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biohacker42

I knew a brilliant hacker who also dropped out of college for the same reasons.

It's a bit of youthful arrogance, immaturity, but also the kind of spirit youth would not be youth without.

Anyway, a recession is probably the best time to be in school.

But there are two very important things to keep in mind:

1. Do NOT go into life crushing debt! A small amount of debt is OK, state schools are cool.

2. Do NOT take school too seriously, OBVIOUSLY it's a for profit operation. Do not let their BS stop you from getting an education while having a good time. You'll do most of your learning on your own and from like minded classmates, learn, have fun, get a degree.

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Did your hacker friend eventually go back to school? I guess it also feels like I'm admitting defeat to the "system" if I go back. I had hoped to say "Forget you! I can hack it on my own just fine". So, I guess a bit of that arrogance still remains...

It feels awful. "Everyone" in my family and their social circle think it's the norm, that you do high school and then you get a degree and get a job. That it's just life, you just play the game that everybody's playing. That the school obviously doesn't care, but also obviously none of the students care either -- they're just paying customers. It feels so awful and dirty to have to go back to that and prove everyone right.

But, that's the firey youth talking again. If I do go back, this time the professors will be a resource to chat up outside of class hours. This time the fellow students will be potential business partners. This time, when presented with esoteric course material, I can think about how it relates to my code, oh so many tiers down later. This time, I know that the academic bureaucracy isn't there to help me, they're just there to make a buck and keep the system going, like my pension plan and unemployment insurance.

Hurray for cynicism!

My hacker friend is doing the whole living out of the back of a van thing... in a good way... by choice.

As to admitting defeat to the system, sure you could look at it what way, but you could also argue that the defeat came when you quit! But that's mind games and you can play those on your own, you don't need me for that.

Suffice it to say, if you proving everyone else right or wrong is a major concern for you, that's a problem, school is not.

I think your last paragraph is an excellent plan, hell it sounds a lot like what I did in college.

Except that my attitude to esoteric material was: C- is all I need to pass. The professors then look at you with those puppy dog eyes: But you can do better! I know, that's why I'm not bothering with this shit.

Cynicism is the appropriate response to less then honest systems like college often is. Another word for cynicism is realism.

And your plan talk to professors outside of class and view fellow classmates as future partners, isn't cynical at all, in fact it's very positive.

The view that academic bureaucracy isn't there to help you, could be described as cynical, but then again it could also be described as factual.

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