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cpujockey t1_j244lp3 wrote

Reply to comment by tadamhicks in UVM too expensive by Constant_Education_4

I agree with your points. Frankly you are quite respectable and decent, which is a change from a lot of the folks that comment in these threads.

My belief is that we should be encouraging youth to explore many different trades and occupations before the conversation of college comes up. Some folks have talent in things they've never tried or had interest in - so giving these things a try might unlock some sort of latent potential in people.

I don't want to toot my own horn - but I come from an awful educational background, special ed til 5th grade, struggled with literacy, poor math abilities and I some how found computers made sense and it changed my life. I hope that for folks struggling out there that maybe there is something out there for them like computers are for me - an accidental hobby turned career with a most unlikely individual.

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tadamhicks t1_j245qbe wrote

I’m all for finding the fit. I love the freedom we have in our culture but it also means that we’re free to run the wrong direction quite easily. As parents we can make it worse by telling our kids to pursue their dreams, even when they’re shit at it.

It’s super hard to find out what we’re good at and then hard work to invest in honing that talent. Many people never figure that out about themselves.

As for exploration, agree wholeheartedly. As someone who did go to college, one of the aspects I valued more than any other was the emphasis on exactly that: exploration. The first two years are all about broadening the individual’s understanding of different areas and giving them a broad base, at least in major universities. They want you to know how to write and communicate clearly, but also to understand how science is performed, and to be able to understand symbolic logic (maths). Then you get to learn about political theory and world cultures, all before pursuing your major. It’s pretty cool. And yes, expensive.

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