Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Reading For Enjoyment as an Avenue of Intellectual Growth

I like to read! As a matter of fact, I read all the time. Within my Kindle subscriptions are at least 25 magazines that range in topics like sports, farming, economics, world affairs, and even style. Ok...so I don't have great style but I'm working on it! It is a connection to a greater world that allows me the interest level I need. Does it really get me anywhere?

For years I spent time in school studying and learning. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just gotten a library card and saved myself the ton of money that higher education costs. Sure...I might be working in a family business or at a factory but I would simply just go home at the end of the day and read for the enjoyment of it.

Actually...nothing wrong with that.

One of the issues of higher education is that we are not learning for learning sake. No longer are we just there to learn about the world and know about topics that interest us. Instead, we are there to get a job and justify the cost of such learning.

Inherent learning has seem to be something more focused on external needs.

Thus, higher education has taken on as a form of investment that is at lease partially removed from actual learning. If you have a degree you can apply for certain types of jobs. If you have experience, knowledge, and a degree you can move up the ranks and make more money.

The joy of learning has not sort of been warped into a type of hedge fund investment where specific outcomes are needed in order to engage in higher education. They got a great point but it is a shame. If you are going to pay for higher education you will need some tangible result when you get out. Over educated factory workers just seem sort of overkill.


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