Are we really this thick?

[Mich the Tester]

I'm afraid too that after 35 years in IT, I don't really see myself as better off in the end than I would hope to be in some other career.

For example, if I had gone into teaching, I would expect to have been a principal teacher in my subject for some years now (as many of my friends are): on 36k - 47k, probably at the top by now. With holidays (yes I know) and pension; and the ability to work in parts of the UK that are only in the post-retirement dream for me now; not to mention interesting overseas work if desired (rather than being into weekly commutes just to make money).

Oh I'm financially better off; that's for sure. My mortgage is half way to paid off (just chucked last year's profits at it), my savings are good enough to last me nearly a year out and my lifestyle is very pleasant, but I still crave more intellectual stimulation.

[norrahe]

It is somehow quite acceptable to be utterly ignorant of science amongst the social elite of this country, but if you've never read Proust - oh dear!

Science and tech is for the lower orders - the 'little men' who 'do things'.

Don't get me started my OH and I constantly take the pi$$ out of each other, he's science (currently doing a second degree in physics for fun in the OU) and I'm Arts.

I have every appreciation for science (I jumped from genetics to English degree) and quite a few of my friends have doctorates in varied scientific subjects. One of them being very lucky to land a job in F1.

Though the level of education in this country in the basic subjects is wanting to say the least.

[bogeyman]

Speaking on behalf of the young 30's thick-as-pigsh*t population...I can only say WE WERE EDUCATED UNDER A TORY GIVERNMENT!!!!
And they took our free milk away, so we didn't have the strength to learn.



However...there are 2 types of "educated": -

1) those who are just uber uber clever (like my other half - knows pretty much everything about everything, but keeps most of it to himself until faced with a quiz machine or until a topic is raised)

2) those who are old school educated and find pleasure in spitting their knowledge all over you at any opportunity (yesterday for example, I got trapped into sharing lunch with a bloke I work with. Within 5 minutes he had told me he went to Durham University, as a Lecturer 10 years ago used to teach "The Classics" (erm, I'm sorry I didn't go to public school - wtf are the classics?), he spoke latin to me, and then proceded to explain to me how similar latin is to programming - I just thought "**** off" straight away. )

It's the second group of people who give knowledge a bad name.


It's a fact though that sexy nerds are the new badboys...now if they only knew how to talk to girls....

I was educated under several governments, Tory and Labour - it made no odds to me.

What you do you expect? Do you think education is like petrol? It's effectiveness is directly proportional to its octane content, or something?

Are you suggesting Labour Ejukashun is somehow much more effective than the Tory variety.

Or could it possibly be that the child who is being 'eductated' has a working mind and motivation to actually learn and improve?

It's all that Maggie Fatcher's fault - nobody lerned nuffink under her .

[expat]

Oh I'm financially better off; that's for sure. My mortgage is half way to paid off (just chucked last year's profits at it), my savings are good enough to last me nearly a year out and my lifestyle is very pleasant, but I still crave more intellectual stimulation.

Hah. Well, my previous mortgage is almost paid off, but I don't own the house. Still, that was a non-career decision. Seriously, I have always reckoned that I was doing much better out of IT than I would in any other field, but I'm not quite so convinced now, especially if I count in human factors such as not finding it interesting so going off and spending the money on doing something interesting...


Alfred, you see someone musing on chucking it all in because it's not fun any more. IT, I mean, not life: it's the reflection that life is fun but work is taking away too much of it....

[Zippy]

..... I still crave more intellectual stimulation.

And you think you're going to find it here?

[Mich the Tester]

And you think you're going to find it here?

Not really, but to be fair there are a few posters who can make intelligent points. It whiles away the boredom between boring meetings.

[ratewhore]

It's a fact though that sexy nerds are the new badboys...now if they only knew how to talk to girls....

You'll find they can't be arsed with the inane drivel they spout...

[expat]

..... I still crave more intellectual stimulation.

And you think you're going to find it here?

Hanging out here a lot is a sign of something....

[ratewhore]

...I still crave more intellectual stimulation.

You're married then?

[Mich the Tester]

You'll find they can't be arsed with the inane drivel they spout...

Yes, quite.

As I sat down in the ‘silence coupé’ of the train yesterday to read a fascinating article on ‘Earthquake-cycle deformation and fault slip rates in northern Tibet’ in Geology magazine, two ladies, not physically unattractive, took their seats at the other side of the aisle. They immediately started yapping inanely about their friend’s breast enlargement and how it looked so fake and bouncy. The chap sitting opposite me who was doing some paperwork spoke up and requested that the ladies respect the rules of the ‘silence coupé’. The response was ‘We;re not talking very loudly, so what’s wrong? You can’t expect us to keep our mouths shut for nearly an hour!’

Happily the conductor arrived and sent them away. Yapping women and their inane drivel are the reason someone invented the blow-job.