A Speedy Education

I've been to 3 colleges and a vocational school. Looking back, this was a waste of my time. The teachers, for the most part, were slow, limited in knowledge, close minded, and woolgatherers. Information was dripped out, and a lot of it was useless. I would like to find an institution that isn't like this. I don't mind self teaching, but it would nice to have rapid fire guidance from a no nonsense mentor. Any ideas?

reply to post by gentledissident


Are you saying that you are too good for the US Education system?
Heretic.
No, but seriously. Something should be done.
I think we should have more female instructors, who don't think it's wrong to sleep
with their students. Then the world would be at peace.

I taught myself from 8th grade through graduation. My mother taught me from kindergarten through 7th grade. A couple times I sat in with some friends at a public school while in 12th grade. Boy, it was easy! If the class couldn't figure out the answer to a question, the Teacher would eventually give it to us. If I was doing my school and couldn't answer the question, I had to re-read the material until I found it!

I never went to college, I'm not too keen on racking up debt in order to get an education that will do me possibly no good due to our economic situation. Best source of learning for me after high school? The internet

reply to post by gentledissident


sounds like you need the challenge of honors courses (advanced), or would enjoy the challenge of abbreviated summer classes (condensed). obviously, your grade score would dictate if you could attend honors classes.

are you seeking an education in a specific field/career choice, or do you enjoy taking just the classes that interest you? if you don't mind, i was just wondering what your goal was.

due to circumstance i attended colleges, vo-tech courses and adult education classes, all at night time. found it to be seriously lacking. most of the educators were bottom-rung and miserable, forced to work 2 or 3 jobs to make alimony payments and obviously not successful in their chosen fields. most of the students were tired from working all day, they were hungry, cranky and in need of a bath. overall, night school is horrible.

PS: my wife has taken online college courses and enjoyed them. from what i saw they were very 'work at your own pace'. this may be something you would enjoy.

reply to post by deadmessiah
My high school was surprisingly good at education despite the sleazy teachers.

The internet is good. I'm finding old books to be helpful as well.

Originally posted by LargeFries
are you seeking an education in a specific field/career choice, or do you enjoy taking just the classes that interest you? if you don't mind, i was just wondering what your goal was.

I'm interested in a lot. I'm thinking I need to focus on retrofitting dwellings and land for off grid living.

Originally posted by LargeFries
PS: my wife has taken online college courses and enjoyed them. from what i saw they were very 'work at your own pace'. this may be something you would enjoy.

edit on 9/7/2011 by LargeFries because: added note re: online courses

I'd like to find a nice online uni that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

reply to post by gentledissident


Just teach yourself.

The best advice I can give is to find out how you learn best, if you don't already know. Today's antiquated, yet still preferred, method of teaching is lecturing. I mean wtf. Worst education method ever. I suppose it's the cheapest though and greed always wins out over intellect.

I'm an experiential learner, so college was absolute torture for me. I can learn how to do most things in a day by actually doing it, but make me listen to a guy talk for a couple hours and I pretty much won't learned anything.

Our education system blows, so forget school. You care more for your learning process than anyone, so it's only natural that you should be your own teacher.

Originally posted by gentledissident

Originally posted by LargeFries
PS: my wife has taken online college courses and enjoyed them. from what i saw they were very 'work at your own pace'. this may be something you would enjoy.

edit on 9/7/2011 by LargeFries because: added note re: online courses

I'd like to find a nice online uni that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

just so you're aware, if the 'certificate of completion' from a college or university isn't the primary goal, there are online schools you may attend free of charge. i found one or two about 18 months ago. i will take a peek at my bookmarks and see if i have them set aside.

you mentioned your interest in retrofitting old dwellings and the like. maybe hands-on experience on a construction crew would benefit you greatly while you do your 'book' learning in your off hours. even if you are more tuned toward the design/engineering side, field experience often pays off in spades and in the long run makes you more valuable to your clients or an employer.

Originally posted by LargeFries
maybe hands-on experience on a construction crew would benefit you greatly

I think you're right. The problem is construction and repair jobs are scarce in the recession. I also get the feeling that I'm not brown enough to work or redneck enough to manage. I took a semester of HVAC before having to go back to work. I was so out of place among the good ole boys. This part of the country, Oklahoma, is run by rednecks and neocons. I think the best thing I can do is devise a plan to get to Washington state. I'm a jovial free thinking pacifistic vegetarian socialistic atheist. I just need to find a place that will tolerate me.

Originally posted by gentledissident

Originally posted by LargeFries
maybe hands-on experience on a construction crew would benefit you greatly

I think you're right. The problem is construction and repair jobs are scarce in the recession. I also get the feeling that I'm not brown enough to work or redneck enough to manage. I took a semester of HVAC before having to go back to work. I was so out of place among the good ole boys. This part of the country, Oklahoma, is run by rednecks and neocons. I think the best thing I can do is devise a plan to get to Washington state. I'm a jovial free thinking pacifistic vegetarian socialistic atheist. I just need to find a place that will tolerate me.

edit on 10-9-2011 by gentledissident because: (no reason given)

here in NJ construction has been minimal for years now. you're right, construction is sweet in boom times/booming areas - but where are they these days. there are a few projects, very few. and some fellows are working to re-build areas decimated by storms and fires.
my nephew went without work for 3 yrs here in NJ, he's is a professional, schooled painter with some 15 years experience. that man's life was reduced to sheer poverty until he moved away. i heard the same stories from him re: work crews. he was one of the few people on the site with white skin and English as a primary language. just an observation.
your idea to get to a larger, more hip metropolitan area is the way to go.

meanwhile, i did check my bookmarks but i did not have the online schools tabbed. a suggestion: there are some sites that help homeowners and DIY folks, answering their questions. really nice, helpful, many of the posters are old pros. maybe lurking about such sites will lead you to advice or an online site that will be beneficial to you. a site i used in the past, if i recall correctly, was titled Handymanwire(dot)com .

also, i've found in life money spent on books carefully chosen usually pays off large. i buy used books from eBay, eBay has a site called Half(dot)com where it's books & a few other categories marked down low for purchase not auction. eBay also has a free-to-advertise on site called Kijiji and of course there is always Craigslist. amazon has used book sellers and abebooks is a consortium of many book sellers online.

when you get where you're relocating to you may like to check out the Technical-vocational school choices. and yet another way to go is to get some like-minded people and pool your change, buy a distressed place and renovate it. by seeking advice/help online and from friendly folks you could minimize needless expenses and beginner's mistakes.

i wish you the best my friend. i think it's cool that you are starting an adventure. i'm a little envious!