[sdiy] Who Needs a Degree?

[Barry Klein]

Did you ask the numbnutts what he plans to do with his life? :-)

At MakerFaire, Sparkfun had a huge area full of people of all ages solding
their kits together... Many more in line to take their places.
Kids were doing some amazing things - making their own rapid prototyping
and cnc systems, replicating DNA, controlling various thing with a pc,
software, and friendly Arduino gadgetry....  Some kids won't get inspired
until they are forced to get their hands dirty with it and then see that
they actually learned something that they had no knowledge of before.

Barry


-----Original Message-----
From: synth-diy-bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl
[mailto:synth-diy-bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of David G. Dixon
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 2:10 PM
To: 'Tim Ressel'; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Who Needs a Degree?

> If I were king, every EE student would spend a year as a technician.
> <snip>

Although I'm a prof in a materials engineering department focusing on
chemical metallurgy, I have had many occasions over the last year to lurk in
the electrical engineering department's storeroom.  One time whilst there to
pick out some resistors, an EE student came in to pick up a "kit" for a
project they all had to make, which included a PC board and a baggie of
assorted ICs and other goodies.  I asked him what he was going to make...

Me: "Hey, that looks pretty cool.  What is it?"

UG: "I dunno.  Just some stupid thing we have to build."

Me: "Oh.  What's it do."

UG: "I'm not really sure."

Me: "Hmm.  Well, do you have to design it."

UG: "No.  It's just like a recipe, we just put it together."

Me: "So you have to solder the parts on to the board...?"

UG: "Yeah, I guess so.  I'm not really sure..."

Me: "Ah.  Well, have fun with that."

UG: "(grumble)"

Feel free to draw your own conclusions about university education in 2010.

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