blind !!!!!!!!!!