bankermtg

Watch this video with an open mind.  This young man makes sense.  Most of us would not invest a hundred thousand (+) and not expect some minimum return on that investment. If the return were negative, we would consider it a very bad investment. Yet the average four year degree costs that much and yields either a very low return on investment or no return on investment.

Watch this and decide for yourself. What is the value of a college degree in today’s world? What changes should colleges and universities make in their curriculum and/or methodologies?  Are there majors/disciplines that should be shelved or perhaps mixed with other majors that make them relevant?

The Spring 2012 semester is over and summer is in full bloom. It is a good time to reflect on lessons learned. C#, Java, Logic and Social Media were my scheduled classes last semester. I learned a lot from those classes. I did not have the prerequisites for Java and only completed two thirds of the class. Strange, I learned more from Java than the other three classes combined. I will complete C# two and take Java again. I still practice programming with Java so I should be more than prepared. 

The definition of education has long been debated. In an article, written by Steve Denning, for Forbes Magazine, education is defined as “a demonstrated ability to listen carefully, to think critically, to evaluate facts rigorously, to reason analytically, to imagine creatively, to articulate interesting questions, to explore alternative viewpoints, to maintain curiosity, and to speak and write persuasively.” The author goes on to define education as ‘having the desire as well as the means to make sure education never ends.’

If I accept this definition of education, then I experienced a high rate of return on my tuition last semester.

How do you define education? I would love to hear your thoughts.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/07/31/what-does-it-mean-to-be-educated/

Three years back when I lost my job in Mortgage Banking,I could not have  conceived of  writing this blog. Heck, I did not know the definition of the word Blog. My experience with the computer consisted of emails and working with canned programs. When I could not complete my resume in Word , I knew that I was in trouble. I decided that I would return to school to learn Microsoft Office. My plan was to  take  one course in Word and one in Excel. One thing led  to  the next and soon I had completed the series of Word, Excel, and Access. In Access and Excel 3  the class started working with   SQL and Visual Basic. I became hooked . I wanted more. This will be the story of my metamorphosis. I want to document my progress through the programs that I write, research done on topics in IT , and my feelings as I go through this process. Be advised that I am not a young student. I have spent twenty plus years in Mortgage Banking. I hope that you enjoy reading about my successes and failures. My progress and  regressions. This series is meant for those of you who are considering change  as well as for those of you that have already stepped into this land. Feel free to correct programming errors, tighten code and comment on articles written.