Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for August 21, 2012

20 years of schoolin’ and they put you on the day shift…

The engineering major asks ‘how does it work?’The physics major asks ‘why does it work?’The liberal arts major asks ‘do you want fries with that?’

Actually, the engineering and physics majors ask, “Why is my job being outsourced to India?” Fortunately nobody’s figured out how to outsource fast food just yet.

uh-oh, I think he had one semester to go…In the summer that could be done in 7-8 weeks….

don’t forget the social work majors many of them too say “would you like fries with that”

So he’s giving her the stink eye because she has yet to do what he hasn’t done after all these years…

@david_42Don’t you mean “too expensive”? This is what happens when you make something “for profit” that should be available to those who want to do something for the greater good of the country. Who the he(( wants to start their career with a massive debt?

I thought we were going to have a couple of weeks of memories, then would see the actual graduation. Maybe there wasn’t a ceremony since he finished in the summer.

The billionaire stood and complained that if he didn’t outsource, he would not make enough money to the unemployed audience..It’s the same as Ralph Lauren putting “Made in China” blazers on our Olympic athletes. He might lose a penny. How many Americans would stand in line to work on those blazers? How would you feel if you lost to China and knew you were wearing a Made in China outfit? Your own country wouldn’t make your outfit..Alaska, California, and New York with 7%, +8%, and +10% unemployment hired China to make and assemble state bridges. Their explanation was, look how much money we saved the taxpayers. Penny wise and pound foolish.

@USAFMSGT, I once worked for a company that did that. They’d rotate them in and out every six months. The Indians who came over were happy because they got paid more when they were in the States than when they were back home (but still as not as much as a U.S. worker). They’d stay four or five in a small apartment and send the extra money back home.

@david_42, American are willing to put in the work to get college degrees, but they often can’t find jobs when they get out. It’s not just Liberal Arts graduates who are hurting either; science, nursing, even graduates in many tech fields are having trouble finding jobs because companies don’t

because companies don’t want to invest in entry-level grads when they can hire experienced workers for the same positions (and the same pay). Hence the college loan crisis.

Funny!

I’m old enough to remember the “Brain Drain” of technical people from England and elsewhere during the 1950s and 60s. The US population couldn’t supply enough engineers to meet the demands back then.

When did Gene graduate? I missed it.

Looks like he got the job!

Then there was the fellow who had a BA, BS, BSE, MB, MBA, JD, PHD, but no JOB….

First one in the family? Did they get married?

Missed the story that said those here on H1B visas almost invariably wind up going home, whether they want to or not.

Yep, he’s family. C’mon in son, nice ta see ya, get ta work. LOL. Been there, done all kinds of that.

I’ve got more than four years of college with no degree (changed majors mid-stream), but at my age I’ve got no real reason to go back and get one. I took classes that taught me things I was interested in learning, not classes that would get me a job when I finished. And I haven’t had to work fast-food since I was IN college. The job I have now interests me, and it pays well, and having a degree wouldn’t make it pay any better.

On the other hand, I can write clearly and precisely when called upon to do so, I can visit foreign countries and know something about their culture and history, I can read just about any book (fiction or general non-fiction) or magazine or newspaper article and know what they’re talking about, in terms of both subject matter and reference, and I can carry on a meaningful conversation (at a non-specialist level) with someone from just about any field.

Three cheers for “Liberal Education” for its own sake!

That’s the way it’s become. Kids go to college and they end up asking: “Do you want fries with that? Do you want lemon for your iced tea? Does she want a cheeseburger or Chicken McNuggets for her Happy Meal?”

You make your own decisions. Arlo & Janis came from a very conservative college campus (the writer and first spouse at the time). The strip is a cronicle of their suppose child. I have been in their "physical place and emotional time’. I think “Pop” is emphasizing that no matter how smart you are and how many degrees you have, no one has suffered from putting in a hard day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Auburn Creed – look it up. Jimmy understands it.