Welcome to Thunderdome

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 1:38 pm And colleges selling shit that is worthless and/or not needed.

I still remember the super nice guy I worked with at HP/Owens Corning who had a masters degree in Ancient Greek History. I asked him what he can do with that degree and he said very sadly, "Teach". He wasn't happy about it. He followed his interests and ended up with something completely worthless. There he was working a 3rd shift computer operator's job with a guy who was just starting his career after the military.

Not saying we don't need experts on ancient Greece, but the job opportunities are scarce.

I'm actually referring to the 10's of thousands I spent on classes that I didn't need.

Counselor: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Me: I don't know. I just want to take general stuff right now that will apply to everything.
Counselor: Ok. But what do you think you want to do?
Me: I'm really not sure. I have no idea. I really just want to take stuff that will apply to anything.
Counselor: Ok. But what job has been one you'd consider?
Me: *beaten into submission* I don't know. Stock broker. (because my 18 year old brain equated that to making lots of money but had ZERO idea what it really meant).
Counselor: Ok. Cool. *Recommended a long list of classes to take*

2 years later

Me: Ok, I want to be an electrical engineer.
Counselor: Ok. Unfortunately, 80% of the classes you've taken so far are business related and don't apply. You're starting over.

I went to school for 4 years, full time. I was 2 years away from graduating. But since the National Guard paid for it all, I came out debt free. It IS cool when the government pays for your college.

The counselors are sales people. They do NOT look out for you, and they sold me a bunch of shit I didn't need.

Hell, I told them "I want to repair computers". "Ok, you should become an electrical engineer." Instead of sending me down the road to their technical associates degree college. Again, selling me some shit I didn't need. I would have graduated still not knowing how to repair computers. But it would have been hard to complain about having an electrical engineering degree. I ended up leaving college and picking up some technical certifications, once I talked to some people in the real world who gave me good advice about what I needed to do to do the job I wanted to do.

At the end of the day, the most valuable thing I did in college was get job. Having the degree opened a lot of doors, but that job was a great motivator that I didn't want some dumb button-pushing job. I was a phone survey person. But, after 3-4 months I got promoted to assistant supervisor. And that job paid 33% more while being 1000% more tolerable.

But the real key was I realized we were doing something manually that a computer could do, and I wrote a program to do it. That one accomplishment got me my first real job after college.

But I loved taking classes in so many different areas. I studied Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian. I was exposed to tons of new ideas. People from all different walks of life and perspectives. Learned a lot about philosophy, economics, Latin America, Africa, studied in another country, did drugs, had sex... college was great

I HATED school (not a student). College did nothing for me. My smartest move was taking a programming job that exposed me to networking. I thought networking was cool, and that's what I got my certs in. The week I got my cert, I had multiple job offers. I took 7 3-5 day courses and started a career. 4 years of college were a HUGE waste of time and effort and tax payer's money. I did get to play a lot of basketball at the new rec center though.

I learned more about life part time in the military than I did full time in college. College was just a chore.

I hated school today, but I loved college. So much more freedom and free time.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 6:14 pm I thought networking was cool, and that's what I got my certs in. The week I got my cert, I had multiple job offers. I took 7 3-5 day courses and started a career. 4 years of college were a HUGE waste of time and effort and tax payer's money.

Overall, some people will get much more out of college than others, right? Big distribution. But for skill acquisition alone, yeah, college isn't very efficient.

Cakedaddy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 6:14 pm College was just a chore.

I do disagree there, at least for me.

I learned more in the military then college and it's not even close. However, I did enjoy probably half of the classes I took in college. Learned some things there too, just not at the same pace or level I learned it in the military. Plus, going to college later in life meant I knew most of the stuff already.

Unlike Catt I didn't need to have sex in college. I was smart enough to get As on my own.

Feel like I had four equal buckets in my 16-22 year development

1) UNC - for the degree and everything that come along with it (Business with HR spec)
2) Part time jobs - IBM, Panera Bread, Upward Bound, all useful in the future for how things actually worked
3) Eve Online - leading 100s of people in fleets, capturing objectives, alarm clocking raids. This was like another job for a few years.
4) Soccer - working as a competitive team, but with actual interpersonal skills needed

Troy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 7:10 pm 3) Eve Online - leading 100s of people in fleets, capturing objectives, alarm clocking raids. This was like another job for a few years.

I agree. Society hasn't really caught up yet with video games and understanding how they can develop real marketable skills.

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 7:33 pm

Troy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 7:10 pm 3) Eve Online - leading 100s of people in fleets, capturing objectives, alarm clocking raids. This was like another job for a few years.

I agree. Society hasn't really caught up yet with video games and understanding how they can develop real marketable skills.

I feel like my years as GM of TKV in UO helped me learn how to deal with people and situations. Sure, it was just a game. But boy could there be drama.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6350799905112

"We'll see you at your house; We'll murder you"

Riddhi Patel crying in court after being charged with 16 felony counts over threatening to murder city councilors in Bakersfield unless they voted to endorse a ceasefire in Gaza.

Good argument for his point.

Ha! I was coming to put her(? Gordon's comment threw me off) here too.

Turns out threatening elected people at an official meeting isn't wise.

Although, I think the people in charge need to hear stuff like this so they can learn that people and cultures are not all interchangeable.

Leisher wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 6:43 pm r(? Gordon's comment threw me off) here too.

I think Gordon's point was that the people putting in the metal detectors were on the right track?

I kinda meant threatening people's families was a good way to get the opposite response for what you're going for, and also possibly preemptively killed.

This is today's winner, hands down.

Racism is indeed borne of ignorance.

P.S. He was apparently getting destroyed because he deleted his account.

The per capital system? Of what?

GORDON wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:19 pm The per capital system? Of what?

Statistics. Like white commit more crimes than blacks, but blacks commit more crimes per capita.

Good thing it was the way it was, or whites inventing statistics would have been a huge all-time backfire.

According to the internet, statistics seem to be the only thing white people have invented. Oh, and slavery.

Another dude who never took Statistics.

Our education system is so broken.