Reading Response Paper 1/22

With the prospect of a flattening world, there are possible problems that many people feel will arise. Many people fear the loss of jobs for the United States. In addressing this concern Friedman suggests that despite jobs being outsourced in large quantities there is a continuous rise of new jobs, in smaller numbers, that are created daily. Evidence of this is through the general stabilization of the United State’s unemployment rate, around 5%.
Is there a crisis around outsourcing and being able to maintain a job? Not really, if you have a job in some professions you may have something to worry about, after all nothing is guaranteed, yet, there are continually new fields and endeavors to be pursued. If the world is flattening it means that there is more availability to create new products and ideas, which literally can mean an endless job market. All we have to do is to take advantage of it. Does this mean that there is no crisis for the United States? No, there is still the crisis of the lack of interest in the science, mathematics and engineering fields. These job markets are some of the most available ones, when dealing with new jobs and ideas, yet there is a decline in the interest and ability in these fields in the United States. This lack of interest, as it is, is pushing companies to expand to other countries, with more ability and interest, especially in Asia.
There does not seem to be one real concrete reason why interest in these fields has dropped. Speculations include the lack of government encouragement, society’s need for instant gratification, and the idea to find schooling that is fun. To those with the interest in science and mathematics they find it fun, but how did they get that interest to begin with? Through different interviews Friedman finds a theme with parental support and encouragement. It is suggested that to stop the crisis the government, the Bush Administration needs to spend more time focusing on and encouraging science and mathematics in schooling. Without this support the United States will find itself buried deep in mathematical and scientific crisis.