An open letter to the world - the war on education
fifteenandahalf.com
An open letter to the world - the war on education
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Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#2College. The point isn't so much to pigeonhole oneself into a safe job at a big company but to take some liberal-arts courses to better oneself and to avoid becoming a one-dimensional human being.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#3Insight: University fees for Students in the UK have risen from £3500 per year to either £6000 or a maximum of £9000 while the government has cut funding for teaching and research. Most universities have opted to charge the maximum £9000 per year to the surprise of the policymakers. These changes will arrive in 2012.
The government also behind start up culture with startup Britain: http://www.startupbritain.org/
But as the OP suggests, although there is a risk forming a startup at any time, education now seems to have the same amount of risk involved as it will settle the student with at least £40,000 of debt (fees 9000, accommodation food etc 3-4000) for 3-4 years.
Finding a job straight out of school at 16 will also be quite daunting as the unemployment level is continuously rising so there is no safety net.
Although this will not help now, I can only hope that when the country has settled its financial debt, it will make education free or more affordable although this could be wishful thinking..
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#4College. The point isn't so much to pigeonhole oneself into a safe job at a big company but to take some liberal-arts courses to better oneself and to avoid becoming a one-dimensional human being.
Okay, seriously, how is this advice not a gigantic blatant lie? Read science fiction written by knowledgeable people who put their knowledge in the story, go to science fiction conventions, attend random lectures in your city, read history books you're actually interested in, read basic textbooks in a variety of fields, go to kink events and learn about anything that interests you, visit a foreign country and stay there long enough to absorb a culture, make strange friends, not to mention DOING A STARTUP, and at the end you will be a hell of a lot more well-rounded than somebody who paid $80,000 to take a course requiring them to read Moby Dick.
Trudging off dully into college like the est of the drones is an efficient way of becoming multidimensional? A more efficient way than DOING A STARTUP? GIVE me a goddamned BREAK! Isn't this one of those things that is just blatantly false but which everyone repeats anyway? And even if it were true, there'd be hella more efficient ways to round yourself using $80,000.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#5[deleted]
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#6College. The point isn't so much to pigeonhole oneself into a safe job at a big company but to take some liberal-arts courses to better oneself and to avoid becoming a one-dimensional human being.
Okay, seriously, how is this advice not a gigantic blatant lie? Read science fiction written by knowledgeable people who put their knowledge in the story, go to science fiction conventions, attend random lectures in your city, read history books you're actually interested in, read basic textbooks in a variety of fields, go to kink events and learn about anything that interests you, visit a foreign country and stay th…
While doing all of the things you listed may indeed result in a better education than going to college, most people are too lazy or inexperienced to come up and follow through with such a self-education program.
I have met people who frown upon college-level liberal-arts education, and now do my best to avoid them. It isn't so much that I agreed with everything that was taught in college (I was one of those students who would often end up arguing with the professor), it's just that such willful ignorance on the part of these people is a huge warning sign in my book.
BTW, I enjoy reading your blog.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#7I feel so privileged.
Graduating in two months. Payed about 5000 Euros for 5 years of engineering education.
Got about 25k from the government for living expenses. More than half of it as a grant - independent of my grades, as long as I passed.*
I'm European, too. Of course, if you live in Scandinavia its even better than here in Germany. And yes, our system has lots of mistakes und isn't very fair in many cases. Still, I feel especially sorry for this, apparently super talented and hardworking kid. He can't even be sure that the fees won't rise while he is in college. I really hope he finds his way!
*Only requirement: Don't have rich parents, don't save money, don't earn to much with side jobs and fill out tons of paperwork about every aspect of your life.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#8I should probably add some more detail to the story:
1)I have a place confirmed at a good college, Im considering if I should take it 2)I have a multitude of job offers although I have one in particular earmarked as favourite 3)Through spending so much time working with startups/government/media in London, I have built up a great network of contacts already - unfortunately, I'd be unable to to the same thing at college 4)As one commenter pointed out - the startup is very time intensive and will need funding and someone to work on it full time in the near future 5)In reply to another comment, I do have a precise vision of exactly where I want to be. Being a 'successful entrepreneur' can mean a hundred different things to a hundred different people. 6)I dont fear failure if there is a possibility of success - I do however believe that taking such a massive risk is stupidity if there is NO chance of success. My blog post also acts as a way for me to 'test the waters' as it were to find out if success if possible.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#9College. The point isn't so much to pigeonhole oneself into a safe job at a big company but to take some liberal-arts courses to better oneself and to avoid becoming a one-dimensional human being.
Okay, seriously, how is this advice not a gigantic blatant lie? Read science fiction written by knowledgeable people who put their knowledge in the story, go to science fiction conventions, attend random lectures in your city, read history books you're actually interested in, read basic textbooks in a variety of fields, go to kink events and learn about anything that interests you, visit a foreign country and stay th…
I spent far less than $80k to get my degree from a big state school in the US, so this doesn't necessarily apply to the OP's situation if indeed that's the minimum they'd end up spending in the UK.
But I have to disagree with you that it's a "gigantic blatant lie." Perhaps it's overly optimistic regarding the quality of education one would get for $80k, but it's not a lie. Sure, you can get very well-rounded by reading books on your own but there's a tremendous amount of value to be gotten from going to college too, maybe even a different kind of value, or for a different person.
I took a fair amount of higher level math in college and I really don't think I would have had the same experience studying that stuff on my own. I'm sure there are people who can read abstract algebra, analysis, and geometry textbooks on their own and get 100% of the understanding a good professor would try to impart during lectures, but I bet they are rare. In 16-18-yr olds, probably quite rare.
Regarding liberal arts courses, I had the opportunity to study Japanese literature and film with some really great professors, and that's something I could have obviously done on my own (watch movies, read books, write critical papers and mull over them by myself). But it's not the same. Maybe not better, maybe not worse, but I disagree with your assumption that self-study is a drop in replacement for college.
"Doing a startup" probably offers a great deal of opportunities for personal growth and well-roundedness, but I really don't think it's going to be the same as studying things like upper division math, compilers, the French new wave in depth at a decent university class.
I completely agree that college is totally over-priced. At $80k, my arguments start to look a little flimsy. But as a blanket statement, I have to disagree with you that the idea that "college offers value to someone wanting to be well-rounded" is a blatant lie. Also, your tone was a bit shrill.
Re: An open letter to the world - the war on education
#10I should probably add some more detail to the story: 1)I have a place confirmed at a good college, Im considering if I should take it 2)I have a multitude of job offers although I have one in particular earmarked as favourite 3)Through spending so much time working with startups/government/media in London, I have built up a great network of contacts already - unfortunately, I'd be unable to to the same thing at colle…
How long is your college place good? Can you work for a year or two, save money and then still take it or do you have to reapply?