From: gardner@convex.com (Steve Gardner)
Subject: Re: Professional registration
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:45:55 GMT
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In article <C00753.Mp0@ddsw1.mcs.com> karl@ddsw1.mcs.com (Karl Denninger) writes:
>How about those of us who are damn tired of "colleges" where an education
>takes a back seat to the whims and desires of some corporate sponsor who
>happens to be in someone's back pocket (or front pocket for that matter)?
	Please give a concrete example. 

>I gave up "college" many years ago with two years under my belt.  I would 
>be willing to get a degree today -- but only on my terms.  I do not have 
>the time or interest in wasting my time on a college with some parochial 
>learning program, and even less interest in paying out of my pocket for 
>that experience (an experience I have already had and discarded as useless).
	Although I "gave up" on the process much further down stream
	(MS) and in a different area (Physics) I think I know how you feel.
	At the time (1981) I couldn't see going on to the PhD when it meant 
	spending a likely 4-5 years *after* the masters puttering about trying
	to dust in some really obscure corner of nature for the purpose of a
	"publishable" thesis only to drive a cab.  

	The problem that we see is not limited to academia however.
	All of your observations above describe a situation where process 
	is a substitute for thought. People cling to outmoded ways of doing
	things because they fear change.  People have a quasi-religious
	belief that if they just do things according to the prescribed 
	ritual then everything will be all right. Even when this 
	ritualistic behavior leads to bad consequences people don't 
	feel as much anxiety because they can kid themselves by
	saying "What else could I do? I did everything that I was supposed
	to." IBM is in the toilet now because it couln't let go of the idea 
	that mainframes were its bread and butter.  All the time they were
	going down the path to doom, all the people making all the bad
	decisions were checking all the right boxes and doing all the
	prescribed rituals of office life.  Guess what, it didn't work.

	I think that the entire organization of society, down to the
	paradigms that illuminate reality have to be revamped.  We need
	some profound changes in government, education, and industry
	to survive.  The world is moving too fast for structures of society
	to respond effectively.  Business as usual just isn't working
	but it can't be blamed on any one portion of society.  Government
	isn't working, industry isn't working, and the education system
	isn't working.  Perhaps the whole system of education, where people 
	go to school for a fixed time in their youth and then get jobs
	(never to crack a book again) is botched.  Look at how many of our
	colleagues refuse to continue learning "academic" subjects as they
	get older.  How many people pick up a math text after they have
	gotten the degree?  Education should be a lifetime thing but our
	culture doesn't feel comfortable with that paradigm.   Some management
	gurus talk about it how many companies put it into practice beyond
	some lip-service program with boxes to check?
	
	When you get right down to it the problem pervades society.
	Consider how outmoded the national security state has become
	now that the cold war is over.  Consider how outmoded our way of
	"solving" the drug problem is.  Do you think our society will abandon
	any of these outmoded way of doing things until it is on the verge of 
	collapse? Look at us! We are billions in debt and yet we continue to 
	act as if we had the economic capability to mount large and expensive
	military campaigns abroad.  Our people want to think of themselves
	as leaders of the free world and winners of the cold war but our
	cities are falling apart, crime is rampant, and still we produce
	tons of expensive weapons as if we were at war.  Who are we kidding?
	Our major corporations are STILL "downsizing" (an offensive euphemism
	if I ever heard one) and laying off good people only to fatten the
	bonus checks of the big guys. All of us are painting by the numbers 
	and it seems to get worse as the fear and uncertainty get stronger.  


							smg



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