[ExI] Eventbrite/Zoom addiction!

[John Grigg]

 bill w wrote:
"Dave = agreed - what you learn in college is not, mostly, for what you do
on your job.  It's for what you do with the other parts of your life:
your religion and philosophy; your aesthetics in the arts; your basic
understanding of people from biology, psychology, history and more."

But isn't this the classic argument for a college education at the
bachelor's degree level? You attend university to broaden your horizons,
enrich your character, learn a broad overview of western thought and
history, and network with people who may be of benefit to you (or you to
them) in future years. I realize that for a long time, the sons of the
nobility, or at least the relatively wealthy, were largely the relative few
who received such an education. At this point we offer college to everyone,
but they are money guzzling factories/diploma mills to a great extent,
depending on the school and the particular student.

"I think about most people in the past:  the children grew up and did what
their family had always done.  Some went into the apprentice system.  Few
outside the nobility knew anything about their world outside of the shoe
shop or the farm.  I don't want any modern child to look forward to a life
like that.  I want to open minds to their own possibilities."

Amen!

John

On Sat, Nov 21, 2020 at 11:29 PM William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> Dave = agreed - what you learn in college is not, mostly, for what you do
> on your job.  It's for what you do with the other parts of your life:
> your religion and philosophy; your aesthetics in the arts; your basic
> understanding of people from biology, psychology, history and more.
>
> It reminds me of a commercial in which a group of young people was asked
> at the end of the ad:  so what do you talk about when you get together?
> Answer - servers.  What kind of a life is that?  College opens your eyes to
> the possibilities in life you will never touch on in trade school.  That
> reminds me of what a medical school recommended for students who were
> coming there:  learn about life.  We'll teach you the science of medicine.
> Take psych, take philosophy, take history and so on.  Don't be a
> narrow-minded person who knows little outside your field.
>
> There is a lot of content in college courses that could easily be taught
> at a somewhat lower level in high school or below - and should be.  A lot
> more about thinking:  how to do it, how to recognize cognitive errors.
> Repeating myself;  more about how to run a family - finances, buying cars
> and houses, dealing with children and so on.
>
> I think about most people in the past:  the children grew up and did what
> their family had always done.  Some went into the apprentice system.  Few
> outside the nobility knew anything about their world outside of the shoe
> shop or the farm.  I don't want any modern child to look forward to a life
> like that.  I want to open minds to their own possibilities.
>
> bill w
>
> On Sat, Nov 21, 2020 at 7:02 AM Dave Sill via extropy-chat <
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Nov 20, 2020 at 2:39 PM William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <
>> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > Dave wrote:
>> >
>> > >I'm in the "college isn't the best option for everyone" camp. It's
>> mandatory for some professions but a waste of time and money for others.
>> >
>> > Well Dave, this is a straw man argument.  Nobody is saying 'everyone'.
>> I'd limit college to those with IQs and other talents
>> > above average as well as the interest.
>>
>> Well, I wasn't arguing, I was stating my opinion. And I wasn't assuming
>> that "everyone" was literal. I think college is a bad choice for a lot of
>> people who have the qualifications, means, and even interest. I'm also not
>> saying that nobody should go to college. It *can* be a great experience and
>> we do need academics. But most people would probably be better served by
>> targeted occupational training that would better prepare them for their
>> career in less time and at much lower cost.
>>
>> College is better suited to providing a classical education in
>> composition, literature, history, math, arts, etc., than in job skills. I
>> have a BS in Computer Science, and I learned a lot in college, but I didn't
>> really learn how to be a programmer or system administrator--the jobs I've
>> held since graduating. With a year of programming training I'd have been
>> better-prepared, would have saved a lot of debt that took years to pay
>> back, and would have had four more years of earning.
>>
>> -Dave
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