Comment by kenster07 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kenster07 | Hacker News Reader

This is a bandage to the problem, perhaps even a good bandage, but not a cure.

The issue is so much deeper than this.

On the "physical labor" side of the economy, the college system, in its current form, will not efficiently fill America's production lines with workers. It will not create more craftsmen. It certainly does not cure the average American college graduate of the mentality that they are above being a gardener in their own backyard.

On the knowledge side of the economy, MOOC can potentially add enormous value. The distribution of credentials (aka a degree from an elite university) is being decoupled from the educating of the knowledge workforce. Rather than a couple thousand or tens of thousands of people having access to the highest levels of education, it is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

P.S. I take issue with anyone who is 28 years old being considered a "veteran" at her job, let alone at McKinsey. Perhaps I think too old-school.

> Rather than a couple thousand or tens of thousands of people having access to the highest levels of education, it is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

The printing press has been around for hundreds of years. The problem has never been access to knowledge. It has been:

1. Selecting what people need to know (curricula), and

2. Checking that they know it (credentialling).

If people want to learn about anything, about any topic, to any depth, public library systems enable that and have done so for a long time.

Plus, the reductionist view of Universities as mere generators and disseminators of knowledge is inaccurate. Attendance at universities introduces you to new people, many of whom have similar interests. This leads to friendships, business partnerships and romantic relationships that MOOCs can't replicate (and libraries only poorly).

> If people want to learn about anything, about any topic, to any depth, public library systems enable that and have done so for a long time

About a year ago, I decided to read through what I considered the most interesting topics in my old discrete math textbook, on basically this theory.

The first few sections were fine. Then I started getting different answers to the ones published in the back of the book. Lacking someone who could tell me what I was doing wrong, I gave up. :/

Did you try a different book? When I get stuck on a subject I often turn to a different book to get me over the hump.

P.S. I take issue with anyone who is 28 years old being considered a "veteran" at her job, let alone at McKinsey. Perhaps I think too old-school.

There are specific verticals, where one can very well be. For e.g. I know people who have been focussing on a vertical since they are 15 years old (e.g. web design, digital art). You can definitely master some verticals after 13-14 years.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com