On Dec 8, 2003, at 11:18 AM, Jason Dusek wrote: [..]
[..]I think drieux has raised a good point in taking a shot at the 'learning how to think' snobbery too common among college graduates.
It is not so much a shot at 'snobbery' as it is at the lack of 'intellectual rigor' that the phrase bleats like a sheep. The university system is having a lot of problems with justifying it's existence. The older notions of it being a prepatory system for taking over the reigns of government and commerce are a bit strained as an excuse to get Government and/or Private Sector Funding. In PART because with things like the Internet, IF one wants to learn, one can and at far cheaper rates. You might also notice that in the UK the phrase is "reading for..." rather than the american 'majoring in'.
So let me smack you about the head and shoulders on the problem with getting 'student loans' - have you ever thought of the simpler approach? Put together a business plan, shop it around, get some Angle Funding and go for an "A" round of funding??? The alternative of course is to get a RealJob[dm] and let it pay the cash flow for the duration while you master the art of codeMongering or what ever.
One could tell those of us in the 'start up' who had put in some time 'raising funding', 'the old fashion way', from those who were lucky enough to get 'college grants,loans,etc' to help them run their college Gambits. They learned one set of 'rules' about doing 'risk analysis', which really is the point you are trying to bang at with your kvetch about 'powerful people' and 'break/bend' the rules. Which I think is a part of what you are trying to smack with the 'snobbery' point.
Those of us with the 'alternative' route through the academic minefields arrived understanding other forms of risk analysis. Ironically, the same set we use to resolve do we want/need a 'strongly typed language' so that our compiler will save us - or can we live with bringing our 'A game' to the process - and place it all on one chance of pitch and toss...
Learn to be nice to undergrads and grad students. Think about the unpleasant lack of experience that they have in a wide range of issues. Most of them grew up in normal homes with median types of families. ALL they have to 'validate their personhood' IS that college degree, and their 'connections'. Unlike the rest of us who have different sets of 'connections' and different sets of Rules that drive our 'risk analysis'.
At best they know what they have been taught, and rarely have they had the time to test their speculations. So if you want to learn Perl, learn it! Test out Ideas! See how things can be done! That good old fashion all american approach of basing one's opinion upon what one has DONE....
There will always be poseurs. There will always be shisters, shills, and hustlers.
IF you learned how to do the process of learning, Then WHY get a college degree??? IF your skill mix is taking you where you want to be, then rock ON! if it is not, figure out where you want to be and go there.
so that we are clear, I had $65 in my jeans, an address from people in the old country, and everything on my back when I landed at O'Hare.
Any Questions?
ciao drieux
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