Hello World! I have started this blog in order to share my journey of learning as I go through a formal degree, an IT diploma and several books, articles and MOOC's (Massive Open Online courses). I aim to present thought-provoking posts on a wide range of topics which I hope will spark discussions that help you enrich yourself, learn something new, look at things from a different perspective. I will try and post weekly, time permitting. Being an IT person, constantly learning new technology and updating oneself is essential for growth and survival. But this approach can be applied to any discipline, and learning new things, besides bringing financial rewards, helps in understanding the world around us and helps us hold knowledgeable conversations. But do not limit yourself to building knowledge. Apply it. Everyday. Build stuff. Break stuff. Learn from your mistakes, especially in something as forgiving as an academic environment. Learn how to learn. Skills and character building are more important that simply accumulating academic knowledge. Learning new skills builds confidence, and that confidence is an important aspect of your personality. And have fun! My next post is going to be about the bestseller, Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow. It is undoubtedly a fascinating read if you are interested in how your mind works using two different 'systems'.
I originally posted the below comment in response to an article on Wired regarding the future of MOOCs: MOOCs have their merits, including giving free access to world-class education to students who for any reason (affordability, competitive ability, opportunity cost) cannot reach top-tier institutions. For students who are already pursuing a degree, they can help you explore a wider range of topics than a traditional university degree encompasses. However, I should take a step back first. Firstly, I believe that the traditional university model is broken. Degrees are inflexible, require too much time commitment, cost too much, and the nature of the job market means that the skills learnt are of little real world value. Why would I spend 6-7 years pursuing an undergrad and grad course spending close to 200,000 thousand dollars (when I could save that money or use it to start my venture)? Because jobs require "credentials" as an eligibility criteria, even tho...
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