The H. P. Profession (Soapb -Reply

[Charles Willis <CAW@nrc.gov>]

Mike,

I appreciate your comments but believe you are stretching a bit to discount the
importance of a college education.  Marconi?  Most of us would be happy to follow
his path, being privately tutored, learning physics under well-known professors,
and finally, not needing credentials because he was born rich.  

Einstein?  He needed his PhD to get that job in the patent office and it is hard to
believe that his education, primarily in mathematics, did not contribute to his
phenomenal achievements relativity, brownian motion, etc.

Edison? Of course, he truely did achieve greatness without formal education, but
he had an astounding capacity for self-education.  Coming of age in the 1860s in the
US was an advantage for a genius without a formal education, but it was the genius
that made him special.

Unquestionably, schools do not impart genius but schools do help develop skills. 
So far as I know, I never met anyone who developed technical expertise (e.g.
mathematics, physics, etc.) "on his/her own."  A few have done well with
correspondence courses, but even that is unusual. 

Yours for a better profession.

Charlie Willis
caw@nrc.gov