4 ms·

Actually, kids can be hyper-focused on credentials. That's why they're so susceptible. The very same behavioral triggers can create obsessions in videogames, es

Actually, kids can be hyper-focused on credentials. That's why they're so susceptible. The very same behavioral triggers can create obsessions in videogames, especially RPG's. The nice thing about 'real-world' credentials is that they have a path leading out of that mess, whereas videogames often don't.

gruseom 18y ago
I'm unconvinced. Sure, children can internalize anything very quickly - the question is why this rather than that? I'm sure that little girl was very focused on achieving her Microsoft certification. But I'll bet you the task itself was originally handed to her by a parent, and that her motivation had everything to do with pleasing that parent. As for "a path leading out of that mess", the only path I know is growing as a person. What's sad about these manufactured prodigies is that they end up having to do a lot of that the hard way, if they do it at all.
- DaniFong 18y ago
  I think you underestimate the agency that a nine year old can have, and the influence of the extended family, friends, and role models. It's probable that the specific task was handed to her, yes. And it's often true that parents push their children too far. But I think it's also possible she decided to do it on her own after reading or hearing some inspirational story. I am projecting my own experience as a child onto her, but when I was her age I heard about Microsoft credentials. I considered trying for them, but my mother's friend told me they were a distraction, and gave me a copy of Turbo C++ instead. I can't remember ever thinking about pleasing my parents. It never entered my conscious thought. I just knew I wanted to learn to program computers, and I couldn't, in that time, be interested in computers as a kid and envision Microsoft's credentials with the disdain that I do now. I suspect it's the same now, in India. It's true that the only way out of credentialism is growing oneself as a person, and finding a way to develop a self-referent identity. The advantage is that one grows while striving, and one can often find oneself in much better place, with better social support, and deeper values. It's a lot more difficult to see this in the construct of an RPG, or in most public high-schools.
  - gruseom 18y ago
    Yes, I acknowledge what you're talking about is real (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400286 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400286), and the two phenomena are quite different, though they may be difficult to distinguish from the outside.

gruseom 18y ago

I'm unconvinced. Sure, children can internalize anything very quickly - the question is why this rather than that? I'm sure that little girl was very focused on achieving her Microsoft certification. But I'll bet you the task itself was originally handed to her by a parent, and that her motivation had everything to do with pleasing that parent. As for "a path leading out of that mess", the only path I know is growing as a person. What's sad about these manufactured prodigies is that they end up having to do a lot of that the hard way, if they do it at all.

DaniFong 18y ago
I think you underestimate the agency that a nine year old can have, and the influence of the extended family, friends, and role models. It's probable that the specific task was handed to her, yes. And it's often true that parents push their children too far. But I think it's also possible she decided to do it on her own after reading or hearing some inspirational story. I am projecting my own experience as a child onto her, but when I was her age I heard about Microsoft credentials. I considered trying for them, but my mother's friend told me they were a distraction, and gave me a copy of Turbo C++ instead. I can't remember ever thinking about pleasing my parents. It never entered my conscious thought. I just knew I wanted to learn to program computers, and I couldn't, in that time, be interested in computers as a kid and envision Microsoft's credentials with the disdain that I do now. I suspect it's the same now, in India. It's true that the only way out of credentialism is growing oneself as a person, and finding a way to develop a self-referent identity. The advantage is that one grows while striving, and one can often find oneself in much better place, with better social support, and deeper values. It's a lot more difficult to see this in the construct of an RPG, or in most public high-schools.
- gruseom 18y ago
  Yes, I acknowledge what you're talking about is real (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400286 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400286), and the two phenomena are quite different, though they may be difficult to distinguish from the outside.