Mom's homemade pho

Theft

Basic K-12 educations lays out the groundwork for you to explore what you're interested in or most proficient at.

A lot of what you learn in college can be learned via independent research.  Difference in college is that you have a professor who is knowledgeable in the subject who can help guide you along, and your knowledge is recognized by the state and the job market with a diploma.

That said, being self-taught offers benefits such as going at your own pace, actually learning the material instead of "learning the material" for an exam, and not having the inflated costs that come with post-secondary education.  My dad is the head of IT security at the SC Attorney General office, and he only went to college for two years (no degree).  He knows more about current systems than any college graduate, and he is mostly self-taught.  BUT he only makes around $90,000 in his current occupation.  To put that in perspective, if you have a four-year degree and a connection or two within the state government, you can land yourself a job with a $120K+ salary despite no prior experience.

Bottom line is that while being self-taught might not get you $$$, it'll give you more respect among your peers and won't leave you "wasting away" at a university for two to six years.

I think it all comes down to the industry. Something like art, music, dance, doesn't necessarily need a degree to show you're good at it. Even a lot of tech stuff like web design. As long as you have a portfolio of your work to show potential employers, you'll be pretty ok.

Quote from: Epsira on December 09, 2014, 09:46:20 AM

Quote from: Sandtrap on December 09, 2014, 09:39:57 AM

Okay. Interesting question. I'll talk about efficiency here I guess. Because I've been on both sides of the fence. 9th grade education here.

Personally, organised teaching is more efficient. It's efficient, in that it's a train track. You start on one end, and you go to the other. There are no bumps, twists, or turns. It's all organised and fine tuned to a path to follow. But it's rigid.

Self engineered education is less efficient. Because it's not a train track. It's a road. It has bumps. Ups and downs, twists and turns. Your self education is defined by your motivation, your own intelligence, and your emotional state. And there are some days where your studies hit a brick wall. Or you face a problem that takes time to figure out on your own.

If you drag preference into the equation, I go for self taught, any day.

And I suppose, since you first asked, whether or not it was possible to pursue higher education outside of a sytem, I think it is. You've always got all the tools at your disposal. You just need to look in the right spots.

If someone wished to have mentors to aid the learning process, but in a way where ultimately the curriculum you undertook was self designed (aided by those knowledgeable in your field), would this be manageable?
Where would the funds necessary for such an education come from with no prior job experience or desire to work under other people?
Would this then be possible?

Mentors? Easily so. Although it depends on the location. You're not going to find a rocket scientist in a small town environment. The location and the people you're with are key. But, even still, it's manageable.

Funds? You don't need them. You have the internet. If you want to learn about something, you look on the internet. And you study. For example, if you wanted to learn about higher tier mathematics? What do you have access too?

All the notes in the history of mathemiticians. A little research goes a long way. Research, study, try it out on your own. With physical things, it's a little harder. Like a mechanic.

If you want to be a mechanic, you need broken shit to fix. Engines are a little hard to experiment on. And, replacing parts can indeed be costly.

For the most part, if you're doing something in mental capacity, you don't need much money. If you're doing something a little more physical, then money will be involved. And through that, you take a job, and earn your money. It all depends on what you're after.

The key here is, anything is possible if you put your head in the game. Use your head, and you can find a way.

Quote from: Epsira on December 09, 2014, 09:22:29 AM

Quote from: DAS B(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ on December 09, 2014, 07:32:30 AM

Yeah, but unfortunately you don't get that fancy little slip of paper or any government recognized credentials that way, and quite a few career choices wouldn't like that.

This is true, but what if you weren't interested in jobs, save one you designed for yourself?
If you were a researcher, starting your own research company, or if you were a writer, your own publishing agency?
Now would it work if you had funding?

With enough funding anything is possible.

Yeah, but unfortunately you don't get that fancy little slip of paper or any government recognized credentials that way, and quite a few career choices wouldn't like that.