good people vs good workers (Score 1)

I think a general problem with education today is we get really caught up with making "good workers" instead of "good people".

College is there to make you a better person. To make you aware of the world and how to think, question, and create, both in a specific field, and in general. The particular language and the depth of how it is taught and how useful that is for employment are secondary to learning the concepts behind letting your create something useful with whatever tools you may be using. Of course concrete examples and hands on experience are part of this, but they are just part of the means and not the ends.

Of course we all need to work for a living, but you never know what the future holds. Job requirements and environments change, our interests change, our abilities develop, and we keep on being presented with new challenges. While in college you have a chance to explore and not get bogged down in the details that may be required for survival. Learn all you can from other subjects especially the humanities, because they give you background on ways to look at the world and examine your place in it. With this background you'll find you can pick up any specifics you need rather quickly, but more so, you'll be able to apply them that much better.

Good employers do recognise good people who can solve problems, communicate well, and be creative within their field, and reward them. If you need to "pay your dues" to get in the door and get some experience with some deep knowledge of something particular (like a certification or the like), don't let the pursuit of that detract from the kind of personal development that you now have a unique opportunity to gain.