We had a new EE a few years back get hired who couldn’t use basic test equipment like multimeters and Oscopes. I’m sure the educational standards in non stem areas, like accounting and such, are just as abysmal. Companies can be better off just hiring bright people and training them rather than college students who end up being pains in the butt because of the social brainwashing
My son graduated as an EE and in school it became evident to me that he was going to have the same issues you described. I encouraged him to take basic soldering courses and other basic technical training he was skeptical but followed thru. It ended up augmenting his EE degree and paid off for him.
EE’s are not technicians.
EE education has been moving toward an all-software approach for some time now so that doesn’t surprise me. Universities\colleges save some money by not having to do\pay for maintenance on the lab equipment. You never have to recalibrate or have software go obsolete.
Didn’t their classes have labs?!?