This may come across as me being a
butt; however, it is just the wondering thoughts of an old guy thinking back on his years at college - I hope I never attain the level of education that you appear to have reached.
If I were to get to the point of knowing everything, that would mean there is nothing new to learn . Seems to take a lot of the fun out of life.
I have a couple of those fancy papers hanging on my wall that proclaim that I am formally educated to a certain point (some people may even mistakenly think that those papers mean I am 'smart'). On top of that, I have about 20+ years of experience, self study, and seminar type education. Yet I still find that there is a great deal to learn even in attending what appears to be a very basic subject for a professional development seminar. Each hour of the class may not be new revelations, but there is always something within that hour that should make you see what you already know more clearly.
I find that you usually get out of any form of study (formal or otherwise) what you are willing to put into it. In many classes, I have known a good deal of what was being presented, but there is always an item that sparks a train of thought that will lead me to either further study outside of class on a matter or re-evaluation of what I thought I knew. Heck, that happens just reading this message board many times.
An example that comes to mind is both the BASIC and FORTRAN programming classes I took in college. Yes, I am old enough that those were the big programming options at that time. I had been writing programs all through high school as just a geek playing around. I thought I knew it all when I got to class. However, the instructors were still able to teach me how to better refine my abilities by streamlining the coding. While I was not learning 'new' information, I was improving on my application of what I already knew.
When I was young and fresh out of college, I used to think that I knew it all. Luckily for me, I got to work with some really great guys who knew much more than I did. They were nice enough as to teach me some of what they knew without pointing out to me that I really did not know nearly as much as I thought I did. It is only 20 or so years later that I appreciate just how much I did not know then and how much I have yet to learn.
I would venture to guess that there would be many subtle items that I could learn a great deal more about or appreciate with more depth of understanding if I were back in a classroom environment now - even in Introduction to Plane Surveying.
A wise professor I know told me that the role of an academic is to facilitate learning. If you are unhappy with your courses, meet with your professors to pursue more challenging work. Most instructors I know would be more than happy to accommodate you.
Have you approached your faculty advisor to explore options for independent study under faculty supervision and for credit?
While the core curriculum might be frustrating for someone intending to limit themselves to a certain niche, the idea is to expose students to other ways of thinking and expression.
Like the apprenticeship model in traditional surveying, the academic experience relies on the knowledge and expertise of the instructor and the engagement of the student. I do not know how a person studying either on their own or under a licensed surveyor insures that they get quality instruction in all aspects of the profession. At a university the faculty must have the appropriate credentials to teach a subject. There are a number of faculty members teaching a variety of courses. I do not see how anyone can deny that this is a more efficient and rigorous approach.
While tests are an important aspect of the academic experience, passing is not the objective; learning is. I would be hard pressed to identify courses where I did not learn anything. In fact, I frequently find that what I thought I knew was more complex than I assumed. Deep learning is finding the limitations of our understanding.
Obtaining an academic credential or a surveying license is not the end of learning. I like to tell students that when I got my undergraduate degree GPS was not part of the curriculum. What will the future hold for them (and you). Learning to learn and committing to a lifetime of learning makes a professional.
This may come across as me being a
I understand where you are coming from. I was trying to keep from coming across as a "know it all" but apparently I failed there. That was not my goal in what I was saying. I have studied this material for years more in depth than these classes will dive. I always wanted to be a college graduate and I will be. I feel the same way that you do and I always try to learn something. My frustration lies in the value of this "paper". The point I was trying to make is that this paper is going to end up meaning more to other people than it will to me. Hopefully that will change, I am not usually the cynical type. Like I said, I plan to continue studies beyond the undergraduate level. I always learn something so I keep going. I am just a little frustrated at the whole system I guess. I will get over it.
I was trying not to come across that way but it's hard at an impersonal level such as an internet forum. I don't act like a "know it all" and I don't want to get that reputation. I enjoy learning; always have, always will. That is part of the problem I guess and is part of my frustration; self-education means nothing to anyone.
I thought I read that you just went to a Community College, where I came from there wasn't a survey class that didn't require Calculus or Linear Algebra and a lot of the GPS-LSQ needed to be derived. I suggest you kick it up a notch.:-)
Believe me it can and will get challenging.
Ralph
I don't mean to say that none of the classes are challenging, because they are. I am just frustrated about the system, that's all. It all boils down to a pay to play system. You can study all the material you want, but unless you pay to take some classes, you are not considered educated. That was my original gripe.
I guess I don't understand the tendency to equate 'learned' or 'knowledgeable' with educated. People like to have to study only that which they practice in, an ITT-esque approach to attaining educational credentials. What traditional brick & mortar colleges and universities provide is an actual education - broad & diverse exposure in many subjects, culminating in a chosen field of interest or practice. Graduate degrees take it to a more specific, deeper level of study in a given field.
If the eventual degree doesn't mean more to you than to other's, IMO you're looking at it wrong. I certainly didn't realize it when I first graduated. Working for $4/hr as a delivery driver for a furniture & appliance store, I was frustrated that all the job opps I was pursing required either a master's or a few years of experience. My boss at the time said, "butch, you've graduated college, you've got a degree - Thats a heck of an accomplishment right there." He really put it into perspective with that simple statement, forcing me to acknowledge that what I had achieved was quite a bit more than a piece of paper. Within a year's time, through a "not what ya know but who you know" paradigm, I was working professionally within my degee area - and so my education has continued ever onwards 🙂
