Should schools create a curriculum based on your child's career interests?

Question

I think you guys can help me understand this. I ask this question, because I think it's unjust in forcing high school or college students into taking classes that have no relation towards their career interest. While it's good to know things, why would a student that is interested in becoming a chef, need to understand English Literature?? As humans, we don't need to know virtually everything, do we? So, think of your children. Do they really need to know everything the public schools teach them?

Please keep in mind that yes, children do need to learn the basic fundamentals, by all means. And yes, they should be exposed to various subjects. However, I don't feel that certain subjects are necessary for all high school or college students to take.

Answer 1

I agree. I always thought how unfortunate it was that schools don't have the resources to get kids on the path to a career by tailoring their schedule to their interests. There are basic skills that needs to be learnt but so much else could be done.

Answer 2

To answer your question: no. Where do you draw the line? What if your child decides to be a chef at the age of 5? Should he be forced to take 12 years of math, English, spelling, art, P.E., and computer classes? Why would a chef need to understand any of that stuff? You are suggesting that since those classes appear to have no relation to the career of a chef, the child does not need to learn from them.

As humans, we don't need to know virtually everything-- that is correct. Graduating high school is certainly not virtually everything though. It is a platform of basic knowledge from which you can expand on in your own direction when you become an adult. You can go to college and study mathematics, you can go to a culinary school and become a chef, you can join the military, and so on.

Answer 3

High schools provide a public education so children can at least understand different aspects of society (science, math, english, history, etc) and, that way, they can decide what subjects they do/don't like (which will then lead to a career decision).

Colleges and technical schools are the ones that are there to focus on career interests. Most colleges try to build their curriculum around students' majors, so they feel that the information they are learning will be useful.

And truly, public schools and/or colleges have no desire to teach kids everything. No one will ever know everything. However, the more variety you have, the more well-rounded you are.

Answer 4

I don't think so. For one, kids might have career interests that aren't what they end up doing. When I was in elementary school I didn't really like math, and I wanted to be a writer. Now I have a degree in biochemistry and writing isn't a favorite for me.

For another, there is value in the subjects taught in school, even if they don't directly relate to career goals. Sure, a chef doesn't need to understand English literature, but surely the class improved his writing, making him write a good application essay for a culinary academy, a good cover letter to get his first real job, a decent cookbook, etc. And math will teach him some basic skills to get through life, like budgeting, as well as problem solving skills.

Anyway, in America you have to right to homeschool your child however you see fit, so if your 5 year old wants to be a garbage man, like my cousin did back in the day, you can replace ABCs with early morning car rides around the neighborhood, ending at the dump or the recycling center. But just because you don't believe in a rounded education, doesn't mean that every child should be poorly educated.

Answer 5

I disagree.
Certainly through high school, there has to be some standard minimum level. People expect that high school grads have a certain minimum exposure and understanding of things. That is what makes a high school diploma from Tennessee acceptable to a employer in Illinois.

Besides, a 10 year old who decides they want to bake cakes may have a different career idea at 16 or 26. Would be pretty sad if he got tracked in cooking courses too early.

As for college, that is purely by choice. You can choose the school to match your career goal. If you want to do a trade like being a chef, a university may not be the right choice.

And if you haven't decided on a specific career, being exposed to a lot of different fields is a great way to help figure it out.

Answer 6

I would make it so that the students have more choice over what classes they can take. People should be allowed to make a choice in what field they are gona study. Some people are just not inclined to want to learn alot about science or math or reading ect... I believe the system would balance itself out to the point of people making the choice thats best for them instead of the system now where they dont get to make as much of a choice at all. If I had to add some classes I would add spirituality classes and stress management classes along with relaxation classes. Also a class where our children can learn what ever they want like a library trip ect would be great. While it seems like a good idea to have the teachers be the ones to expand the horizons of the kids in school I think this job is best left to the family/friends of the kids. Because the teachers will have there own set ideals about what is inovative thought thus making them bias not that the family members arnt also... Its just that it will make a clash in family vs school teachings that will probably leave the student feeling confused about whos right making family life more difficult. I would personaly rather have that power left in the hands of the family and not the Gov.

Answer 7

I think a lot of information in the present school curriculum needs to be cut out and other more life-relevent information introduced. Do kids really need to know algebra? Or history of the country? How many times a day do you use these concepts in your career? Typically, if you move onto higher education, you forget all about these facts anyway to focus on what it is you're learning.

Such a curriculum would have to change constantly to keep up with the times. And it is the schoolboard's duty to make this information relevent, because kids have devices now to distract them from curriculum they know they'll never use. Out come the cellphones, the ipods, the nano gadgets... Teachers are starting to feel they are losing their audience because of this. Well teach a student how to set a goalplan or how to create a multimillion dollar business and maybe his ipod won't look so interesting by comparison.

Answer 8

Overall, knowledge is a good thing and you never truly know if you'll use all you learn. Some of the questions asked during interviews can be challenging and that extra input can be the difference in landing the job over the other guy. Face it, you will be learning all sorts of things throughout your lifetime, may as well get a jump start.
The thing that education could use is methods of teaching that everybody can learn with. Maybe English Lit would be a favorite class if the teaching methods were more creative. Not everybody can sit in a seat and learn things they aren't interested in. Toooooo Borrring! People learn in different ways but they are all taught the same way. It doesn't make sense.

Answer 9

While they wont need all the information that is being taught if needed they could always reference the information. Do you know how hard it would be to develop a curriculum based on career interests? One day a kid wants to be a doctor the next a bus driver and so on and so forth. I think they developed a plan to give children the basic information to help them become successful in what ever career path they choose. However I do think that this No Child Left Behind Act needs to be revisited. It has stopped our children from being educated and are now only learning test. I think that if you teach a child the basics and then reasoning skills they will be successful, however teachers don't have time to teach it because their jobs depend on children passing test.

Answer 10

I don't think a curriculum based on career interests should even be considered until at least the last year of high school. Most college students don't even know what they want to do and even the ones who do usually change their major after being exposed to other things.

Heck, I didn't even know what anthropology was until college. Then I discovered I loved it and am majoring in it. If I had chosen a career path in middle or high school I would never have found what I really love.

Answer 11

bad idea at the high school level. not needed at the college level.

Bad idea - At the high school level, it is dangerous to think in this way. Who makes the decision on what to leave out? The student? Did you know your lifes path at 15? At 15, I would have avoided mathematics. This limits the potential of that student. Are you old enough to have had high school career interest tests? plan on using that to limit kids access? because you dislike a subject does not allow you to suggest that others limit their potential.

not needed - At the college level, you pay for your own classes. Feel free to take whatever you want. Im sure you could find a school that allows you to skip some classes for that degree.