I agree. The majority of engineers may not utilize higher level math. However, all engineers learn how to analyze a problem and attempt to achieve an unknown solution. The solution may include known components that already solve a particular problem, e.g. authorize website users with the Spring Security library. Yet the key is synthesizing these pieces into a new solution for the problem domain. Most mathematics teach students to solve known problems and memorize formulas. Students will get far more mileage by learning to problem solve through logic, reasoning, and synthesis. Not to mention developing the willpower needed to keep working through failures and the social skills to work with others towards solving a problem.
I have spent a good part of my morning reading some of your material. Particularly some of your blog articles on hintjens.com. I am very glad I was able to find your content. It is thought provoking to say the least. I hope I will be able to find more content from you in the future. Good luck and thank you.
The two scenarios are vastly different in my opinion. Grading multiple choice and short answer questions in parallel is a much simpler task than grading a written essay. The essay is complex human thought, not a formal system as in multiple choice or near formal system as in short answers.
The chemistry and engineering diagram grading scenario is closer to the first cases as well. The diagram is a formal visual representation of the underlying solution. There is less variance in the range of correct-looking diagrams than the written word. If the question was more complex, "Please draw a UML diagram of a complete user authentication system," then a human would have to grade it. There are an infinite amount of ways to design and diagram a solution to an open-ended problem.
I agree with the gender disparity, but not race. The Kaufman Index of Startup Activity claims that more startups are from male entrepreneurs than female ones, but white entrepreneurs account for a lower portion of startups in 2014 than 1996.
The author cites studies on self employment in the United States. I think there is a difference between being self employed and an entrepreneur. For example, I can be a self employed contractor, but not aiming to grow a business as an entrepreneur would.
When it comes to tech startups I could see the industry remaining white and male dominated. Access to angel investors and VCs from a privileged network increases the probability of obtaining funding for a new company. This is especially helpful as more tech entrepreneurs are in school or recent graduates. If I am around college age trying to get a tech startup off the ground, can I find an investor without existing social contacts? Yes, but it will be much more difficult for me than the kid with the contacts.
Agreed. As a millennial introvert, most of my friends are extroverted, active, and heavy users of social media. I also live in Denver, CO where most people are hiking, rafting, camping, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. For a while, the culture had me convinced that I was an oddball because I was not as extroverted and active as the people around me. This let it grow into a stressor for me.
After many years, I am starting to show more acceptance towards my nature. Once I began to believe in the merits of my introversion, the stress started to melt away. Loneliness is only a problem if you believe it to be true.
Unfortunately, this article is more likely to perpetuate the stress from loneliness with its disparaging attitude towards it.
I love David Foster Wallace's perspective. And yet he is a victim of his own marked perceptiveness. Simply by believing solitude is pathology indicates the troubling demons he grappled with, which ultimately consumed him.
I think the truth is much more simple. Most people are not highly critical of introverts that prefer quiet and solitude. They may not understand it, but they are mostly indifferent. However, the harsh struggle for the introvert to connect with others on a deeper level leads him/her to that conclusion.
My interests rarely align well with other people. If they do, then there are usually one or two interests. However, many of the activities that have stuck with me are a willingness to try another's interest for some time. They would not have incubated without the initial effort.
You are completely justified in your solitude. As you said, it works for you. Yet I still believe meaningful connections (and personal growth) are abound without superficiality if you are willing to give it time and effort.
...Sometimes I believe it is the disparity between myself and another that leads to a lasting, meaningful connection more so than the similarity.