Is University a step forward or backward?

[Samsonov]

Hi, I want to start by stating that I am obviously not looking for answers from anybody to my own life decisions. Just looking to share my feelings, considerations and start a conversation.

I have taken the time, over 4 years after high school to invest in my personal development and self-education. I read a lot on various subjects, have done a lot of psychological work and spiritual practice and development.
Now even though I am clearer on my life purpose and feeling confident in my abilities to pursue it, I am strongly considering university, As I enjoy learning, looking for the social structure and for exploring my curiosities further, I am considering an Environmental engineering degree.

But Im afraid to conform, after learning by myself for so long and getting used to my own pace and my own way of doing things I feel like I will get in the habit of being very critical of the system, seeing (or looking for) all of its biases, falsehood, schemes and frankly bull shit. 
Because it is bullshit isn't it?

That's the question I would like to raise here

What do you think of the university system generally? 

I mean, going for a science undergraduate, would it not just fill my mind with more beliefs? I want to understand nature, and the best way to do that I have find is observation and experiments. my plan is to travel and do some more practical permaculture courses, and I can supplement this with more reading and research to get more theory in, I am pretty comfortable with theory, practice is what I am lacking, the fear is that not having the degree will limit my possibilities, its sad but its true.
 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Samsonov

[integration journey]

https://youtu.be/yVU2kOlXJ0E?si=3a4Lj3EobfSrzk7i

leo has a video on this topic 

[DianaFr]

You have raised an interesting question...

As somebody who has gone through the academic education system, I can definitely agree with you - it can be all the things you mentioned, bullshit, false, biased. It's a system, a very hierarchical one, and it's not exempt from having the weaknesses that such systems tend to possess. 

But there's also a lot of positives. Community and ability to work side by side with brilliant people, access to research infrastructure and resources, the possibility to lay foundation for an academic career (you get to practice and publish your research in peer-reviewed journals). I personally love the "spirit" of academic environment, the part of it that embodies the true spirit of science beyond the system - it can't really be replicated by working by yourself. 

I've been through ups and downs academically, and now my take is - don't expect from the system something it is not but focus on things you can and want to take to build something valuable (for yourself, your colleagues, the society, the field of research you choose). It's a very good platform to grow from and experience awesome things with. But there's down side as well, just like any other thing in life. It's up to you, where you put your focus. 

[Pav]

If you're wanting to enter a profession such as engineering, law, or medicine then it's a good idea.

Probably not if you're just wanting to learn, the cost in both time and money is too great now days. If you're interested in science there are many sources outside of university to learn, for instance there are whole courses worth of lectures on YouTube from universities like Havard, you can find second hand text books to read through, and Wikipedia is also an excellent source for scientific knowledge, you could also try reading through scientific papers yourself.

When it comes to psychology and philosophy these disciplines are best learnt through reading books written by the great philosophers and psychologists themselves (this will give you a much deeper understanding than a university degree).

[Samsonov]

Thank you, I think the best course of action is to take another year to educate myself as I wish, then later if I'll feel I missed an opportunity I can always apply again. Its just that I already got accepted and will have to go through the exam again.. but well

@Pav I agree, If I do decide the engineering is what I want to do then I will study. the 5 year degree...

[Snader]

You can definitely build valuable skills on probably any subject better and faster by yourself than in the university system. The university system will force you to study some useless shit you don't really need or even want to study. The academic world will also pull you towards a certain frame of thinking that can be very harmful to your self-improvement work, if you are not careful enough; acknowledging those pulling forces and critically introspecting yourself in relation to your environment.

On the other hand, not many people are mature enough or in some other way capable enough to use their free time effectively, so that's where university can definitely help. Also the social aspect of being a student, networking and exposing yourself to social situations can be beneficial to your career and also to your health, if done in mature manner. Grades can also be seen as "cultural capital", which is toxically kind of a metaphor for "being a better citizen", but maybe useful to give you confidence to thrive and enhance your self-esteem - if that is needed.

So generally it would be best to educate yourself, but in many cases that's not very realistic. I don't know you and your situation, you might as well have balls to do that, if you just have the financial side figured out. One more thing to consider is that in some jobs you simply must have certain level of education to be allowed to do the work, especially in some technical fields.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Snader

[UnbornTao]

Forward. It will empower your learning and expose you to subjects and avenues you haven't even considered. 

[universe]

How old are you?

It will be whatever you make out of it.

[destroyx6]

Interesting you mentioned this.

I am 19 soon to turn 20 but had gotten home schooled by the time was 16 and feel as if I never had the opportunity  to really take my highschool education too seriously unfortunately.

In the past 2 years I have undergone some major steps in self development, taking jobs, courses and different classes to further my understanding of sales, marketing & psychology. I have also been really interested in neuroscience, philosophy, and new economics.

Recently I’ve been developing a passion to further my understanding of permaculture, AgTech and ecology. At the moment I am looking into a environmental engineering degree as well but trying to decide whether or not this is a suitable option for me.

There’s a couple avenues in sales/marketing in which I could be making a lot more money than environmental engineering but I feel as if this path would be a much more meaningful career as opposed to sticking inside of sales and marketing.

I think the fact that we are aware of how much conformity affects us makes us much more ahead of the curb when it comes to really pushing the envelope in a way that doesn’t make us stupider.

In my personal opinion I definitely could use the structure and I think university will help me further define my entrepreneurial path as opposed to limiting it.

 

[Samsonov]

@destroyx6 Hi,

I feel you man.

Self study does put you ahead of the curb in many ways, but it comes with a price, for once the lack of testing can make one self-deluded about his own knowledge, creating a bubble that protects you from feedback.

This feedback could be received from the world, market or society, but my thinking lately is that we are both pretty young, what harm is it in spending a few years in a system, I just want to make sure that I am not afraid of it or running away. If I am really as "ahead" as I believe, I should ace university and still have time for extra learning. 

On the other hand, I already got plans to start developing a permaculture site, would be hard to hold oneself back for four years now.

Where are you from?

 

[destroyx6]

@Samsonov Good job on not being afraid to get out there and go after it.

Permaculture can have a lot of different angles to it, and I think starting is the initial step that most people are afraid to take.

I am still in the process of learning and understanding permaculture and hearing from the experiences of people who have already started their own projects.

I was born and raised in the US, specifically in greater Los Angeles County, but moved to Arizona a few years ago. I am currently visiting for a few months in the tri-state area.

How about you?