5 ms·

>21 year olds won't know very much of anything in general. Then that's a failing of whatever education system they were in, not of their age. Infantilizing 21

>21 year olds won't know very much of anything in general. Then that's a failing of whatever education system they were in, not of their age. Infantilizing 21 year olds even further, isn't doing them, or anybody else any favors.

warrenm 4y ago
It's not "infantilizing" to note that a 21-year-old can't know as much as a 31-year-old can It's basic physics (a 31-year-old may not know as much as a 21-year-old, but that's not [usually] because they can't know more)
- pl4nty 4y ago
  In the real world, this may not hold for niche knowledge streams (eg theoretical CS). 21-year-olds growing up in the 21st century can optimise far better than 31-year-olds, with far better availability of specialist knowledge from a much earlier age
  - warrenm 4y ago
    ...presuming they know they want to ... maybe :)
- slackfan 4y ago
  Yes, but that's not what the OP said.
  - Apocryphon 4y ago
    For decades, the standard line has been “you go to college to learn how to learn.” And high school and education leading up to it has been seen as preparation for college. Not to mention “college isn’t a trade school”, “if you want your CS program to teach you how to program, go to a boot camp”, and so on.
    - slackfan 4y ago
      That's a very US-centric view, which really points out how terrible US schools really are.
      - Apocryphon 4y ago
        It also points out how the tech industry, and perhaps other private sectors, has completely abdicated its responsibility in the proper training of its new workers. Which it used to do decades ago, but now has outsourced it to universities.
    - warrenm 4y ago
      The "standard line" has been, "go to college so you can get a job" And that's what's chured out record levels of student debt, pointless degrees, and infantilized "adults"
      - Apocryphon 4y ago
        That's the standard line from society of how college works in practice. But the colleges, nay universities, themselves have always been hesitant to become job-creation factories. They are not vocational schools. Meanwhile, vocational schools and community colleges in the U.S. are considered low-prestige by both industry employers and American society itself, despite less likely to result in high student debt and perhaps fewer pointless degrees. Just complete lack of coordination from different segments of society, and misaligned incentives across the board.
- tensor 4y ago
  That a true but fairly pointless statement. Humans rarely optimize for learning to the extent that you would hit that hypothetical. It's really quite easy for a 21-year old to know the things the OP is talking about. But A) they don't care to know and B) our education system babies kids. We could be teaching all this stuff at a far younger age, and many countries do.
  - warrenm 4y ago
    You can teach [almost] anything at a younger age But you can't teach it all Again - this is basic physics

warrenm 4y ago

It's not "infantilizing" to note that a 21-year-old can't know as much as a 31-year-old can It's basic physics (a 31-year-old may not know as much as a 21-year-old, but that's not [usually] because they can't know more)

pl4nty 4y ago
In the real world, this may not hold for niche knowledge streams (eg theoretical CS). 21-year-olds growing up in the 21st century can optimise far better than 31-year-olds, with far better availability of specialist knowledge from a much earlier age
- warrenm 4y ago
  ...presuming they know they want to ... maybe :)
slackfan 4y ago
Yes, but that's not what the OP said.
- Apocryphon 4y ago
  For decades, the standard line has been “you go to college to learn how to learn.” And high school and education leading up to it has been seen as preparation for college. Not to mention “college isn’t a trade school”, “if you want your CS program to teach you how to program, go to a boot camp”, and so on.
  - slackfan 4y ago
    That's a very US-centric view, which really points out how terrible US schools really are.
    - Apocryphon 4y ago
      It also points out how the tech industry, and perhaps other private sectors, has completely abdicated its responsibility in the proper training of its new workers. Which it used to do decades ago, but now has outsourced it to universities.
  - warrenm 4y ago
    The "standard line" has been, "go to college so you can get a job" And that's what's chured out record levels of student debt, pointless degrees, and infantilized "adults"
    - Apocryphon 4y ago
      That's the standard line from society of how college works in practice. But the colleges, nay universities, themselves have always been hesitant to become job-creation factories. They are not vocational schools. Meanwhile, vocational schools and community colleges in the U.S. are considered low-prestige by both industry employers and American society itself, despite less likely to result in high student debt and perhaps fewer pointless degrees. Just complete lack of coordination from different segments of society, and misaligned incentives across the board.
tensor 4y ago
That a true but fairly pointless statement. Humans rarely optimize for learning to the extent that you would hit that hypothetical. It's really quite easy for a 21-year old to know the things the OP is talking about. But A) they don't care to know and B) our education system babies kids. We could be teaching all this stuff at a far younger age, and many countries do.
- warrenm 4y ago
  You can teach [almost] anything at a younger age But you can't teach it all Again - this is basic physics