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Comment by nja4 | Hacker News Reader

This. This. This. So many people also lack fundamental skills that you learn formally, with structure, in a formal education system. I would also argue that the learning process in school helps you develop your process for learning later on, which you need to be good at to survive.

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>I would also argue that the learning process in school helps you develop your process for learning later on, which you need to be good at to survive.

I couldn't disagree more with this. The way school taught me to learn was one of the most egregious things I've ever had to unlearn. You are taught to remember facts instead of exploring concepts.

"If you really can't see the value in a scientific degree, I think you either didn't work hard enough, pay attention, or go to the right institution." from another comment would apply here. I am learning so much better than I ever could from hacking together solutions from tutorials, reference docs, and examples. At least for me, this is how I learn.

This was the opposite of my experience. Every new class I took offered that professor's way to learn. Every professor had something new to offer me. Some were 'aiight' but some were tremendous new options I've added to my toolkit for learning new things.

You could argue that or you could argue that to truly do well in uni you need to practice the skill of self-learning.

You can learn to self-learn independently. Many who do have made great contributions to many fields. Have a look at the list of autodidacts from history - within our lifetimes even.

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