4 ms·

All of this raises the obvious question: what thing of lasting value did you gain from doing this?

bobf 16y ago
I'm not sure if you're referring to getting a degree, or approaching it in the way that I did. I won't try too hard to convince you that a degree is important, but it introduces you to think about things in different ways than you otherwise would, lets you meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet (girls, networking opportunities, etc), provides opportunities for internships or jobs you wouldn't have otherwise, forces you to live in a place you might not have lived otherwise, etc. Doing it in the way I did taught me a lot of incredibly valuable lessons -- probably more than I actually learned in class. I really learned time management and how to prioritize. I gained a lot of work experience, which translates into increased skills and income. Perhaps most importantly (although this will sound very cliche..), I realized that I can achieve anything I truly want, even if it seems physically impossible.
- ubernostrum 16y ago
  I have a degree in philosophy, so I'll use a story from that field to relate what I'm getting at. The usual lead contender for the title of "first philosopher in western history" is Thales of Miletus. There are a bunch of probably-apocryphal stories about Thales; for example, it's said that he once was gazing so intently at the stars that he failed to look where he was walking, and fell into a well. For this and other similar incidents, Thales was ridiculed by some of his fellow Milesians, who felt he never did anything productive. So, using his observations of the weather as a guide, he predicted an unusually good season and bought up all of the island's olive presses, making a fortune when the harvest came. Having proved his point, he went back to the things which actually interested him.
mturmon 16y ago
The above is a utilitarian approach: what's the path from here to the degree that costs least in $ and time. I'm not wired that way -- but I have to respect that bobf is making choices right for him. As I get farther away from university, I get more glad that I spent a lot of time in out-of-discipline coursework. I foresee that feeling deepening with age, because it's a fact that it's hard for many reasons to have a wanderjahr once you have a spouse, a house, a kid, a hard job, a history of acting a certain way. I fear that the utilitarian approach might, for some, become akin to the concept of technical debt, except for your life and philosophy. You can consider those hard questions now, or you can wait til later. But later, it might be much harder.
- bobf 16y ago
  That's why I majored in business, instead of CS/IS/etc :)

bobf 16y ago

I'm not sure if you're referring to getting a degree, or approaching it in the way that I did. I won't try too hard to convince you that a degree is important, but it introduces you to think about things in different ways than you otherwise would, lets you meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet (girls, networking opportunities, etc), provides opportunities for internships or jobs you wouldn't have otherwise, forces you to live in a place you might not have lived otherwise, etc. Doing it in the way I did taught me a lot of incredibly valuable lessons -- probably more than I actually learned in class. I really learned time management and how to prioritize. I gained a lot of work experience, which translates into increased skills and income. Perhaps most importantly (although this will sound very cliche..), I realized that I can achieve anything I truly want, even if it seems physically impossible.

ubernostrum 16y ago
I have a degree in philosophy, so I'll use a story from that field to relate what I'm getting at. The usual lead contender for the title of "first philosopher in western history" is Thales of Miletus. There are a bunch of probably-apocryphal stories about Thales; for example, it's said that he once was gazing so intently at the stars that he failed to look where he was walking, and fell into a well. For this and other similar incidents, Thales was ridiculed by some of his fellow Milesians, who felt he never did anything productive. So, using his observations of the weather as a guide, he predicted an unusually good season and bought up all of the island's olive presses, making a fortune when the harvest came. Having proved his point, he went back to the things which actually interested him.

mturmon 16y ago

The above is a utilitarian approach: what's the path from here to the degree that costs least in $ and time. I'm not wired that way -- but I have to respect that bobf is making choices right for him. As I get farther away from university, I get more glad that I spent a lot of time in out-of-discipline coursework. I foresee that feeling deepening with age, because it's a fact that it's hard for many reasons to have a wanderjahr once you have a spouse, a house, a kid, a hard job, a history of acting a certain way. I fear that the utilitarian approach might, for some, become akin to the concept of technical debt, except for your life and philosophy. You can consider those hard questions now, or you can wait til later. But later, it might be much harder.

bobf 16y ago
That's why I majored in business, instead of CS/IS/etc :)