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Mail. At AOL I got 60 plus pieces of mail a DAY, that were not work related. I dealt with all of 'em promptly.

Now, Im horrible at it. Shit, if I get more than 5 pieces of mail a day, its cause to celebrate the Blue Moon. And yet my outbox is full of drafts, some months old. Gah.

Maybe Im less cavalier about mail now than I was those years ago, but I put those aside I want to answer in my own sweet time. Which now seems to take weeks and months.

Im past the point of redemption I think.
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A reader on the East Coast who uses AOL, (but wishes to remain nameless), responded in my comment box to what I wrote about my attitude to going back to school..

The professor was right, you go to college to learn how to learn. So without knowing how to learn, how do you propose to go about figuring things out?

You need a foundation before you can build a house.

Heh, I flippantly replied "Mom? Is that you?", but she's right - in a way.

However, I really wanted to explain WHY I feel that way.

Its just as important to know WHAT you need to learn.

See, I WANT to go to school. I WANT to complete my degrees. I WANT to take practical courses in publishing, design and production. I LIKE the young coeds (oh, wait. did I say that out loud?)

Chances are however, it will be better for me to get my hands dirty with this stuff BEFORE I go take the classes in it. To know what I need to learn.

Without a tangible FIXED purpose or goal, (post-secondary) school is often a sheer waste of time and money.

Unless you have the luxury of time and money trying out stuff you want to learn.

I feel that way because.. the time spent getting "the foundation" diverts the time needed to learn what youre doing. Its better to go to school to fill in the gaps and round out your existing knowledge.

Ive hired many a tech who got certified in school. To say they were all unseasoned would be kind.

I remember one guy who was assigned to me. He had JUST graduated from the Catherine Gibbs school with a certificate in networking. He walked into my office (cubbyhole) with his hands in his suit pockets.

Oh my lord, he acted as if he was just pitstopping on his way to the management suite.

He spent more time looking and analysing rather than DOING.
Within half an hour it was clear this joker was fuckin useless. The other guy who was in jeans and a t-shirt (just as young and inexperienced but who had practical knowledge)UNDERSTOOD what was involved, and was ready to unpack, move and configure machines. Thats all that was needed from him.

I sent the smug suit to lunch early, and then foisted him on another department to get him away from me before I strangled him to get him out of my hair.

I would rather hire a tech who got his hands dirty in the real world BEFORE he went to the trouble of getting certified.

Ironically, most good techs I know would rather INCREASE their knowledge by themselves than waste that time going to school.

Why? Because when it comes down to it, its what you know rather than the degrees you have.

The degrees and certifications will help get you hired, yes.

Will they actually give you a head start? Until experience is acquired - no, not in the real world.

As a highly accomplished man I met years ago, always decked in Armani suits, told me.. "It matters less how qualified I am, than learning what I need to learn to get the job done."

Amen.