This video is not to say that formal education does not have its place. Nor is it saying that all older people are wise, or there are no wise young people. It is just a reality that there is wisdom that comes from experience that cannot be found in a classroom.
VIDEO HERE (13:30 minutes)
Having been through a pretty significant level of education, I've largely held that all a degree says about most people is that they can start something and stick it through to completion. Some of the biggest idiots with the biggest egos I was in school with were the med students: from my perspective, the greatest accomplishment they can claim from med school is the ability to memorize massive amounts of information.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't universal by any means...some people actually DO learn in higher education since it's their first real opportunity to do so...but even then, I believe they more learn how to learn than anything any specific degree gets them.
Education with no experience is almost worthless. But in many fields you will never acquire useful experience without the correct education required to understand what you are doing. The two concepts go hand in hand. One without the other is pointless.
ReplyDeleteSchool of Hard Knocks
ReplyDeleteNot a good place to learn chemistry, some physics, or medicine (the latter can be debated, but only by physicians). Works fairly well for driving as long as it's not a plane or a boat. Definitely not recommended for anything involving a parachute or air filled hoses. " A man's gotta know his limits."
DeleteEven in formal education, it only represents a minor percentage in what is learned on the job. No matt what profession.
ReplyDeleteThomas Edison had a third-grade education. I retired as a senior engineer with a 9th grade edumication. Some of the other senior engineers I worked with had up to 30 patents, and had never finished school. What I hated was being given some young squirt with seven years of college, so I could train the "higher education" out of him and make him worthwhile. Ask them why they would do such-and-such, and they would reply "I was just playing with the code to see what it would do..". My reply would be something like "What if the code was running the elevator you you just took to the 40th floor?".
ReplyDeleteHere, here.
DeleteI worked with a millennial Duke University grad who was nearly useless - had to be told every step of work processes, and could not generalize at all. he graduated with honors in engineering yet couldnt complete tasks suitable for high school students or hobbyists.
Deletethe punch line? we had to let him go after 6 months of coddling and almost daily 1:1 coaching -- no signs of improvement. he got some sort of grant or something (for minority/disadvantaged students), spent the next 3 months studying and was accepted into med school. he's probably a doctor now. I hope he stays in research and far away from patients.