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Do you think universities still offer knowledge otherwise not accessible anywhere else? I mean, there are courses that require "hands on" experience and guidanc

Do you think universities still offer knowledge otherwise not accessible anywhere else? I mean, there are courses that require "hands on" experience and guidance, but for things like IT, how uni is any better than e.g. Udemy, free lectures from around the world and meetups?

zhdc1 5y ago
In person instruction and a large social community of intelligent and - hopefully - motivated people.
gyulai 5y ago
I think going to university is a luxury. It is a luxury I personally enjoyed having in my life. It is a luxury I want my children to be able to enjoy one day. It makes your life richer in the same way that, say, having horses makes your life richer, or sailing around the world in a yacht. Of course there are people who don't enjoy horses. Or yachts. And not enjoying university should be seen as being no different. If you look at them as an investment, I don't think they're a particularly good one. And I think that this cycle of runaway inflation with regard to academic credentials as a prerequisite for jobs that don't actually require them is something that should be stopped.
thefz 5y ago
I have been lucky enough to have some of my university courses taught by some luminaries in their field. Most of them have taught me a framework for thinking as well as their course, not to mention being able to transmit some of their passion and love for curiosity. There is so much more besides lessons at the university, I would not even compare any video course with it honestly.
aardvark179 5y ago
When I was doing CS we had a lecture course on Pi calculus with very extensive hand written notes, because it was a field still very much in development and there was no textbook. I think there is a lot to be said for taking a degree which lends an element of structure not chosen by you. Sometimes you need to learn the stuff that doesn’t interest you to have a foundation to really understand the stuff that does, and you might find there are other things you had never been interested enough in to even consider which will turn out to be really interesting. On top of that I think tuition in small groups is much better than I’ve seen any meetup group manage. I’ve organized it once at a previous employer to help get some our application developers to the point where they could work on the our core vm and database, and I think they found it helpful being able to ask questions and talk over where exercises had given them trouble.
krageon 5y ago
> how uni is any better than e.g. Udemy Competent teachers with time for you and a body of advice (students, who have most definitely understood the material in the way it was offered if they are ahead of you) that isn't full of nonsense. There is something to be said for self-study when it comes to IT (I've learned significantly more on my own than at school), but it takes a lot of being able to recognise bullshit. That's not compatible with a lot of folks when they want to study.
LandR 5y ago
Goign self taught, you have 2 risks. 1) The teacher is shit. 2) The curriculum is shit. University, if you choose well, can remove these 2 risks.

zhdc1 5y ago

In person instruction and a large social community of intelligent and - hopefully - motivated people.

gyulai 5y ago

I think going to university is a luxury. It is a luxury I personally enjoyed having in my life. It is a luxury I want my children to be able to enjoy one day. It makes your life richer in the same way that, say, having horses makes your life richer, or sailing around the world in a yacht. Of course there are people who don't enjoy horses. Or yachts. And not enjoying university should be seen as being no different. If you look at them as an investment, I don't think they're a particularly good one. And I think that this cycle of runaway inflation with regard to academic credentials as a prerequisite for jobs that don't actually require them is something that should be stopped.

thefz 5y ago

I have been lucky enough to have some of my university courses taught by some luminaries in their field. Most of them have taught me a framework for thinking as well as their course, not to mention being able to transmit some of their passion and love for curiosity. There is so much more besides lessons at the university, I would not even compare any video course with it honestly.

aardvark179 5y ago

When I was doing CS we had a lecture course on Pi calculus with very extensive hand written notes, because it was a field still very much in development and there was no textbook. I think there is a lot to be said for taking a degree which lends an element of structure not chosen by you. Sometimes you need to learn the stuff that doesn’t interest you to have a foundation to really understand the stuff that does, and you might find there are other things you had never been interested enough in to even consider which will turn out to be really interesting. On top of that I think tuition in small groups is much better than I’ve seen any meetup group manage. I’ve organized it once at a previous employer to help get some our application developers to the point where they could work on the our core vm and database, and I think they found it helpful being able to ask questions and talk over where exercises had given them trouble.

krageon 5y ago

> how uni is any better than e.g. Udemy Competent teachers with time for you and a body of advice (students, who have most definitely understood the material in the way it was offered if they are ahead of you) that isn't full of nonsense. There is something to be said for self-study when it comes to IT (I've learned significantly more on my own than at school), but it takes a lot of being able to recognise bullshit. That's not compatible with a lot of folks when they want to study.

LandR 5y ago

Goign self taught, you have 2 risks. 1) The teacher is shit. 2) The curriculum is shit. University, if you choose well, can remove these 2 risks.