The discussion of teachers and keeping the interest of a student came up in the CB earlier today, and I wanted to get some thoughts out as it pertains to what we do. Over the last month there has been a discussion on mentors as well, so I hoped that this might knit the two together.

I find it interesting that so many of us (from the response in the CB) had attention/boredom problems in school, and that it wasn't until we could choose our own paths that we really began to find a meaning to it all. How much of your "education" (be it Highschool or beyond - as I know there is a wide diversity of ages here) was directed at problems outside the scope of the normal curricula?

I know for me, my highschool had AP classes that kept me challenged. The teachers, for the most part, tried to focus us in directions of interest, and tried to relate what we were learning to those interests. When I got to college, unfortunately, I lacked that focus, and things suffered until I figured out what I really wanted to do. It took three years to do, but all is well. During those three years, I lacked the instruction that I had had in HS, and I didn't know how to find the challenges for myself. It was't until I started taking acting classes and began a serious study of the martial arts that I learned to use both halves of my brain to solve problems. I had the opportunity to study in Japan for nearly a year, and this experience, too, forced me to rethink my relationship with the world and figure out new ways to solve even the simplist of problems like communication and finding food.

So, I put to you: When and how did you learn to associate what you HAVE to do (as a coder or otherwise) and what you love (code or otherwise), and who or what helped you see the relationship to bridge the gap?

And finally, out of curiosity (and a definitely linked to all this IMHO), how many of you do 'art' based activites to balance the technical? (For instance, I play guitar and am part owner and performer with an improv theatre in the Detroit area, among other things).

C-.

In reply to Learning - What we have to do vs. What we enjoy by cacharbe

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