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Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

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Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course this is just a snide remark that doesn't contribute to the conversation, but it can be interesting to dive deeper: For example, why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote?

> why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote? "Cortical white matter increases from childhood (~9 years) to adolescence (~14 years)," while "cortical grey matter development peaks at ~12 years of age in the frontal and parietal cortices, and 14–16 years in the temporal lobes" [1]. The latter processes emotions and language [2]. Its myelination continues significantly through at least 17 years old [3], throu…

Previously in the United States, schools taught "all men are created equal" to people that could see that they weren't being treated that way.

Similarly, today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class.

Apparently you think there are some characteristics of children that should disqualify them from voting. Others think similarly of other groups.

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote? "Cortical white matter increases from childhood (~9 years) to adolescence (~14 years)," while "cortical grey matter development peaks at ~12 years of age in the frontal and parietal cortices, and 14–16 years in the temporal lobes" [1]. The latter processes emotions and language [2]. Its myelination continues significantly through at least 17 years old [3], throu…

Previously in the United States, schools taught "all men are created equal" to people that could see that they weren't being treated that way. Similarly, today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class. Apparently you think there are some characteristics of children that should disqualify them from voting. Others think similarly of other groups.

[deleted]

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#104

Highly intelligent kids at 18 are ready for the real world. Its a waste of time to make them memorize random subjects

"What the deuce is [the solar system] to me? You say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." (c)

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#105
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waste of time for who? The corporation? I suppose if all you are interested in are productive slaves, I can see why skipping education would be seductive.

DOGE university

Department Of Greatest Education? :)

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote? "Cortical white matter increases from childhood (~9 years) to adolescence (~14 years)," while "cortical grey matter development peaks at ~12 years of age in the frontal and parietal cortices, and 14–16 years in the temporal lobes" [1]. The latter processes emotions and language [2]. Its myelination continues significantly through at least 17 years old [3], throu…

Previously in the United States, schools taught "all men are created equal" to people that could see that they weren't being treated that way. Similarly, today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class. Apparently you think there are some characteristics of children that should disqualify them from voting. Others think similarly of other groups.

> today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class

Universal suffrage remains both a myth and an experiment. From citizenship requirements to criminal disenfranchisement, the fact that we gatekeep voting is not exactly a secret.

Our civic education is also horribly incomplete in discussing why America was designed as a republic, not a direct democracy, an argument made extremely well by learned Athenians, Romans, Carthaginians, Vedics and Americans, most notably in the Federalist Papers.

> Others think similarly of other groups

Sure. Some of them are wrong. Some of them are right.

Unless we’re talking about giving every human a vote, it’s disingenuous to argue we should give children suffrage because universal suffrage is some divine diktat.

(Where we could have an informed debate is around whether letting kids participate in school and municipal elections makes sense.)

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#107
post #51

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_soldiers_in_Cambodia Visit Phnom Penh (its not pleasant), visit the killing fields and the prisons. There are pictures of the child soldiers that were authorities at prisons, encouraged to report on adults and punish.

What does this have to do with the post?

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why don't the kids themselves have the right to vote? "Cortical white matter increases from childhood (~9 years) to adolescence (~14 years)," while "cortical grey matter development peaks at ~12 years of age in the frontal and parietal cortices, and 14–16 years in the temporal lobes" [1]. The latter processes emotions and language [2]. Its myelination continues significantly through at least 17 years old [3], throu…

Previously in the United States, schools taught "all men are created equal" to people that could see that they weren't being treated that way. Similarly, today we teach the importance of "universal suffrage" to kids, an entirely disenfranchised class. Apparently you think there are some characteristics of children that should disqualify them from voting. Others think similarly of other groups.

I don't think it takes a lofty degree in statecraft to claim that five-year-olds probably shouldn't get to vote. Of course five-year-olds are a disenfranchised class, they are for a reason. I think we're just quibbling over the age threshold here.

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If "memorizing random subjects" is all college is to you, or all learning is to you, then yeah, probably is a waste of time.

Does a computer science major or engineering degree really need history or humanities classes? Sure, it might make more rounded humans but they are completely unnecessary. However, most colleges require these unnecessary classes to get a STEM degree.

> Does a computer science major or engineering degree really need history or humanities classes?

CS majors are members of society so absolutely without a doubt yes.

Re: Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It's Hiring High-School Grads

#110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would anyone take a programming job over the summer fresh out of high school? What makes that a terrible deal? What is your counterfactual here?

If you're talented enough to pique a recruiter's interest in high school , you're much too talented to sign yourself away to a single company for the long haul in your 20s. Get experience in different industries, see what different corporate cultures are like, and learn how to negotiate compensation. Do these things early and often, because you don't have a spouse, or kids, or a house yet.

I think there are actually a lot more kids like this than you’d think. Like many of those kids, I was so desperate for a job (I needed a job, to pay rent and to eat) that I would have been happy to take any computer job, since the alternative for me was stuff like unloading trucks and stocking shelves.

Unfortunately the standard hiring channels are not very good at finding those folks because they have few credentials. Also, like me, they may be good at certain things and have huge blind spots in other areas.

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