[Scorpner]

I think it's always important to learn as much as possible about the processes up and down the line. Knowledge is power and a guy without knowledge doesn't know what he's missing.

I was an electronic technician for many years that also had a couple of years of education in engineering. I had a far better understanding of what was going on, what the engineers meant, and the reasoning for the way many things were done. It even helped me communicate with my customers more effectively.

A couple of misgivings I have about a school taking away a class like that are; the lack of knowledge taught and thus a lack of the quality of education being sold to the student, and also a lack of the ability to move laterally in the field. Not every technician ends up doing tech work, sometimes life presents opportunities and having a broader exposure can allow a guy to move into something that he couldn't have otherwise.

Students are the customers of any college, but it often seems like it's the other way around since students are used to being told what to do. IMO, when making decisions like this, the consumers best interests should be foremost in their mind.