I have not been very impressed with the recent graduates from our universities and I think that I know the reason why. I will explain in this blog.
Do you know what an "Algorithm" is? Check out the dictionary. It is some kind of procedure or recipe that when followed will produce some kind of predicted end product. When you were in grade school and learned how to do "long division", what you were learning was an "Algorithm" on how to divide a number by any other number. The teacher did not invent the algorithm that they were teaching you. It was invented by some "smart" person many years ago. I don't think your teacher ever invented anything nor do most people.
If you know all of the possible mathematic algorithms, you still may still not be able to solve a word problem. You may not be smart enough to invent an algorithm, but you could be smart enough to apply an algorithm. When you go to college, it does not make you any smarter. It only allows you to learn or memorize different algorithms invented by really smart people.
Medical schools are among the worse when it comes to teaching algorithms. It is almost like a chiefs school where they teach how to cook different recipes. Recently the medical schools have gotten into AI or artificial intelligence. AI is just more complicated algorithms that would be harder to follow if one tried to write them down on paper and then try to memorize them. Smart people can invent computers that can operate the AI algorithms for doctors. If you know how to operate a computer, you could do as well as the average doctor in diagnosing your problem.
To give you an idea how significant smart people are to the human race and how the algorithms they invent are so important to you and me, look at the New World. When Columbus discovered America, there were more people here than in Europe. They had a much better food supply and were much taller than Europeans, but they did not have "iron" for tools or weapons. Where did Europe get their "iron" for tools and weapons? Someone invented the process or algorithm to smelt iron and all the other people used that algorithm to prosper.
What the world needs are more really smart or "lucky" people and a recognition that our colleges mostly only provide training on how to operate algorithms invented by others. We need more inventors and really smart people and our colleges are not providing them.
