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Comment by general1465 | Hacker News Reader

In the end of the day academia in general should stop relying on exams based on memorization of random facts and start using real world examples of what kind of work student would be working with as an employee. And if student can deliver correct result even when using AI or any other method, and then explain why those results are the way they are, then student has passed.

In real world outside of academia, nobody cares how did you get to the result, only thing which matters is if result is correct and if you can explain why it is correct.

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> start using real world examples of what kind of work student would be working with as an employee

College isn't hands on employee training; the employer can do that if they want it. College is for the student, and not just for their career - there is much more to life. Knowledge is power for the student.

Even working with computers, theory is more universally valuable knowledge than the current programming trend - the wonderful thing about a theoretical abstraction is that it applies everywhere. For example, lots of practical high level coding experience is now less valuable, while people who truly understand theory can apply their knowledge somewhere new.

> College isn't hands on employee training; the employer can do that if they want it.

Tesla is making 90%+ of profit from cars, do you think it is a robot company?

I don't understand how that addresses the quote?

If absolute majority of students passing through the academia are going into private employment and not doing science, academia should not pretend that their primary purpose is making scientists.

Now I see, thanks.

By 'more to life' I don't mean being a scientist; I mean there is far more than career - personal life, community member, family member (including parent), living in the world. For many people, career is the least important and rewawrding (though necessary).

The article is about accountancy. Accountancy is not academia.

>In the end of the day academia in general should stop relying on exams based on memorization of random facts and start using real world examples of what kind of work student would be working with as an employee.

I have an undergraduate degree and PhD in chemistry and I don't really think "blind memorisation" had much to do with my success. It will only get you so far.

I think there is also substantial within academia about the purpose of academia. I think a lot of academics might disagree that it is about preparing people to be employees.

Statistically, how many people will become private employees and how many people will stay in academia to do science? Disagreement is just denying reality.

If academia was solely about job training it would take at most like 6 weeks. It is about getting a rounded education. It is why engineers need to take liberal arts classes.

I’m not convinced.

Academia should be for exploration, research, or preservation/archival. It’s about knowledge, not profit.

Academic attainment should be about the subject.

It’s business that should deal with the application, the short cuts, the “ends” rather than the means.

I’m sure there’s a formulation of this which also allows for AI in acedemia. I’m not srguing for that kind of purity. But I am saying that acedemia shouldn’t be treated as the training ground for employment.

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