76 sats \ 11 replies \ @grayruby 27 Jun \ on: Opinion / Rant: Modern Education Sucks. Education
The great thing about the age in which we live is it is easier than ever to be self-taught.
Yep. It is amazing but accreditation is the missing piece. The existing education complex has a vested interest in keeping people going through their pipelines. I think the real change is already happening. Employers lowering requirements or doing their own training. Additionally the whole idea of being an employee changing as well.
So called higher education in the US is getting ready to hit a demographic wall with the decline in birth rates. Its is going to be interesting to watch. I started my career working in so called higher ed and this and other trends were a big reason I got out.
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Yep, even years ago when I finished my BS working full time with two kids my co-workers and managers in education were pushing me to get a masters. It is insane. I quit my education job after 6 years and went to work in the real world and learned more, had more fun, and made more money. It was harder work but more rewarding.
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Its not that impressive honestly. Bachelors of Science in Information Technology. It was just a grind really. I learned 10x more in my first few years of actually doing the work(which I was doing while getting the degree). Most of what I was learning was out of date when I was learning it and the rest was out of date in a few years. I didn't attend MIT or anything. I just needed that paper to get certain jobs at the time. I think the field has changed today and if I were in my twenties now I'd do it different but that was the path back then.
A successful engineer I met once told me that I should approach the craft like this. You aren't the smartest or the most talented but you can work harder than most people in the field if you are willing to do it. You can continually invest in your knowledge and education over time and I have never stopped doing that. I think this applies to life more broadly. If you aren't lazy and are willing to sweat you can make it.
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I second this. I'm yet to become my own boss, but now more than ever people have the power to build their own business and I think this will become more prominent as people continue to exit the conventional 9 to 5. Literally just by writing on SN frequently has gotten me close to landing a writing freelance gig that I would have never thought of applying for before.
I read somewhere the importance of 'start small, think big'. In my mind, the think big part is to think about building your own business and making something for yourself without having to rely on someone choosing you. In this way all the work you put in for the expansion of your own knowledge can be used however you please and is not dependent on the whims of others.
My gf is job hunting right now and like many others is struggling to land anything. So I told her she can continue job hunting but also start building towards having her own business whatever it may be. Because she is a very capable and intelligent person and it would be so much cooler to see her build towards her own thing than working for someone just for the money.
So @Fabs don't become discouraged because of the current broken system. Your mentality to want to continue learning even though it may seem like it isn't paying off is you still stacking knowledge and continuing the process of 'starting small'. But don't forget to 'think big' because the literal difference between someone who finds immense success in life and someone who succumbs to being average is how big they dare to think.
You got this friend!