Price of our hobby

From: r. 'bear' stricklin <red_at_bears.org>
Date: Wed Jun 28 14:07:27 2000

On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, Mike Cheponis wrote:

> Wasn't there this nerdy guy who started at Harvard but dropped out after
> a short while to start a company with one of his buddies, and is now the
> richest man in the world?

I have to add my two cents to this. Yes, some companies will demand
degrees and expect to see a candidate with 100% conventional
background. In the tech sector, at least, these companies don't seem to be
in the norm and where they do exist, are the LEAST interesting companies
to work for.

After I graduated from high school, I went straight into uni. I managed to
complete my high school obligations with minimal effort and still graduate
at the top 2% of my class---needless to say, this didn't translate into a
highly successful career at the University of Washington. I attended UW
for two years and dropped out without achieving Junior status.

Today I am 23 years old and have hit the top of my profession (UNIX
systems administration). In terms of technical knowledge, I outrank nearly
all of my co-workers, many of whom are 15 years or more my senior. I have
worked in numerous diverse environments, including several 'highly
respected' companies such as Amazon.com, the Boeing Corporation, and
Geoworks.

Not once has my lack of a degree affected my ability to find a job. In
fact, I am very up-front about my short-lived and extremely unglamourous
engagement at uni.

Yes, I am tooting my own horn here (quite loudly) but if I don't toot it,
I'm afraid the fact that a successful career can be built on things other
than advanced degrees may slip by unnoticed.

Will I go back to school? Yes. Will it be to get a technical degree?
Probably not. Divinity or theology are looking like likely candidates.

ok
r.
Received on Wed Jun 28 2000 - 14:07:27 BST