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Ask HN: In hindsight, what would you change about you education?

7 points by surprisetalk 1y ago

caprock 1y ago
Several ideas off the cuff: * More work semesters like Waterloo * A class on career planning * A class on financial planning * Philosophy of science and engineering course
moomoo11 1y ago
I’d aim to go to Stanford. I was immigrant here. Not a rich kid at all. I got scholarship to our state college based on my SATs but couldn’t accept because I was international student. I got my GC when I was in 3rd year. I could have gone to NYU at full cost. Maybe I should have. The network, caliber of people I met at my state college were so average. It kind of knee capped me as well in terms of elite opportunities because I think if I had gone to a “better” college I’d have met smart risk takers right off the rip instead of later on.
Poomba 1y ago
I would focus less on getting good grades, and more about finding like-minded students, or students who could complement my strengths so I could work with them in the future
fuzzfactor 1y ago
I wouldn't change a thing now, but when I was young I could have gotten a lot better pay if I had a PhD which I never got. Instead I guess I went straight to working professionally with equipment they wished they had, got a head start by comparison and had more time to work with it because as a PhD I would have had to spend too much more time on wasteful bureaucracy, and that would have really added up over a lifetime. The pay and opportunity discrepancy were noticeable when I was employed but I was always going to be an entrepreneur anyway, and it really helped owning everything I ever invented on my own plus leveraging all my other progress like I would not have been able to do otherwise.
jf22 1y ago
I should have dropped out to get my GED and started coding more in highschool.
fzwang 1y ago
Generally, less classrooms/traditional schooling, and more exposure to the real world. Taking more time to meet people and expand the social horizons. I feel like I just didn't know what I didn't know. And I was making decisions on very little experience/information. The "adults"/"experts" didn't know what they were talking about or at least were not aware of their own biases/limitations. Looking back, almost all the useful/important things I learned were self-directed.

7 points by surprisetalk 1y ago

Several ideas off the cuff: * More work semesters like Waterloo * A class on career planning * A class on financial planning * Philosophy of science and engineering course

moomoo11 1y ago

I’d aim to go to Stanford. I was immigrant here. Not a rich kid at all. I got scholarship to our state college based on my SATs but couldn’t accept because I was international student. I got my GC when I was in 3rd year. I could have gone to NYU at full cost. Maybe I should have. The network, caliber of people I met at my state college were so average. It kind of knee capped me as well in terms of elite opportunities because I think if I had gone to a “better” college I’d have met smart risk takers right off the rip instead of later on.

Poomba 1y ago

I would focus less on getting good grades, and more about finding like-minded students, or students who could complement my strengths so I could work with them in the future

fuzzfactor 1y ago

I wouldn't change a thing now, but when I was young I could have gotten a lot better pay if I had a PhD which I never got. Instead I guess I went straight to working professionally with equipment they wished they had, got a head start by comparison and had more time to work with it because as a PhD I would have had to spend too much more time on wasteful bureaucracy, and that would have really added up over a lifetime. The pay and opportunity discrepancy were noticeable when I was employed but I was always going to be an entrepreneur anyway, and it really helped owning everything I ever invented on my own plus leveraging all my other progress like I would not have been able to do otherwise.

jf22 1y ago

I should have dropped out to get my GED and started coding more in highschool.

fzwang 1y ago

Generally, less classrooms/traditional schooling, and more exposure to the real world. Taking more time to meet people and expand the social horizons. I feel like I just didn't know what I didn't know. And I was making decisions on very little experience/information. The "adults"/"experts" didn't know what they were talking about or at least were not aware of their own biases/limitations. Looking back, almost all the useful/important things I learned were self-directed.