[Edu-sig] Python as Application

[Arthur]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chuck Allison [mailto:chuck at freshsources.com]
> 
> It's so important that we don't throw growing minds in to a technical
> tunnel.
> 
> Of course, from were I sit, few want to go into technical pursuits
> anyway :-(.

Yeah.

But it does bring to mind a point I tried to make earlier - that there seems
to be no "road back" to anything technical for those who spend their
undergraduate years in general exploratory mode.

A point of sensitivity to myself since my undergraduate degree is in
Literature - not that I was even a serious student of literature, but one
had to major.  

Law school, Business school were options when deciding to resume my studies.
There were no options, other than picking things up at the undergraduate
level again, if I wanted to go into something more technical.  The barrier
being more "psychological" - a sense of having to start over. I, for one,
couldn't adjust to that.  But in getting my MBA I was nonetheless covering a
lot of territory on a graduate level, that others - more directed toward
business related studies earlier - had covered as undergraduates.  An MBA is
a bit of a "gimmick" in that respect - but an effective gimmick.

I had not too long ago explored what it might take to get a graduate level
degree in mathematics.  It was within the realm of possibility only because
my PyGeo adventures had led me to developing a relationship with the head of
the math department at a technical college.  He seemed willing to work with
me - but in the end it seemed unrealistic on a number of fronts.

Art