Education in America

 

I have been in some form of education for over 40 years...  starting back in 1974 when I worked for a non-profit with a 501 (c) (3) status with the Federal Government as an educational institution.  And...  in 2015 I retired after teaching at a local university for 3 years.  After I had officially retired with the Social Security Administration, I still taught over 30 evening classes for another local university until 2021 in the area of business administration and management.

I have taught the following classes:

1. English Composition
2. Business Communications
3. Economics
4. Project Management
5. Project Process Architecture
6. Business Management
7. Strategic Planning
8. Business Policy
9. Introduction to Computers
10. Computer Networking
11. ISO/QS 9000/2000 Certification
12. Leadership
13. Entrepreneurship
14. Financial Planning
15. Digital Skills
16. Statistical Process Control
17. Quality Management
18. Re-engineering Systems
19. Quality Auditing
20. Team Oriented Problem Solving

NOTE:  

1.  During my teaching career, the best students were the ones who were receiving training by their employers to improve their job performance and acquire more marketable skills in case they wanted to change jobs or even companies.

2.  The worst students were the ones who might be considered traditional students pursuing a Bachelors Degree and it did not matter if they were paying tuition or their parents were paying it or their employers were paying it...  they did not seem to take their education seriously.

• These traditional students did not do homework...
• These traditional students did not prepare for the class...
• These traditional students did not like to problem solve...
• These traditional students did not like to drill down on a subject...
• These traditional students expected "A's" because they attended class...
• These traditional students had limited presentation skills...
• These traditional students had poor communication skills...
• These traditional students did not like to participate in class...
• These traditional students did not work well in teams...
• These traditional students did not like essay questions...

These are the same students that are hired by our employers so that those companies can be more competitive and more profitable.

GO FIGURE

Careers and Such

I worked for 45 years and retired in 2015 although I still teach a class or two in the evenings for a local university in business or some sort of related field.  I can only teach undergraduates as I do not have a PhD and my 45 year career accounts for absolutely nothing when it comes to schools wanting to keep their accreditation...  which to me seems somewhat silly since most of those who hold PhD's have no work experience at all other than teaching their classes and attending meeting and/or conferences and giving speeches.

I have held the following positions:

• Laborer
• Associate
• Manager
• Director
• Executive Director
• Corporate Director
• President
• CEO
• General Education Instructor
• Project Management Chair
• Assistant Dean of Students
• Dean of Students
• Director of Education
• Professor of Business

Ironically, in all of my positions, except that of being a professor, I worked 60+hours a week...  when I was a full time professor, I was hard pressed to work 20 hours a week of which ONE FIFTH of that was spent in the office waiting for students to visit me but no one ever did.

What did I learn?

1.  Management cannot be trusted

2.  Supervisors cannot be trusted

3.  Someone is always trying to take your job away

4.  If you don't produce you don't stay employed

5.  Achieving results/outcomes is all that matters\

6.  The bottom line is a scapegoat

7.  Don't take anything personal

8.  FOCUS ON:  More revenues, Less expenses

9.  Family always comes second

10.  Don't trust anyone

11.  Christian managers are worse than non-Christian managers

12.  Don't ever be late

13.  Lying to subordinates is typically necessary

14.  Integrity does not always help one succeed

15.  Keep a journal of everything

16.  NEVER LOOK BACK

17.  Improvements are not always necessary or valid

18.  Don't always rely on goals and expectations

19.  Learn to be flexible

20.  NEVER say what you really believe

If this list seems a little too cynical...  believe me, it is not...  it may not be cynical enough because the marketplace of business is a WAR ZONE of power and control, results and profits...  nothing else matters.  EVERYONE is expendable, including top management as well as a Board of Directors...  and Shareholders can always be BOUGHT OUT.

HE WHO RULES TODAY MAY FALL TOMORROW...

Business: General Principles

When one starts a business, one believes or perceives that the business will continue to survive and exist year after year, otherwise it is meaningless to start a business at all.

When one starts a business one does so because one does not want to work and be controlled by someone else.

When one starts a business one does so because one believe or perceives that one can earn enough money with that business to pay one's bills and possible save.

When one starts a business one does so because they believe or perceive that their service or product is necessary to and for others and will continue to be necessary well into the future.

Basic Principles

1.   Generate a business plan

2.  Perform a market analysis

3.  Prepare Financials

• Income and expense statement
• Balance Sheet
• Cash Flow

4.  Secure Financing (partners)

5.  Develop customers

6.  Determine suppliers

7.  Determine the location

8.  Building:  build or lease

9.  Hire employees

10.  Begin Operations

PLEASE NOTE:  A business is not created to provide employment for people...  a business is created first and foremost for the purpose of making money and more importantly a profit...  and the minimum amount of people are hired to achieve that purpose.

Bill Gates started Microsoft to make money

Steve Jobs created Apple to make money

Zuckerberg created Facebook to make money

Pharmaceutical Companies are working on a COVID vaccine to make money

Laws of Management or Common Sense Methodologies

Iron Chef Bobby Flay

According to Bobby Flay who is an IRON CHEF of considerable reputation, spaghetti noodles should be thick not thin because the sauce sticks to them better...  who knew...  unless you were told by a Master Chef or read it in a cookbook but it is simply one fact on which Chefs base their reputations.

A corporation's reputation is based on similar facts as well like:

1. focusing on the notorious "bottom line" or profits shall we say
2. maximizing shareholder wealth and value is another
3. along with finding ways to eliminate the competition
4. developing new products and markets allows for growth
5. and keeping expenses low ties it all together
6. as is hiring the right people for the right job

Can we say that these are the SIX LAWS OF MANAGEMENT or just COMMON SENSE METHODOLOGIES for managing a business enterprise?

Either direction will suffice I suppose but none of these will ever be found in Bobby Flay's Cookbook and there is a reason for the distinction and that is that business operate on a budget and sometimes the most expensive ingredient is not the best to use as it jeopardizes the investments and does not improve the quality of the product as it does in fact improve the taste of the food.

Also, another difference between a corporation and a chef is that the people hired for a corporation are only that number of employees that are absolutely needed and not the number of employees that the company would like to have.  IN SHORT, a corporation is NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT...  it is in the business of MAKING A PROFIT.

Most AMERICANS especially each younger generation believes and perceives that corporations are like their parents who are there specifically to give them whatever they need...   and while that is a beautiful way of living life, it has little to do with BUSINESS PROFITS.