Akshay Bhatia skipping college and going pro at 18

[Oliver Klozoff]

I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

 

Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

 

He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

 

 

 

 

[3jacker]

It's a very recent thing. It was once reserved only for the monied elite. Then in the 2nd half of the 20th century, it became available to more. And until the 90s or so, it was a thing of merit. Then it turned into a rite of passage more than an educational opportunity. Then student loans became the norm, then tuition went up, then lending went up, then tuition went up, then more "schools" got in on the action, then internet schools,et al.

 

Watered down. This is why we can't have nice things.

[BearQ]

Poster mentioned it earlier but I was disappointed by his podcast interview. But friends of his and playing competitors have echoed that’s just how he is. All golf all the time.

 

I have a bias for wanting south asians to do well on tour and help grow the game there. Its a massive responsibility and not fair in many ways to have that burden. Kind of like TW was forced into it. Hopefully he matures because he is definitely behind many same age world class amateurs (or even most ajga kids) in conversation skills and just general knowledge/decorum.

 

I think the trend of homeschooling is dangerous when applied like it is with him. Not your thing? Imagine how that would fly for 99.9% of the world. Getting a free pass at doing almost no learning of any kind outside of golf is what bothers me more than skipping college.

 

In regards to his game. He will eventually find his way on tour. Far too skilled around the bag and dominated at every level along the way. I’m positive skipping college will not prove to be an issue in his success. Hopefully he surrounds himself with some wisdom with a yoda here and a zen master there.

 

Im personally hoping that Shubhankar Sharma makes a resurgence going forward and is the best golfer with an Indian name haha. That young man is a well spoken gem and a playaaaaaaa

[BMC]

Yeah, Millenials that attend college have outstanding social skills.....on their iPhone.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

> @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

>

> Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

>

> He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

>

>

>

 

"So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

 

[3jacker]

> @BearQ said:

> ... Kind of like TW was forced into it.

 

 

TW wasn't forced according to him. There was nothing he wanted to do more than get to the course as a kid and practice and play.

 

[BB28403]

Is that the guy who cheated with a range finder? He should ask Beau Hossler how it’s going....

go to college!!

[BB28403]

> @3jacker said:

> > @BearQ said:

> > ... Kind of like TW was forced into it.

>

>

> TW wasn't forced according to him. There was nothing he wanted to do more than get to the course as a kid and practice and play.

>

His real goal was to get to the golf cheerleaders. They told him too late that golf has no cheerleaders.

 

[Sixcat]

> @HoosierMizuno said:

> > @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> > I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

> >

> > Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> > Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

> >

> > He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

> >

> >

> >

>

> "So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

>

 

My firm hasn't hired based on college degree in a number of years. We are perfectly willing to train the right individual to fit our needs and have done so with a fair amount of success. We have some extremely talented licensed professional engineers and support staff who have been in the civil and environmental engineering fields for decades. It's a golden opportunity for a self-motivated kid with intelligence and desire to learn at the hand of this talent. We aren't giving them anything, however. That is usually the underlying reason for someone not being chosen for this program. The learning curve is pretty steep and they have to be willing to put forth the required effort. That isn't always the case. Some kids get an idea of what is required within a few weeks and never return. Others don't see the benefit of following company design standards and practices and get asked to leave.

 

With that said, this process has some risk for the employer that cannot be overlooked. Putting the time, effort and expense into training someone only to have them leave is the biggest and most obvious. Which is likely the biggest reason most employers would rather seek formally educated staff rather than potentially waste time, effort and expense in training people for their competitors benefit. We have lost a handful for reasons that didn't sit very well with us. After spending three or four years training someone for a position they weren't remotely qualified for at 18 years of age only to have them jump over to a competitor hurts in more ways than one. We are currently developing methods of being better at the selection process along with requiring term contracts based on the level of training and experience we offer the candidates.

 

It's a work in progress but so far, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, we have learned to mostly steer clear of the "homeschooled" kids. They have unanimously been a pain in the a** in more ways than one!

[FairwaysToHeaven]

> @Sixcat said:

> > @HoosierMizuno said:

> > > @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> > > I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

> > >

> > > Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> > > Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

> > >

> > > He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > "So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

> >

>

> My firm hasn't hired based on college degree in a number of years. We are perfectly willing to train the right individual to fit our needs and have done so with a fair amount of success. We have some extremely talented licensed professional engineers and support staff who have been in the civil and environmental engineering fields for decades. It's a golden opportunity for a self-motivated kid with intelligence and desire to learn at the hand of this talent. We aren't giving them anything, however. That is usually the underlying reason for someone not being chosen for this program. The learning curve is pretty steep and they have to be willing to put forth the required effort. That isn't always the case. Some kids get an idea of what is required within a few weeks and never return. Others don't see the benefit of following company design standards and practices and get asked to leave.

>

> With that said, this process has some risk for the employer that cannot be overlooked. Putting the time, effort and expense into training someone only to have them leave is the biggest and most obvious. Which is likely the biggest reason most employers would rather seek formally educated staff rather than potentially waste time, effort and expense in training people for their competitors benefit. We have lost a handful for reasons that didn't sit very well with us. After spending three or four years training someone for a position they weren't remotely qualified for at 18 years of age only to have them jump over to a competitor hurts in more ways than one. We are currently developing methods of being better at the selection process along with requiring term contracts based on the level of training and experience we offer the candidates.

>

> It's a work in progress but so far, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, we have learned to mostly steer clear of the "homeschooled" kids. They have unanimously been a pain in the **** in more ways than one!

 

i think the risk of hiring, training, and then seeing the employee move to a competitor comes with any hire, whether they went to college or not. why do they move to a competitor? that should be the question that is addressed.

[tatertot]

> @BB28403 said:

> > @3jacker said:

> > > @BearQ said:

> > > ... Kind of like TW was forced into it.

> >

> >

> > TW wasn't forced according to him. There was nothing he wanted to do more than get to the course as a kid and practice and play.

> >

> His real goal was to get to the golf cheerleaders. They told him too late that golf has no cheerleaders.

>

 

Yeah, because Tiger was quite the ladies man in college according to the stories.

 

College isn't for everybody ... I certainly don't think Tiger needed college. It's supposed to be to prepare you for your profession. If Bhatia succeeds at golf, he didn't need it.

[Sixcat]

> @HoosierMizuno said:

> > @Sixcat said:

> > > @HoosierMizuno said:

> > > > @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> > > > I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

> > > >

> > > > Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> > > > Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

> > > >

> > > > He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > > "So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

> > >

> >

> > My firm hasn't hired based on college degree in a number of years. We are perfectly willing to train the right individual to fit our needs and have done so with a fair amount of success. We have some extremely talented licensed professional engineers and support staff who have been in the civil and environmental engineering fields for decades. It's a golden opportunity for a self-motivated kid with intelligence and desire to learn at the hand of this talent. We aren't giving them anything, however. That is usually the underlying reason for someone not being chosen for this program. The learning curve is pretty steep and they have to be willing to put forth the required effort. That isn't always the case. Some kids get an idea of what is required within a few weeks and never return. Others don't see the benefit of following company design standards and practices and get asked to leave.

> >

> > With that said, this process has some risk for the employer that cannot be overlooked. Putting the time, effort and expense into training someone only to have them leave is the biggest and most obvious. Which is likely the biggest reason most employers would rather seek formally educated staff rather than potentially waste time, effort and expense in training people for their competitors benefit. We have lost a handful for reasons that didn't sit very well with us. After spending three or four years training someone for a position they weren't remotely qualified for at 18 years of age only to have them jump over to a competitor hurts in more ways than one. We are currently developing methods of being better at the selection process along with requiring term contracts based on the level of training and experience we offer the candidates.

> >

> > It's a work in progress but so far, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, we have learned to mostly steer clear of the "homeschooled" kids. They have unanimously been a pain in the **** in more ways than one!

>

> i think the risk of hiring, training, and then seeing the employee move to a competitor comes with any hire, whether they went to college or not. why do they move to a competitor? that should be the question that is addressed.

 

In my profession, 99.9% of non-college graduates never get a foot in the door. These positions typically require a professional license, professional certification and/or government required continuing education credits every year. We simply aren't permitted by law to do what we do without the licensing and certifications. Maintaining those licenses and certifications costs several hundred to more than a thousand dollars per year! Given that we train, prepare and pay for these professional certifications, it isn't exactly the same as any employee leaving most any other industry.

 

As for the reasons why they are going to a competitor. It's almost exclusively because our office locations are found in rural Appalachia. At least an hour from any metropolitan area regardless of direction of travel. We don't have the "nightlife" a lot of people are looking for. But those "metro" areas cannot compare with our quality of life!

[bscinstnct]

> @FLgolfer16 said:

> he will regret not going to college esp. when he is struggling to make it on tour. terrible idea imo, but typical not being patient of young people nowadays with parents that instill no discipline. College is an important and unique experience.

 

How else can you learn to steal beef jerky from gas stations when your meal card runs out?

 

.

 

 

Actually looks like this makes sense for him and they have been planning it,

 

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/fast-track-pro-aspirations-separate-akshay-bhatia-17-junior-pack

 

“I’ve never liked school. I’ve never been very smart, like sitting in a classroom, and I have the worst attention span when it comes to it. But I love being outside and love playing golf, just competing,” Bhatia said. “So my dad was like, ‘You know what? Let’s just not go to college. Let’s not do it.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ I mean, I’m an eighth-grader, of course I’m going to say no to school.”

 

 

So, let's see how he does. He will get a feel for where he stands pretty quickly and can go from there.

 

 

 

[BB28403]

Everyone needs it

[tatertot]

Lots of college-educated kids are screwed up ... so are lots of high school drop outs. Different strokes for different folks. Once a kids hits college age, it's time for them to start running their own life. If we all paid more attention to our own (screwed up) lives and less attention to trying to run other peoples. we'd be better off.

 

[DFS PFD]

He'll end up going to school later in life if he's successful on Tour, once he matures and comes to appreciate an education.

[Sixcat]

> @FLgolfer16 said:

> > @Sixcat said:

> > > @HoosierMizuno said:

> > > > @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> > > > I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

> > > >

> > > > Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> > > > Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

> > > >

> > > > He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > > "So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

> > >

> >

> > My firm hasn't hired based on college degree in a number of years. We are perfectly willing to train the right individual to fit our needs and have done so with a fair amount of success. We have some extremely talented licensed professional engineers and support staff who have been in the civil and environmental engineering fields for decades. It's a golden opportunity for a self-motivated kid with intelligence and desire to learn at the hand of this talent. We aren't giving them anything, however. That is usually the underlying reason for someone not being chosen for this program. The learning curve is pretty steep and they have to be willing to put forth the required effort. That isn't always the case. Some kids get an idea of what is required within a few weeks and never return. Others don't see the benefit of following company design standards and practices and get asked to leave.

> >

> > With that said, this process has some risk for the employer that cannot be overlooked. Putting the time, effort and expense into training someone only to have them leave is the biggest and most obvious. Which is likely the biggest reason most employers would rather seek formally educated staff rather than potentially waste time, effort and expense in training people for their competitors benefit. We have lost a handful for reasons that didn't sit very well with us. After spending three or four years training someone for a position they weren't remotely qualified for at 18 years of age only to have them jump over to a competitor hurts in more ways than one. We are currently developing methods of being better at the selection process along with requiring term contracts based on the level of training and experience we offer the candidates.

> >

> > It's a work in progress but so far, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, we have learned to mostly steer clear of the "homeschooled" kids. They have unanimously been a pain in the **** in more ways than one!

>

> i would like to hear ur comments on homeschooled kids? I feel that homeschooling really does a disservice to the child's social development.

 

My opinions on the subject are nothing ground breaking. By-in-large, it has been our experience that homeschool kids are kept in a "perfect environment" by their parents. They are never allowed to face adversity. Watching someone face adversity for the first time as an adult is a unique experience. We deal a lot with government agencies. Having a project reviewed by one of those agencies is typically a 90 day process but one that is necessary in order to receive the proper permitting required to go to construction. Most clients rarely understand this and can get testy in the downtime, regardless of how often we explain the process to them. Basically, it's a lot of "hurry up and wait." So we field the same call from the same client week after week and they are sometimes upset with the process.

 

Another key fundamental flaw we found is terrible time management skills. Homeschool kids don't have class schedules to follow. Dedicated times to be at a specific location. Therefore, they don't form these skills during childhood and rarely get those skills from the parents. Fumbling into the office at 9am when everyone else has been hard at work for at least two hours is a problem. Taking two hour lunch breaks almost every day is a problem. Having mom and dad come to the office for an hour to chit-chat is a problem. Heading to the gym/church/babysit a younger sibling at 4pm is a problem. Added up, the above example would be a 5 hour work day! That was more often than not, a normal day for some. Understanding the importance of meeting deadlines was also something that was nonexistent.

 

In no way am I saying this is indicative of every homeschool kid. But it was unanimous in the kids we have seen come through our program.

 

Back on topic, Bahtia will learn a lot of these skills through the game of golf. I'm sure most of this will never be an issue for him.

[3jacker]

If he's good enough at golf, he'll make enough $ to not need any of those skills. People will just adapt to him and his ways. Kind of like another recent golf great...

[Darth Putter]

He has now signed with an agent. The agreement was worked on with the USGA to ensure he can remain an amateur. However, he is in violation of NCAA rules and is now ineligible to play college golf.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/junior-phenom-akshay-bhatia-signs-agreement-with-lagardere-sports-while-keeping-his-amateur-status

[Noke]

> @BMC said:

> Yeah, Millenials that attend college have outstanding social skills.....on their iPhone.

 

I blame their parents, who let them use the iPhone from the age of 8 or whatever.

[Darth Putter]

Ashkay won't even wait until his eighteenth birthday. He turns pro after the Walker Cup and his first appearance as a pro will be at the Safeway Open on a sponsors exemption.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/akshay-bhatia-will-make-his-professional-debut-at-the-2019-safeway-open-tony-romo-also-granted-sponsors-exemption

 

 

 

[scores]

I watched on the golf channel how these kids jumped from tournament to tournament on a private jet!! If I did that and missed a couple weeks in a row of CS I would have trouble passing so it’s like your a pro? Some amateur golfers are blessed with lots of money and can travel the country and play golf so why not turn pro?

[scores]

Unless you are are going to school as in to create “math, science, engineering” there are a lot of BS courses they make you pay top dollar to attend via force.

 

My friend got a full scholarship to play div 1 basketball and the coach was very well known he asked my friend why he missed two days of practice. My friend said I had and had to study the coach said what’s your major he said computer engineering. The coach looked at him and said switch your major to sociology!! My friend quit the next day as he was a junior!! Also 6 maybe 7th man.

[Pinging77]

Once or twice, uh? Seems like you would remember playing with the total package.

[BottleCap]

He could be like Kevin Garnett, maybe he can't go to college because of learning issues.

[MidwestGolfBum]

> @3jacker said:

> > @"Mr. Hogan" said:

> > People who are not interested in higher education should not attend college. I'm really sick of college sports being used as lower level professional leagues and "student-athletes" who have no interest in attending classes and actually learning something.

> >

> > Edit - I'm also sick of colleges using athletes as cheap labor to rake in millions of dollars.

> >

> > For these reasons I really don't watch any college sports.

>

> Agreed. And how arrogant that some think only in college you can learn "social stuff." I think it, on the whole, delays social development. Partying on someone else's dime and living in a bubble that is not realistic in any sense.

>

> It's worse than ever today.. borrowing $100s of $1000s to get a degree that will, if you're lucky, pay it back in 20 years. Living with Mom/Dad for an extra 5 - 10 years while working on an "advanced degree" that tacks on more debt... That's far less mature than say, learning a trade, getting a license, networking, finding your own business, eating what you kill, staying out of debt, investing in more of the same....

>

> Yeah, I went to college and did well. Still, might not do it in today's world if I had to start from today.

Some of my most successful friends and business partners never went to a day of college. Others went and got their doctorate. As you said, it's a very individualized experience depending on what you want to get out of it. I went for 1.5 years, realized it wasn't for me, and started working for myself after that. Thankfully it's worked out well, but knowing that if everything happened to fail and I needed to go back to school for some reason, it wasn't really going to go anywhere. That has to be a similar feeling to what Bhatia is going through at this point. If this doesn't pan out, he's got one heck of a lot of time in front of him to figure out what might come next.

 

[Darth Putter]

> @scores said:

> Unless you are are going to school as in to create “math, science, engineering” there are a lot of BS courses they make you pay top dollar to attend via force.

>

> My friend got a full scholarship to play div 1 basketball and the coach was very well known he asked my friend why he missed two days of practice. My friend said I had and had to study the coach said what’s your major he said computer engineering. The coach looked at him and said switch your major to sociology!! My friend quit the next day as he was a junior!! Also 6 maybe 7th man.

 

I think we can eliminate Cardale Jones as a suspect...

 

 

[MK7Golf21]

> @Sixcat said:

> > @FLgolfer16 said:

> > > @Sixcat said:

> > > > @HoosierMizuno said:

> > > > > @"Oliver Klozoff" said:

> > > > > I don't understand people saying he needs to go to college. It's so conventional to do it by the book. And what does it get you? College is a giant waste, and I have a masters degree. Of course employers want people that took the conventional approach. It's the safe play. But frankly if they want a programmer, they'd be better off finding a talented HS student and putting them through training specific to the job. At least half the material you learn in college (probably 95% actually) you never use. Sure you get some extra social skills, but are those social skills the ones you need to live a successful life? Does it help him to learn to drink as much as a frat guy, or hone in on a babe, to read a book for hours, or cram for a test, or attend snoozer lecture, or deal with a freshman roommate that stays up until 3 am?

> > > > >

> > > > > Amazingly the world got along just fine before colleges existed. Frankly I'm surprised so many people feel the need to go to college. I doubt that many kids actually want to. Maybe to get away from their parents.

> > > > > Mainly we all did it to check the requisite box so employers will hire us.

> > > > >

> > > > > He's very lucky to have the option to do what he enjoys right away. Most people aren't. Good for him.

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > >

> > > > "So employers will hire us".... this is the part of the equation that often gets glossed over. kids will continue to feel the need or requirement in getting a degree up until employers begin changing their attitudes towards a diploma and focus on the individual, training, and desire to work. Like you said, there are so many reasons a kid should be able to bypass college, take job specific training, and get hired. but employers aren't looking to kids who want to take this route. they simply start every job ad with college degree required.

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> > >

> > > My firm hasn't hired based on college degree in a number of years. We are perfectly willing to train the right individual to fit our needs and have done so with a fair amount of success. We have some extremely talented licensed professional engineers and support staff who have been in the civil and environmental engineering fields for decades. It's a golden opportunity for a self-motivated kid with intelligence and desire to learn at the hand of this talent. We aren't giving them anything, however. That is usually the underlying reason for someone not being chosen for this program. The learning curve is pretty steep and they have to be willing to put forth the required effort. That isn't always the case. Some kids get an idea of what is required within a few weeks and never return. Others don't see the benefit of following company design standards and practices and get asked to leave.

> > >

> > > With that said, this process has some risk for the employer that cannot be overlooked. Putting the time, effort and expense into training someone only to have them leave is the biggest and most obvious. Which is likely the biggest reason most employers would rather seek formally educated staff rather than potentially waste time, effort and expense in training people for their competitors benefit. We have lost a handful for reasons that didn't sit very well with us. After spending three or four years training someone for a position they weren't remotely qualified for at 18 years of age only to have them jump over to a competitor hurts in more ways than one. We are currently developing methods of being better at the selection process along with requiring term contracts based on the level of training and experience we offer the candidates.

> > >

> > > It's a work in progress but so far, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, we have learned to mostly steer clear of the "homeschooled" kids. They have unanimously been a pain in the **** in more ways than one!

> >

> > i would like to hear ur comments on homeschooled kids? I feel that homeschooling really does a disservice to the child's social development.

>

> My opinions on the subject are nothing ground breaking. By-in-large, it has been our experience that homeschool kids are kept in a "perfect environment" by their parents. They are never allowed to face adversity. Watching someone face adversity for the first time as an adult is a unique experience. We deal a lot with government agencies. Having a project reviewed by one of those agencies is typically a 90 day process but one that is necessary in order to receive the proper permitting required to go to construction. Most clients rarely understand this and can get testy in the downtime, regardless of how often we explain the process to them. Basically, it's a lot of "hurry up and wait." So we field the same call from the same client week after week and they are sometimes upset with the process.

>

> Another key fundamental flaw we found is terrible time management skills. Homeschool kids don't have class schedules to follow. Dedicated times to be at a specific location. Therefore, they don't form these skills during childhood and rarely get those skills from the parents. **Fumbling into the office at 9am when everyone else has been hard at work for at least two hours is a problem. Taking two hour lunch breaks almost every day is a problem. Having mom and dad come to the office for an hour to chit-chat is a problem. Heading to the gym/church/babysit a younger sibling at 4pm is a problem. Added up, the above example would be a 5 hour work day! That was more often than not, a normal day for some. Understanding the importance of meeting deadlines was also something that was nonexistent. **

>

> In no way am I saying this is indicative of every homeschool kid. But it was unanimous in the kids we have seen come through our program.

>

> Back on topic, Bahtia will learn a lot of these skills through the game of golf. I'm sure most of this will never be an issue for him.

 

Not sure that is a homeschool thing, lol. Many places are flexible with the time you start your day whether it's 7am or 9am, leaving early everyday would be an issue though. Need to make sure your putting in your 8. Just depends if you made it clear to them that you want them there at 7am and they don't listen.

On the starting early thing, I have found many of those people that come in super early, come straight to the cafeteria and sit down with their breakfast and coffee and then leave around 2:30pm, lol. So I mean, it goes both ways.

 

[bscinstnct]

"I'm DMC in the place to be, I go to St. John's University

And since kindergarten I acquired the knowledge,

And after 12th grade I went straight to college"

[OldTomMorris]

I see he is in the field for the Safeway Open in a couple of months time, incidentally Tony Romo also accepted an invite.