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RT Wolf · 12-04-2006, 03:24 PM

I'm in much the same position as you, Radical.

I decided to take a year off from my studies to pursue personal development and do a few jobs. In the past few months alone, I've learned and grown more than I would have had I gone back to school.

I tend to take a different view to university. I want to get it to stop doors from closing. Ten years from now, no one is going to ask where I went to school, but having a degree really stops certain doors from closing. The job thing doesn't matter that much to me, because I'm an entrepeneur, regardless. I guess it's a matter of choice. I want to have more choices available to me and that's why I want ot have a degree.

Then there is another question: what to study. This one I'm still dealing with. I am exploring different subjects (like I said in my last post) and about to attend some classes for courses I'm not in. I will eventually try to go for as broad an education as I can while still graduating early. I feel taking extra courses will challenge me in my PD pursuits.

The other thing is to make school less challenging or draining. It is expensive, in both money and time (and if you add in the opportunity cost, you're getting a much higher number than just your costs), so what can you do? Make it cheaper, if only by comparison. If university is only 50% of your income versus 100%, it's cheaper by comparison, so, make more money. If it only takes up 35% of your time rather than 50%, you're less inclined to question it.

If I had to get right down to it, I would say that the reason I'm going to university is to have a bit more time so I can do PD without the pressures of a real job and/or business. I happen to be really very skeptical (/pessimestic) about the value of university educations in practical terms (not job opportunities, but actual value of the learning) but that's cause I'm me.

University does tend to teach you to think better (critical reasoning and problem solving skills). Of course, they hold no monopoly on that, and I'm working on it myself.

All I can say is that university (or college or whatever) is definitely something to try out. You can always quit after your first year. Just do it (seems to the PD motto, doesn't it?).

12-04-2006, 03:24 PM	#43 (permalink)
RT Wolf Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Toronto, Canuckland Posts: 1,737	I'm in much the same position as you, Radical. I decided to take a year off from my studies to pursue personal development and do a few jobs. In the past few months alone, I've learned and grown more than I would have had I gone back to school. I tend to take a different view to university. I want to get it to stop doors from closing. Ten years from now, no one is going to ask where I went to school, but having a degree really stops certain doors from closing. The job thing doesn't matter that much to me, because I'm an entrepeneur, regardless. I guess it's a matter of choice. I want to have more choices available to me and that's why I want ot have a degree. Then there is another question: what to study. This one I'm still dealing with. I am exploring different subjects (like I said in my last post) and about to attend some classes for courses I'm not in. I will eventually try to go for as broad an education as I can while still graduating early. I feel taking extra courses will challenge me in my PD pursuits. The other thing is to make school less challenging or draining. It is expensive, in both money and time (and if you add in the opportunity cost, you're getting a much higher number than just your costs), so what can you do? Make it cheaper, if only by comparison. If university is only 50% of your income versus 100%, it's cheaper by comparison, so, make more money. If it only takes up 35% of your time rather than 50%, you're less inclined to question it. If I had to get right down to it, I would say that the reason I'm going to university is to have a bit more time so I can do PD without the pressures of a real job and/or business. I happen to be really very skeptical (/pessimestic) about the value of university educations in practical terms (not job opportunities, but actual value of the learning) but that's cause I'm me. University does tend to teach you to think better (critical reasoning and problem solving skills). Of course, they hold no monopoly on that, and I'm working on it myself. All I can say is that university (or college or whatever) is definitely something to try out. You can always quit after your first year. Just do it (seems to the PD motto, doesn't it?).