The other day @Two Sandwiches said to me "you are sooo old" and I didn't know what to think about that
Very tail end of Baby Boomers, but do not at all identify with either Elvis or Pearl Jam. We've been called "Cuspers" but I like the Dazed and Confused identifier better. I'm one year behind Linklater and fully support this quote:
this thread took place on the same weekend I decided I need fresh lawn...and remove all the red cedar/maple stumps, old weeded grass with the largest excavator I could tow without breaking the transmission
It's Silent Generation not Golden Generation Gen X - Don't label me! but I absolutely -love- mowing my parent's lawn!
Spoiler: I saw a man crying while mowing his lawn I asked him: "Is everything OK"? He replied: "I'm just going through a rough patch".
For work and other reasons I’ve been required to take online classes. During the pandemic I still had to keep certifications up and the only way to do so was online. Now I prefer doing stuff online for continuing ed credits rather than the typical “lunch and learns”.
I'm terrible at self-directed learning, so if it's something important (not just a box checking exercise) I vastly prefer a classroom/workshop atmosphere. Hybrid/asynchronous stuff is workable, but my preference is high intensity, short duration, immersion style learning. I told my wife (who is slightly younger than me) I never took an online class in college and she was shocked. Then I broke her brain by explaining to her that I had to register for classes using a touch tone telephone. Lol.
I started my degree in person, got a very high paying job (at the time), dropped out of college for 10 years, took a few more courses, then finished online 10 years after that, and I can say that online classes are an absolute blessing for most coursework. The ability to not drive to a campus, park, walk to class, sit there, listen to a lecture then repeat the process going home is a massive time saver. Taking anything hands-on in person is vital but for things like English, History, Business, Math (for some people), it's just so much more efficient to take the courses remotely. I know it's not for everyone but for self-starters, it's huge.
If the material isn't super challenging or completely new to me I could see that being the case. I took several classes that I felt were basically reviewing or refreshing stuff I already knew. Those I probably would have appreciated a remote setup. But when you live on campus the overhead is drastically reduced anyway... But that format is not sustainable.
Makes a lot of sense. Having the backdrop of Vietnam and all of the societal impacts it brought looming over a big chunk of your childhood then having your 20's in the 1980's definitely sets you apart from someone who grew up in a household with relatively younger WWII vets.
Good point. I never lived on campus. I can see if your entire social life was there, getting out and walking around and sitting in class with friends or potential friends is an upside.
I am very much a self-starter and have worked hybrid for years even before the pandemic. For my field I think I was an early adopter of remote work as even though I have my own company we contract / consult with other architects and will wok at their offices, at construction sites or other locations. I loved my college experience but I don't really like being offices anymore. I like to keep my professional life separate so don't enjoy socializing in offices and really don't like office gossip. I can also read fast so listening to just someone give a powerpoint presentation in a conference room or lecture hall get's boring. I would rather just have the material there before me and go at my own pace.
