Journalist vs. Engineer
This might sound like a tale of woe. Actually, though, it’s a cautionary tale about the value of education. Or maybe it’s a bit of both.
I recently stumbled on some very disturbing graphs and stats describing the state of education in Chester schools. They are contained in the Chester-Upland School District request for proposals to outsource the district’s services. There’s one graph in particular I keep telling myself must be a lie. It shows the percentage of Chester high school students (in 2017-18) whose scores were deemed “advanced” or “proficient” on the commonwealth’s Keystone Algebra test.
The graph shows the state average to be 65.2%.
But in Chester, only 20% of STEM Academy high school students scores fell in the advanced/proficient range. For students at Chester High School, the percentage was 2.8.
Call me a pessimist, but there ain’t a single educational entity out there that can lift Chester High’s 2.8% to anywhere close to the state average of 65.2% anytime soon. In fact, I wonder how much Chester’s 2.8% is bringing down the state average. And STEM Academy? Your 20% is nothing to brag about either.
When I was in school, math was easy for me. By sixth grade, I had practically mastered algebra. The nuns at Immaculate Heart of Mary knew I was ahead of the class and told me to teach myself algebra from the Science Research Associates (SRA) class-in-a-box. My senior year at Chester High, I was earning college credits taking calculus classes at Widener University. I got through engineering school at Villanova because I did very well in all my math classes. Some of the other courses were a struggle.
These days, no one cares about my engineering background, or that I went to Villanova. Maybe that’s just what happens to old Black engineers. Instead, I get a lot of calls because of my work as a hack journalist and blogger.
This doesn’t make me angry. But it does make me curious. I often hear people say things like: Education is the great equalizer, STEM education (science, technology, engineering, math) offers the skills needed for a great career, for the best shot at success, attend the most prestigious school that will admit you.
I can throw shade at all three of those premises.
Education is the great equalizer. Education is critical for a lot of obvious reasons. But what does it mean when an educated person finds himself on equal footing at work with people who have far less education?
STEM education offers the skills needed for a great career. There are great careers in STEM fields, but outside of it — in the business world, for instance — not much value is given to a STEM education.
For the best shot at career success, attend the most prestigious school that will admit you. Having gone to prestigious schools may help folks with prestige, privilege, and legacy, but guys like me are often seen as nothing more than anomalies.
I’m the only degreed engineer I know living in the city of Chester. There are probably others, but the fact that I don’t know them confirms how few of us there are. You’d think that when a local issue requires some technical or scientific type thinking, we’d be consulted. For example, when city government assembles a board of directors for something like a stormwater authority, they think nothing of filling it with politicians, school board folks, health bureau folks, and clerks, but not people who studied science and have experience in the water industry, even though we are sitting right here among them.
No one has ever asked my thoughts or opinion on any technical matter in Chester. The STEM high school has been around for over a dozen years, but I’ve never been invited to talk to the students about the rigors of engineering study or offer career advice.
Yet I’m constantly sought after to write something for somebody, or to bring my opinions to a panel discussion, or to host a show with community guests. My blogging hobby has gotten me more side gigs than my actual profession.
I get it. My journalism is more visible than my STEM skills. My Chester connections are more intriguing than my Villanova affiliations. My hobby seems more tangible than my career.
But, Chester: If you want experts to help solve technical challenges, it may be time to seek out home grown talent. If you want to encourage students to excel in STEM, there’s probably some benefit to exposing them to people from their community who have succeeded in those fields.
Where I’m concerned, the value of a Villanova University B.S. in electrical engineering diminishes in value over time. But being a community journalist is a surefire path to opportunity, recognition, and success!
Stefan Roots blogs at Chester Matters.
