Is a Hitachi EC25E compressor with NV45AB2S nailgun worth it? That would depend upon whether or not I intend to be a roofer.
I was always suspicious of the assumption that a college degree was a default requirement for success in the professional world. That is -- in part -- why I rejected the notion and decided to drop out of college after year one.
A college degree is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Too many educators assume that if you are "smart", you must go to college. As if the degree you receive is some sort of product that stands alone. The fact is, you can't sell a degree on an open market, because the knowledge you gain isn't transferrable. Circle back to the old argument of whether $50k would be better spent on a 4-year degree or some form of traditional investment. The only factual answer is "it depends".
When you go to college, you buy experience, knowledge, and a certificate that says, "I know how to see something through to the end." In my view, the significance of the latter has diminished significantly in recent years. When college becomes something you do by default, the effort is no longer superlative; it is average. This puts the emphasis more on the knowledge aspect, and sure enough, knowledge heavy degrees deliver more value.
I once had dinner with a client where one of the VPs asked me where I went to college. When I replied that I had attended for one year, then decided my efforts were better spent elsewhere, she replied with, "Oh, you seemed smarter than that." It stung a little, but in the conversation that followed, the majority of the executives with which I was meeting came down in favor of my decision, rather than against it.
This conversation taught me a valuable lesson. Doing what everyone tells you is the "right thing to do" isn't always the best answer. There are no one-size-fits-all answers to life. You have to evaluate each scenario objectively based on the circumstances at that moment, then reach your own conclusions.
I was always suspicious of the assumption that a college degree was a default requirement for success in the professional world. That is -- in part -- why I rejected the notion and decided to drop out of college after year one.
A college degree is a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Too many educators assume that if you are "smart", you must go to college. As if the degree you receive is some sort of product that stands alone. The fact is, you can't sell a degree on an open market, because the knowledge you gain isn't transferrable. Circle back to the old argument of whether $50k would be better spent on a 4-year degree or some form of traditional investment. The only factual answer is "it depends".
When you go to college, you buy experience, knowledge, and a certificate that says, "I know how to see something through to the end." In my view, the significance of the latter has diminished significantly in recent years. When college becomes something you do by default, the effort is no longer superlative; it is average. This puts the emphasis more on the knowledge aspect, and sure enough, knowledge heavy degrees deliver more value.
I once had dinner with a client where one of the VPs asked me where I went to college. When I replied that I had attended for one year, then decided my efforts were better spent elsewhere, she replied with, "Oh, you seemed smarter than that." It stung a little, but in the conversation that followed, the majority of the executives with which I was meeting came down in favor of my decision, rather than against it.
This conversation taught me a valuable lesson. Doing what everyone tells you is the "right thing to do" isn't always the best answer. There are no one-size-fits-all answers to life. You have to evaluate each scenario objectively based on the circumstances at that moment, then reach your own conclusions.