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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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 Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject: An interesting observation of West Point Mil. Academy |
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The result is two-fold: First, cadets have very little experience adapting to unfamiliar environments. After all, what happens when the regulations don't describe what's going on around you? Second, cadets devote zero attention to activities that "don't count." If it's not on the syllabus, and it's not for a grade, the cadets aren't learning it. Ask a cadet to spend a few minutes writing up a list of the skills, traits, and knowledge that he wishes he'd have when he finally takes over his first platoon in combat. Then compare this to his four-year curriculum and summer training plans. There will be surprisingly little overlap between the two lists, and the cadet has neither the time nor the incentive to learn what's missing. In the end, we graduate far too many cadets that are more bureaucrat than professional, lacking the expert knowledge of their trade and the flexibility to be effective in the complex environments they'll soon encounter.
Unfortunately, wars -- particularly the types of wars we're currently involved in -- are very unforgiving of bureaucrats. In Iraq, I commonly ran across young officers who were convinced that if they answered their reports on time, followed the unit operating procedures to the letter, and strove to make their casualty numbers look ever better, that they would "win" the war. These bureaucrats might keep the proverbial machine running, but it took mentally agile professionals with expert knowledge to realize that the rulebooks needed to be thrown out, that the old routine wasn't working.
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http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/11/west_point_faculty_member_worries_it_is_failing_to_prepare_tomorrow_s_officers |
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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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| Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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How many have followed the link and read the whole article? Its quite an interesting ovservation. Though the part that I highlighted is the part that I feel is becoming more common in University and Schools in my own country.
We study only what is relevent to pass the paper or test, as we do not have time to study all the other papers due to part time work, social activities etc.
I wonder if we are also coming out, unprepared for the real world. Its been a complaint by many employers but is it something that can be changed or is it just inevitable? |
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Quack Addict
Joined: 31 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Good read. Thanks. |
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