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A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

theatlantic.com

491–497 of 497 posts

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Applied Cryptography[0] is available for $18.97 for a used hardcover copy on Amazon. The only thing that doesn't come with that a classroom does is someone to hold you accountable to read it. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algori...

One could memorize Applied Cryptography, and still not be qualified to create a new encryption algorithm. That requires advanced education. Additionally, Applied Cryptography is an outdated (“classic”?) book. It’s most recent introduction clearly states this, and refers the reader to a different book (“Cryptographic Engineering”) for more current information. Can you give me a bibliography of books readable by a pers…

[deleted]

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I became a single father when my youngest was a baby. I was juggling a baby plus a two year old and all that comes with it (obviously I couldn't breastfeed) with full time work. I saw the results of years of womens studies first hand. Zero services available to fathers of babies since every single government funded program was only for mothers. Being questioned about potential unsavoury activies because my two year o…

First off, this really has nothing to do with anything I said. It's you projecting your baggage onto me. Which is par for the course. I do not self identify as a feminist. The things I'm talking about having studied aren't the things you are thinking of. I have a pretty good track record of being even-handed about gender issues in my comments in this forum. I still get a lot of flak. This discussion is a good example…

I replied to you because you felt the need to cover your statement with:

> tend to not think I'm someone who has actively studied the space because of the ways it has negatively impacted my life, so I'm somewhat knowledgeable about such topics

Those who have actively studied in this area have had large negative impacts on my life. I felt the impacts of gender policy, derived from the liberal arts academia, during the hardest years of my life. I'm sick of having the fact I'm a cis het white man thrown in my face by people "educated" in this area. Here's something I wrote here 8 days ago:

>That video reflects purely on skin colour and I feel that can be harmful. My skin is white but I'm descendant from the Australian Stolen Generation (google it if you want to see more). I was raised in a poor country town and I literally joined the military to escape that life......I make decent money now since I used the military for a CS education but when I go shopping I choose to go to the low socioeconomic area. I don't fit in culturally at the upper middle class shopping centers. I don't dress the same, talk the same, hold the same values, etc. Not feeling like you don't fit in isn't just linked to race.

I don't fit in culturally in upper class white areas. I was born and raised in an area that is in the top 5 for every single crime in my state. My family still has baggage from literally being stolen and given away, not to mention being half casts (part aboriginal). I became a single parent. And yet, I've worked my arse off and managed to carve myself a good career and a lovely life.

I see plenty of black people, women and gay people do very well in life. The trick is to be born in money or into a culture of success (i.e. did you know 2nd generation Nigerians and Ethiopians have better educational success than the general population?). The issue is that a large majority of slave descendant black people are born into a cycle of poverty. In my home town I've seen programs attempting to break this cycle and it's brutally hard.

I'm much more interested in breaking these cycles of poverty than I am in restructing the way society manages productive work. Free, educationally-programmed daycare from 6 months of age? Daycare that has the ability to accomodate people working non-business hours? Some form of universal income to keep people afloat? I'm all ears here, and this will benefit marginal communities immensely.

Blaming it on cis white men? My ears will close. It's a single-digit percentage of white people born into the privilege that those at top have. People of all races can be born here but due to historical reason it's pretty heavily white. The majority of us aren't born into that and are sick of being blamed.

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First off, this really has nothing to do with anything I said. It's you projecting your baggage onto me. Which is par for the course. I do not self identify as a feminist. The things I'm talking about having studied aren't the things you are thinking of. I have a pretty good track record of being even-handed about gender issues in my comments in this forum. I still get a lot of flak. This discussion is a good example…

I replied to you because you felt the need to cover your statement with: > tend to not think I'm someone who has actively studied the space because of the ways it has negatively impacted my life, so I'm somewhat knowledgeable about such topics Those who have actively studied in this area have had large negative impacts on my life. I felt the impacts of gender policy, derived from the liberal arts academia, during the…

Blaming it on cis white men?

That isn't remotely what I'm saying at all.

And you are making erroneous assumptions about what I've studied.

This is a pointless discussion.

Have a good evening -- or whatever time it is where you happen to be.

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#494
post #106
post #4

Most successful people have X. Government: “Let’s give everyone X!” Over time the value of X is diluted, loses its status signaling, and overall quality degrades. Successful people move to Y.

We give everyone in the U.S. high school education and we don't make the claims you make above. Why would higher education be different? The purpose of free higher ed for all is not to guarantee everyone a good life–it is to try and give everyone an equal chance at a good life. If higher ed is highly correlated to escaping poverty and upward economic mobility, then college costs raising at a rate 11 times faster than…

That's because high school education used to be the X, and successful people moved on to college (the new Y), but college is now the old thing and people are moving on to whatever Z is.

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#495
post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn’t get a CS degree. Just started programming when I was 8 or 9. I’m in the $200k/yr, house paid off, never had college debt, and 23 year-ish of gains in stocks following a “buy and hold” approach since the 90s. Apple at $8-$9/share right before that iMac was a good call. I also have deep and engaging conversations with mathematicians and physicists. I’ve tutored them in odd math they’ve simply never encountered…

If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG), then you’re actually a case study on behalf of the value of a (good) CS degree.

>If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG)

I think you should be clear that when you say "some new grads going into FAANG", the word "some" actually means "very very few". Because, very very few grads going into FAANG actually make $200k/yr starting.

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is simply untrue. You cant learn, for example, advanced cryptography outside a classroom.

what is stopping you from buying and reading books on cryptography, number theory, security protocols etc?

School is about a person who knows more than you on a topic, being over your shoulder, and telling you "that is right", "that is wrong", "you should do this via this method", etc.

School isn't just a funnel of knowledge being poured into your brain. It's about the people that teach you and verify that you are actually learning the right things. Sure, you can pick up books on cryptography, but who would you rather hire? A self-taught cryptographer, or a university-vetted cryptographer?

Re: A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life

#497
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are confusing social democracy and communism[1]. I agree with you that people should be free to own property and become wealthy. However, I do not think it should come at the cost of removing social net for the less lucky. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy

Is that the same social democracy as in Russian Social Democratic Labour Party?

No, it isn't.
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