Math problems are a problem for job-seekers, employers say

[oldhippie]

196. You are so right ....

So much of this whole thread is about not paying enough to attract the proper talent, or how if you don't measure things very often then you can't remember how to use a tape measure.

I say BS. It doesn't matter what the pay is. The point is that only 1 in 10 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES can pass a simple grade school arithmetic skills test.

And even worse, the argument that it takes continual practice to be able to figure out how to measure things with a tape measure or measuring spoons just blows my mind. Reading a ruler, or tape measure, whether in English or metric units, doesn't take training or experience, or continual practice, it takes INTELLECT. That is what seems to be sadly lacking, in both high school graduates, and posters in this thread, and today's society in general.

This whole thread has made me very depressed. I begin to lose hope for the future of our society. The only thing that helps me is that I did work as an engineering mentor with a high school competitive robotics team (USFIRST) for about 8 years. So I do know that there are a few bright kids out there that have the intellect to carry on some semblance of an advancement of knowledge and be able to design and manufacture beneficial products. But they are only about 5% of the student population, far too few.