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Submitted by drskillzz(1181)
June 3, 2011 - 1:01pm
$100,000 Not to Attend College
This definitely challenges the status quo:
Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, will pay each of the 24 winners of his Thiel Fellowship $100,000 not to attend college for two years and to develop business ideas instead.
The fellows, all 20 years old or younger, will leave institutions including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, to work with a network of more than 100 Silicon Valley mentors and further develop their ideas in areas such as biotechnology, education, and energy. Source: http://bit.ly/l6osjM
Comments
Mario, I agree, it definitely
Mario,
I agree, it definitely challenges the status que. I believe it is a good way to encourage entrepreneurship and allow individuals to pursue the execution of their ideas. I just hope that they get to keep majority rights to their idea/business. Also, I still believe education is something that should be completed, b/c sometimes in society it comes down to paper politics.
No doubt. But let's change
No doubt. But let's change the politics. Education comes in many forms. It's just the system of higher education we have now is very cookie-cutter, a one-size fits all approach that doesn't necessarily appeal (and isn't always affordable) to everyone seeking to improve their skills or gain worldly experiences. I definitely think he may be on to something with this anti-scholarship idea. I'd run with an opportunity like that!
What if the educational
What if the educational curriculum consisted of 4 years of developing a business idea under a concentration of choice (similar to those that exist now in institutions: Information technology, Marketing, Accounting, and etc.). Teachers are there to help you develop that idea as a knowledge base, and ensure you meet certain objectives. Each year would build upon the business idea. The structure would be within a criterion that you have to follow each year. There will be milestones you have to reach each semester, and your grade would be based upon what you accomplished and your grasp of your concentration as it relates to your idea.
I agree with both DrSkillzz
I agree with both DrSkillzz and cdrizzle. Higher education definitely needs to be challenged. Maybe a push from crazy ideas like the Thiel Fellowship, SXSW Startup Bus, and technology incubators Like Y Combinator is what can finally get the universities, regional business development centers like SBA to step up.Perhaps make better partnerships and investors.cdrizzle good point on the ownership rights. overall I didnt see the article as a quit college deal it seem more of a real world experience internship/mentorship. great discussion btw.
I just started watching this
I just started watching this webseries on Inc.com called Leap Year. it reminded me of this great discussion :-) let me know if you guys like it.
http://www.inc.com/leapyear/episode1.html