The Death of the Autodidact
thebaffler.com
The Death of the Autodidact
1–10 of 11 posts
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#2Is this a problem? If so, can anything be done about it?
The notion that formal training from a reputable institution should count for more than self-learned skills doesn't seem particularly problematic. And even the notion that credentials from highly regarded and highly selective institutions should count for more than those from less distinguished institutions also seems ok. Of course they do. How could they not?
But maybe I am missing something. If so, I'm sure the internet will promptly inform me of it.
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#3Is this a problem? If so, can anything be done about it? The notion that formal training from a reputable institution should count for more than self-learned skills doesn't seem particularly problematic. And even the notion that credentials from highly regarded and highly selective institutions should count for more than those from less distinguished institutions also seems ok. Of course they do. How could they not?…
This article doesn't really express the death of the autodidact, but rather than the rejection of the autodidact in Silicon Valley enterprises.
I've seen in this article no references to statistics showing that there are less autodidactic learning now than earlier.
I've not seen either references to statistics showing that there were fewer autodidacts amongst startup entrepreneurs.
I would rather think that with the development of the Internet, of MOOCs, youtube channels dedicated to teaching, and the mere availability of books from the Internet, there is nowadays more autodidactic learning than ever.
For make no mistake, learning anything from a MOOC is really autodidactic: the requirements to pass the MOOC exams are usually minimum, if you want to learn something, you will have to do your own study well beyond what is required to get the little certificate.
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#4Half-OT: Could it be that OOP was favoured for many years, because most professional developers were autodidacts and now that more people get CS degrees, we see a rise of FP?
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#5The deaths in Oakland are an illustration of why architects are licensed. They're licensed because legal construction requires building permits. And build permits exist so that fire inspections are less necessary. And fire inspections exist because people construct stupid things that lead to the deaths of other people.
Mies and Wright both had licenses to practice architecture. It's what allowed them to practice in the mid 20th century as license laws became common. License laws became common as building code become common. Building codes became common after the Triangle Shirtwaiste fire.
There are problematic professional licensure categories. Barbers aren't one of them. The practice is licensed because hygienic practices are necessary to reduce the spread of disease. It's why I probably won't get headlice or a bloodborne illness from a shave and a haircut.
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#6Half-OT: Could it be that OOP was favoured for many years, because most professional developers were autodidacts and now that more people get CS degrees, we see a rise of FP?
I don't think there is a connection between OOP and autodidact developers. Do you see one?
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#7Half-OT: Could it be that OOP was favoured for many years, because most professional developers were autodidacts and now that more people get CS degrees, we see a rise of FP?
I don't think there is a connection between OOP and autodidact developers. Do you see one?
The connection I saw, was FP has a steeper learning curve and favours higher math concepts that manye autodidacts are lacking, so they would naturally go into learning OOP.
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#8The deaths in Oakland are an illustration of why architects are licensed. They're licensed because legal construction requires building permits. And build permits exist so that fire inspections are less necessary. And fire inspections exist because people construct stupid things that lead to the deaths of other people. Mies and Wright both had licenses to practice architecture. It's what allowed them to practice in t…
> Mies and Wright both had licenses to practice architecture.
Which proves that licenses may be necessary to prevent dangerous architecture, but certainly aren't sufficient to prevent hideous architecture.
> There are problematic professional licensure categories. Barbers aren't one of them. The practice is licensed because hygienic practices are necessary to reduce the spread of disease. It's why I probably won't get headlice or a bloodborne illness from a shave and a haircut.
What level of licensure or inspection is required? How certain are you that the current level is the correct level?
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#9The deaths in Oakland are an illustration of why architects are licensed. They're licensed because legal construction requires building permits. And build permits exist so that fire inspections are less necessary. And fire inspections exist because people construct stupid things that lead to the deaths of other people. Mies and Wright both had licenses to practice architecture. It's what allowed them to practice in t…
> Mies and Wright both had licenses to practice architecture. Which proves that licenses may be necessary to prevent dangerous architecture, but certainly aren't sufficient to prevent hideous architecture. > There are problematic professional licensure categories. Barbers aren't one of them. The practice is licensed because hygienic practices are necessary to reduce the spread of disease. It's why I probably won't ge…
I am certain that the current level of barber licensing is more correct that the non-licensing advocated by the article for the public health reasons I listed.
Re: The Death of the Autodidact
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think there is a connection between OOP and autodidact developers. Do you see one?
The connection I saw, was FP has a steeper learning curve and favours higher math concepts that manye autodidacts are lacking, so they would naturally go into learning OOP.
I could argue the opposite, that working developers who have an autodidactic bent tend to be attracted to FP, while those who picked computer science because it is a good career learn OOP in school and stick with it.