Putting my education on hold
I remember going to school and knowing, without a doubt, that the teachers knew what they were talking about. After all, that’s their job. This feeling of security continued throughout secondary school and college, but after just one term at University, I had lost faith in the entire higher education system.
I’ve been at University for a year and a half now and, ignoring the social aspects, I have to say I feel cheated out of my money. I think that my three years here will be the longest pause in education of my life.
Before University, I took a year out doing contract work using my somewhat limited knowledge of PHP. The fact that I had a job doing something I knew little about forced me to learn more than I ever thought possible. This, along with some very long train journeys and some excellent books on design patterns, allowed me to learn more about PHP and object-oriented programming than some learn in the 3 years it takes to get a degree.
Of course, this should not be. My time in higher education is supposed to be a rewarding experience (that reward being a degree). So what’s the point of a degree if you don’t actually learn anything useful?
I know several people who would shoot me down, saying I am too complacent and should attend more lectures. This may be true, but people who actually do work still come out of their final year with a poor understanding of the subject.
Some good has come out of this. Inspired by authors, both electronic and in print, I have recently become quite keen to go in to lecturing myself and hopefully publish a book or two to help future generations of students graduate with more than just a piece of paper.
It’s also a great opportunity to take a few years out of my life, kick back and relax. After all, what else is a student loan for?