so, if you're smart, you don't need college. at least in tech. look at bill gates. he dropped out.
in tech we value intelligence above all else. the problem is, sometimes it's hard for people to see your intelligence. as in, they just met you right now for the first time. so, degrees and stuff (master's don't mean anything. phd's do) help you get your foot in the door. otherwise, you can work your way up.
one guy in our company got a BS in chemical engineering, then started working at my firm as a applications engineer (support, basically). my firm does EE stuff, process equipment. he did really well, really put himself into it. then he asked to be transferred to research. EVERYBODY in research has a phd. and in some related field, not chem E (i guess chem E is somewhat related to process, lots of chemistry involved, like in polishing and stuff). and he got it. then he worked really hard there. and finally, he got a product engineer position at micron, where he is responsible for a memory chip. his very own. and he doesn't even have an EE background, other than learning what he did on the job.
so, that's a more realistic story than bill gates. because there are very few bill gates. some people are obviously the bill gates of today. but from reading what you wrote, sorry, it doesn't seem like you are one of them.
but it seems your interest is not in technology first and foremost, but rather policy? policy as ceo policy? or policy as lawmaker/ngo policy? cause that is a different path. and one most of here at AT probably don't know too much about.
and why do you think just because you go to stanford or harvard it'll be better? there are still dumb people there. won't mention any famous examples though. but there are dumb people everywhere.
and grading is subjective. hey, it's life! the really smart, brilliant, excellent people can do well everywhere. that's why they are so excellent. they never have to give excuses "the teacher didn't like me" or anything, cause they impress everybody. that's what makes a writer great. a talented writer will impress most of the people. and some will say he sucks. a great writer will impress everybody. some may dislike what he's writing, but they will all acknowledge that he's great (now that may not really be true, cause most people are acknowledged after they are dead ...). so, if you can't succeed at northwestern, i doubt you can succeed elsewhere. as in, succeed in going towards your great goals. you need to be able to do well everywhere you go, even if you hate it.
and, as for travelling: that is a good idea if you're going into policy. you'll learn lots more about other culture (something americans are horrible at), expand your mind, see how the real world works (yea, there's more of the world than just north america). but, if you want to go into tech, you'll fall miserably behind.
and lastly, but sort of important-it appears you aren't really interested in technology. a lot of us (most of us) like tech and all its ideas (CS is great. where else can your words create a whole new universe?). but you like people. helping them, caring for them. making a difference in the world.
well, someone i know decided that was more important, and went down the path of becoming a doctor instead. and there are many fields where you can make a personal difference in people's lives, though to me it seems like a doctor is one of the best choices, cause you can go anywhere in the world almost.
but think about what you really want to do in this world.
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or, the easier to read version, suggested by whisper:
so, if you're smart, you don't need college. at least in tech. look at bill gates. he dropped out.
in tech we value intelligence above all else. the problem is, sometimes it's hard for people to see your intelligence. as in, they just met you right now for the first time. so, degrees and stuff (master's don't mean anything. phd's do) help you get your foot in the door. otherwise, you can work your way up.
one guy in our company got a BS in chemical engineering, then started working at my firm as a applications engineer (support, basically). my firm does EE stuff, process equipment. he did really well, really put himself into it. then he asked to be transferred to research. EVERYBODY in research has a phd. and in some related field, not chem E (i guess chem E is somewhat related to process, lots of chemistry involved, like in polishing and stuff). and he got it. then he worked really hard there. and finally, he got a product engineer position at micron, where he is responsible for a memory chip. his very own. and he doesn't even have an EE background, other than learning what he did on the job.
so, that's a more realistic story than bill gates. because there are very few bill gates. some people are obviously the bill gates of today. but from reading what you wrote, sorry, it doesn't seem like you are one of them.
but it seems your interest is not in technology first and foremost, but rather policy? policy as ceo policy? or policy as lawmaker/ngo policy? cause that is a different path. and one most of here at AT probably don't know too much about.
and why do you think just because you go to stanford or harvard it'll be better? there are still dumb people there. won't mention any famous examples though. but there are dumb people everywhere.
and grading is subjective. hey, it's life! the really smart, brilliant, excellent people can do well everywhere. that's why they are so excellent. they never have to give excuses "the teacher didn't like me" or anything, cause they impress everybody. that's what makes a writer great. a talented writer will impress most of the people. and some will say he sucks. a great writer will impress everybody. some may dislike what he's writing, but they will all acknowledge that he's great (now that may not really be true, cause most people are acknowledged after they are dead ...). so, if you can't succeed at northwestern, i doubt you can succeed elsewhere. as in, succeed in going towards your great goals. you need to be able to do well everywhere you go, even if you hate it.
and, as for travelling: that is a good idea if you're going into policy. you'll learn lots more about other culture (something americans are horrible at), expand your mind, see how the real world works (yea, there's more of the world than just north america). but, if you want to go into tech, you'll fall miserably behind.
and lastly, but sort of important-it appears you aren't really interested in technology. a lot of us (most of us) like tech and all its ideas (CS is great. where else can your words create a whole new universe?). but you like people. helping them, caring for them. making a difference in the world.
well, someone i know decided that was more important, and went down the path of becoming a doctor instead. and there are many fields where you can make a personal difference in people's lives, though to me it seems like a doctor is one of the best choices, cause you can go anywhere in the world almost.
but think about what you really want to do in this world.
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