noteworthy wrote:
] Her motivation is admirable, but strong motivation is not a
] substitute for the college experience, any more than good
] looks are a substitute for kindness.
]
] When you use a phrase like "generally presumed benefits of a
] formal degree", it certainly sounds like a disparaging remark
] about classrooms, or books, or the System, or the Shaft, or
] somesuch.

[ No, i didn't intend that exactly. Merely, i meant it to challenge the presumption that college is a prerequisite for success. In the general case, i would never argue against college, and I advocate it widely at least as much for the social reasons as the literal academic ones. However, I feel like it's common to assume that someone who didn't go to college is incapable of achieving success, particularly in an engineering discipline, and I think that's too bad. Not everyone fits in well with college life, and i don't feel like that's necessarily a character flaw.

She may have been the billionaire you describe, or she may have gotten distracted, disenchanted or discouraged by the culture there or suffered a burn out and never continued. Point being, I dunno, and i find it encouraging when I see that it's still possible to start from scratch. -k]

RE: A Toy With a Story