[aiethics] Tell kids to go to college?
Richard Wallace
rwallace@best.com
Wed, 11 Jul 2001 06:20:22 +0400
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>Alicebot AI Ethics Committee - =
http://www.alicebot.org
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<DIV><FONT size=3D4>As a father and someone who has had the "benefit" of =
a college=20
education (all the way through the Ph.D.) I am somewhat conflicted over =
the=20
issue of whether to tell kids to go to college. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>In my opinion there is a lot more to be gained =
spending their=20
young adult years working, and possibly getting involved in a free =
software=20
project like ALICE (I am talking about kids going into computer science, =
which=20
are the ones I meet most often), than working on a degree that has =
questionable=20
value.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>I never made enough to pay back my student loans, =
and I can't=20
in good conscience advise anyone to go into debt in order to finance =
their=20
education. In the long run you'll be better off working, saving =
and=20
investing than spending your money on tuition. And the tuition is=20
horrendous here in the U.S. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>The worst thing is that colleges are not doing their =
job of=20
training students for the real world. In this job market a =
Microsoft=20
Certification is more valuable than a Ph.D. in computer science. I=20
seriously doubt that most C.S. professors realize how hard it would be =
for them=20
to find jobs on the open market, because they just don't have the skills =
that=20
employers want. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>The conventional wisdom has always been that =
"education is the=20
key to success" but here in the U.S. the higher education system is so =
corrupt,=20
so expensive, and so out of touch with reality that I have a hard time =
advising=20
young people to go to college. I think they will learn much more =
working=20
with us on free software.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>Rich</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4><A=20
href=3D"http://www.AliceBot.Org">Www.AliceBot.Org</A><BR>"Cooler than=20
Humans."---TIME Magazine.</FONT></DIV>
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