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In Reply to: Getting an education any way you can posted by Observer on January 29, 2004 at 09:19:22:
I was a school dropout from age 14. Before that my truancy rate was 75 - 90% from age 9 to 13. I had no support at home for anything scholastic or academic, but was always considered intelligent. I did do some avid reading for periods of my young life, and at one point I did want to be a scientist wearing a white robe just like in the movies.
After drifting a few years, I joined the COG. Years later I came out with nothing to show. Thank you Berg, you spoke against education! I couldn't get into studying and making anything of myself because I had to do what it took to raise $ and kids for a few years. Thank you Berg, you taught us not to care about the consequences of having so many children so quickly without financial stability.
Later I did a lot of studying on my own. I joined book clubs consumed nothing but educational material. Having no basic school grades, for years I was still completely isolated and rejected from any school system, even for adult education, and I really didn't know I was capable of anything, until I somehow got in on a few courses. To my surprise, I was the best in most of the classes I went to. In a couple of them the teachers were asking me things they didn't know about. I ended up flying through the certification process. I got employed and my career began to take off.
A few years ago I was offered a job at an exclusive company where you can't approach them for a job. They find you, and make you an offer you can't refuse. It's considered a firm full of geniuses and the cream of the crop. The best of the best from the top universities are hunted and recruited. I was one of 2 people in the company's history, that did not have any outstanding university degrees. In fact I didn't have any at all at that time. So you can imagine the embarassing black tie dinner conversations. "I went to Havard, what about you?"
I'm not writing all this to brag or say we don't need an education, but whatever we achieve in life doesn't always depend on the proper main stream route for education, and whatever we achieve is no thanks to Berg. I can see the enormous difficulties anyone would face, for years in TF and not having an education to show for it. These successes came too late in my life, because my children had grown up and did not benefit much from the financial upgrade. They do thank me for having given them a good upbringing, and teaching them lots of critical thinking and analytical skills.
I wouldn't recommend my life to anyone, and I'm not really saying grades shmades, that was just a joke. I can see how important it is to be in an environment of questioning and thinking minds, where your own ideas and limitations are challenged. Iron sharpenth iron, and nothing sharpens you more than being in the company of really sharp irons.
Observer, thanks for your hats off compliment, but from everything I know about you, you could have gone to a top university yourself, if really you haven't already done that by now.
