Why study?? --II
OK... so assuming we agree on that fact that we go to college to get a job and make a career...let me put forward my other concern. I see this world as a having 2 kinds of people. Those who are good at solving solved problems and those who identify/discover new problems and try to solve them.
Whatever they teach you at school/college is usually aimed at making you a member of the first group. We learn how to do math, science lab work , languages etc...and all the exams/tests etc are around solving the standard set of problems...no wonder people pay so much attention to SAT/GRE scores . Its like how good are you at fitting in...but fitting in the first group of people.
The future cannot be built by solving the same problems again and again...and whether you like it or not...we all know thats a fact you cannot deny.50 years ago having a B.E. meant you were knowledgeable, 30 years ago a M.E/M.S and/or MBA. 10 years ago a PhD. You see that having a particular degree could get you a high paying job depending on what year you are in but it doesn't look like that anymore. So we do need people who can solve the same problems again and again but we don't need them badly, they are disposable and most importantly technology can always substitute them in some way.
What has ruled all the time is creativity and ideas. The 2nd kind of people...the problem identifiers. No matter what domain you are in we all have to work with resource constraints, time constraints and often conflicting needs. Its the smartest solution in such situations that address our needs and help us move forward. This is what is the most important talent that needs to be harnessed, that needs to be brought out in us. Its not uncommon to hear people say "I am not creative" . What they really should be saying is "I was born creative but no one helped me use my creativity. No one told me it was ok to make mistakes, to try to see if things work/break , to be stupid at times"
The only way to make money is a job. Get over this stupid idea!!! This could have been true 20-30 years ago but not any more... not in today's age of high speed connectivity and information at finger tips (felt like using a few buzz words :D). What the dotcom burst showed us was that people we very creative at coming up with new business ideas... ya many were not at all well thought but whatever were lead to dramatic changes in the way we manage information today.No wonder Microsoft faces so much competition in the software world today than what it faced 5 years ago.
Take efforts in enhancing your creativity, your idea generation process. Whether you brainstorm or meditate or find some other way to bring it out but don't think you are not creative. Be willing to make mistakes, think like a kid. What would a 5 year old do in the same situation as you...and you will see how thoughts come in a rush...thoughts you never thought you could think :).
Studying is not important. Knowing why to study is. And then you decide what to study. But no matter what...make sure you do something creative.
Coincidently today's quote of the day: You must do the things you think you cannot do - Eleanor Roosevelt
Whatever they teach you at school/college is usually aimed at making you a member of the first group. We learn how to do math, science lab work , languages etc...and all the exams/tests etc are around solving the standard set of problems...no wonder people pay so much attention to SAT/GRE scores . Its like how good are you at fitting in...but fitting in the first group of people.
The future cannot be built by solving the same problems again and again...and whether you like it or not...we all know thats a fact you cannot deny.50 years ago having a B.E. meant you were knowledgeable, 30 years ago a M.E/M.S and/or MBA. 10 years ago a PhD. You see that having a particular degree could get you a high paying job depending on what year you are in but it doesn't look like that anymore. So we do need people who can solve the same problems again and again but we don't need them badly, they are disposable and most importantly technology can always substitute them in some way.
What has ruled all the time is creativity and ideas. The 2nd kind of people...the problem identifiers. No matter what domain you are in we all have to work with resource constraints, time constraints and often conflicting needs. Its the smartest solution in such situations that address our needs and help us move forward. This is what is the most important talent that needs to be harnessed, that needs to be brought out in us. Its not uncommon to hear people say "I am not creative" . What they really should be saying is "I was born creative but no one helped me use my creativity. No one told me it was ok to make mistakes, to try to see if things work/break , to be stupid at times"
The only way to make money is a job. Get over this stupid idea!!! This could have been true 20-30 years ago but not any more... not in today's age of high speed connectivity and information at finger tips (felt like using a few buzz words :D). What the dotcom burst showed us was that people we very creative at coming up with new business ideas... ya many were not at all well thought but whatever were lead to dramatic changes in the way we manage information today.No wonder Microsoft faces so much competition in the software world today than what it faced 5 years ago.
Take efforts in enhancing your creativity, your idea generation process. Whether you brainstorm or meditate or find some other way to bring it out but don't think you are not creative. Be willing to make mistakes, think like a kid. What would a 5 year old do in the same situation as you...and you will see how thoughts come in a rush...thoughts you never thought you could think :).
Studying is not important. Knowing why to study is. And then you decide what to study. But no matter what...make sure you do something creative.
Coincidently today's quote of the day: You must do the things you think you cannot do - Eleanor Roosevelt
posted by Enjoy Life!! at 9:05 AM
5 Comments:
Creativity! Nicely protrayed the thoughts. Great.
But I think, this is something when someone has finished study would only be able to think.
Imagine a student studying maths-set theory and then he would think (like a gr8 brain scientist) that this theory will be useful someday in proving some theorem which will be an invention(creation).. (whatever you call).
I did not understand much about the second type of people, while I think there are First type of people all over...
1:20 AM
Dude! Now you will say that since you 've got a job..and your quota of studies is over. :P
2:59 PM
Agree with ya dude!
2:28 AM
Well, I don't think study teaches us to be in the first category only. Studies gives us the solved problems, but it is on the part of the learner to spend time to search for unsolved problems and solve them.
But yes, I agree there is no grading for this effort, which I would say is recommended. Something like each semester should have a subject in which an innovative problem has to be discovered and tried to be solved. Only thing I am skeptical about here is the amount of time it takes to solve the problem. Some ppl do PhD on it while some people cant devote these many years on it.
So it boils down to... would you like to do a PhD on this? (I also waive in n out of same state of confusion these days. ;) )
7:55 PM
I am agree with you. But for this we need to change the study and education pattern ! As a student we never get chance to think all these.
5:03 AM
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