More learning...

Many moons ago, I found myself reading these two articles online.

First up:
"The modern tech CEO: Barefoot and 21" by John D. Sutter
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/11/02/seth.priebatsch.scvngr/index.html

Seth Priebatsch dropped out of Princeton to create SCVNGR, and Peter Bell (from the firm Highland Capital Partners) gave Seth $730,000 for the business in December 2008.

And this one:
"College is a waste of time" by Dale Stephens
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/03/stephens.college/index.html?iref=NS1

From the introduction:
"Dale J. Stephens is a 19-year-old entrepreneur leading UnCollege, a social movement supporting self-directed higher education and building RadMatter, a platform to demonstrate talent. He is among the first recipients of the Thiel Fellowship, an initiative by venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel that gives 20 entrepreneurs under 20 years old $100,000 to fund their projects."

And from his article:
"I have been awarded a golden ticket to the heart of Silicon Valley: the Thiel Fellowship. The catch? For two years, I cannot be enrolled as a full-time student at an academic institution. For me, that's not an issue; I believe higher education is broken. I left college two months ago because it rewards conformity rather than independence, competition rather than collaboration, regurgitation rather than learning and theory rather than application. Our creativity, innovation and curiosity are schooled out of us."

To be perfectly frank, at the time I was looking for examples of people who felt that college had become a joke. I really didn't enjoy my time in college very much. I miss things about college - the friends I had, the experiences I had outside the classroom, etc. - but cared very little about my studies. My freshman year, my first Design Fundamentals professor took me out on the back balcony of Leazar Hall at NC State and told me that I "might want to consider switching majors." I had endured a selection process that was weeded down from over 3,000 applications to less than 100, and now suddenly I'm not meant for the program? At that point, my confidence was shot.

I attended an in-state university. I now work for a different university in the same state. My father has been a professor at a state university for almost 40 years. So I think I speak from a position of experience when I say that universities are some of the most wasteful places on earth. An entire department within the university (a department I used to work for) was dissolved to save money, and yet they continue to spend millions on new buildings.

Now, watch to this report from 60 Minutes on Freeman Hrabowski. It's good to know that some people still care about the *idea* of education.

Learning.

Today I'm reflecting on turning 38 years old. And learning.

Last night I saw Queensryche with one of my old college roommates. We were both metalheads, and in fact the last time we both saw Queensryche was in 1994 in support of the "Promised Land" album. Afterwards we talked about old times, what happened during the 17 years in-between, and what our plans are going forward. I felt a small piece of myself returning, some innocence and excitement about live music I had lost along the way. Mostly, I remembered what it was like to be in college.

Growing up I hated school. I was a good student, but I was a daydreamer. I was also bullied pretty relentlessly in middle school and high school by a few select folks. I grew to hate being in school, and by association, "learning." I could never keep my mind on my studies because I was constantly afraid of ridicule or injury. The fear that I came to live with in high school carried over into college. While I wasn't bullied, I was simply going through the motions of finishing my degree, and once I joined a band and actually recorded in a professional studio, I realized music was what I truly cared about. I can tell you that today my opinion is that I'll never set foot in a classroom again. It's just too much to think about.

But what I've come to understand is that TRUE learning happens every minute, of every day...all around us. I've learned more about myself and grown more as a person in the last 2 years than I have at any point in my life prior. I've learned on the job, behind the wheel of a car, all alone in my studio, and even in the depths of my deepest despair. I'm grateful to still be "teachable." And I'm grateful for the humility that comes with it.