Many of us are well aware of how difficult some of the prerequisite CS classes can be so he definitely has my respect.
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72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
31–40 of 142 posts
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#32This may be good for his personal development or growth and understanding but wouldn't his constituents rather he dedicate his time to representing them and their interests in the house of representatives?
Maybe they don't mind him spending a few hours on it each day after he's done with work and would rather he have this more knowledgeable take on relevant legislation.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#33A major problem in our society is that '72-year-old' is in the headline. If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. Not only does the world change under your feet, you need that stimulation just to stay healthy. We ruin the talent, economic value, and freedom and opportunity of a very large portion of the population by dimissing the growth of anyone in late middle-age or later. 72 years old shouldn't be remar…
I generally agree. But it's worth pointing out that continued learning is more important than continued accreditation. There's probably not much economic value in a new formal degree past 70 years of age.
I'm a little frustrated with how many people seem to treat learning like an activity exclusive to schools. Self-guided learning is extremely valuable.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#34This is so refreshing to read, but so very rare. I thought the "I don't know, but I'll find out" crowd died out in politics.
Sen. Wyden from Ore. frequently speaks at DefCon and when he answers Q's he also asks lots of Q's. He talks with that odd (IMHO cringey) politician cadence, but he's a smart dude when it comes to tech, especially privacy.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#35Is there a good book about techniques for learning in maturity?
How does "learning in maturity" change from regular learning? Why do you need a book? Just go find something and learn it...the system couldn't be simpler.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#36A major problem in our society is that '72-year-old' is in the headline. If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. Not only does the world change under your feet, you need that stimulation just to stay healthy. We ruin the talent, economic value, and freedom and opportunity of a very large portion of the population by dimissing the growth of anyone in late middle-age or later. 72 years old shouldn't be remar…
The reality is that most people's mental abilities have started to decline by this age, particularly the capacity to learn new things. That makes this story all the more remarkable. Part of that I think is certainly as you suggest, that the brain is a muscle, you need to use it to keep it fit. But you can't escape nature either. To keep the muscle analogy, you won’t compete as an athlete at 72 no matter how fit you remain.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#37This may be good for his personal development or growth and understanding but wouldn't his constituents rather he dedicate his time to representing them and their interests in the house of representatives?
No.
Being a Congressman not only means attending to his local issues and policies.
It also means helping create federal and state policies, regulations, being member of national committees, etc.
And there are going to be more such bodies in the near future centered around technology and AI.
It's laudable that he is keeping himself updated and informed.
Remember the judge who learned Java? It's like that.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#38A major problem in our society is that '72-year-old' is in the headline. If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. Not only does the world change under your feet, you need that stimulation just to stay healthy. We ruin the talent, economic value, and freedom and opportunity of a very large portion of the population by dimissing the growth of anyone in late middle-age or later. 72 years old shouldn't be remar…
I mean I'm nearing 40 and pondering if the investment of going back to school would actually be worth the effort given the say roughly 20 years I'd have to enjoy it, especially given how the last 20 years have completely flown by. I think there's a valid "why?" here. Obviously it comes down to some people being driven to knowledge purely for knowledge sake, and that's wonderful. That's what makes them happy. I think…
Yeah I think that's a summary of parent point. I remember taking multiple classes at my Community College as a 17 year old to knock out College GEs. It was interesting mix. There were people like me, people that were slightly older trying to learn and find a Direction, and there were 60 some odds who are learning for the fun of learning.
Now that I'm older, I increasingly value the last category of continuous learning. It's one of the greatest privileges of being in a developed Society with access to information. It is one of the cheapest and most enjoyable forms of entertainment available to human beings, and something that it seems that people the frequently undervalue.
Re: 72-year-old Congressman pursues a Master's in AI
#39A major problem in our society is that '72-year-old' is in the headline. If you are not growing, you are declining or dead. Not only does the world change under your feet, you need that stimulation just to stay healthy. We ruin the talent, economic value, and freedom and opportunity of a very large portion of the population by dimissing the growth of anyone in late middle-age or later. 72 years old shouldn't be remar…
I generally agree. But it's worth pointing out that continued learning is more important than continued accreditation . There's probably not much economic value in a new formal degree past 70 years of age. I'm a little frustrated with how many people seem to treat learning like an activity exclusive to schools. Self-guided learning is extremely valuable.
Self-guided learning is amazing but a lot of people struggle with the discipline involved. Often when you set out to study a topic you’re interested in, you find that it has prerequisites in other areas (such as calculus) that you may not be strong at or even actively avoid studying. For many people this can put an end to their self-guided study.
Attending a formal educational institution, on the other hand, has proven very effective at getting people to knuckle down and study calculus (or whatever their “blocker” discipline is) so that they can move on to studying what they’re really interested in.