Education

deconstructionist · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:06 am Post subject: Education

http://www.bu.edu/cees/grad/eea.html

the subject matter really appeals to my peak oil sensabilities. I think this education will be extremely valuable in the transition to a post-peak world. Robert K. Kaufmann is among the staff. is anyone here a graduate of this program? anyone have any advice or thoughts on it?
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lizzie · Coal Joined: Jun 26, 2005 Posts: 4

Hi Andy,

I have been considering various graduate programs. I think it is important to get a clear idea of what you would do with the degree--to give you a better criteria to evaluate the program. In other words, how could you make a living with this information?

Another perspective is if you took the money for school what other preparations could you buy with it? Other courses, food, tools, shelter, etc.

These are the kinds of things I'm mulling over. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

dooberheim · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject:

Hello everyone - first post here.

Just for background, I work in academia and have a masters degree in environmental engineering. I feel that my degree is the biggest waste of time and money I've ever done.

A lot of education is information you could get for free elsewhere. If you're the type of person that needs to be prodded and motivated than taking classes may be the best way to get information, but if you work at using the Internet and libraries, you can get the same information. You just won't get the diploma. It is possible that a diploma will not be worth much 20 years from now other than as fuel to start a fire.

Really, as someone who went back to school in my 30's expecting to change careers, I found education to more benefit the school than me. If it were me I would continue to gain information on my own and save my money for resources that will really help you post peak.

DK

CeeCee · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 8:31 pm Post subject:

I agree- a lot of education is information you can get for free elsewhere- like in your own local communities, among your older people especially but alo many younger people who have knowledge of the land and growing things etc.

The problem is how to make a comfortable and real environment to get people together to learn from each other , especially for the young people to learn from the older people- and one way I'd suggest is by way of a money-free summer or winter school,- it's simply a concept, a structure which enables people to get together in low-key, informal workshop environments to pass on that knoweldge with each other.

In Karamea New Zealand we're about to run a winter school on Back to Basics Living, and all the tutors on the workshops are offering the knowledge and skills for free. We got 14 workshops planned on a variety of traditional knowledge topics as well as new knowledge topics like biodiesel production.

Other workshops include basics building techniques, delicious soups the old fashioned way, fruit and vegetable juising for health, hinaki-making (eel traps), hinaki setting and then smoking your eel, moon cycles, colloidal silver generation, natural medicines, raw food preparation and presentation, rock hounding and geology, rope work and knots, therapeutic massage.

The trick is to set up a money-free and low-key structure which gets real people together to share and learn from each other. It's working for us (this is our second Back to Basics School) and I'm sure it can work in other communities anywhere in the world.

For more info see the website http://www.homepages.globe.net.nz/ceeceegl/winterschool/karameawinterschool.html

Cheers

Cee Cee

deconstructionist · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:54 am Post subject:

If you follow the link and click on the FAQ they give you an idea of what jobs are available. I am considering not only the knowledge I would gain, but also the people I would be working with and the projects they are working on... Check out the research of some of the profs. Amazing stuff. I would like to contribute to that research and join the ranks of those educated people daring to speak truth to power. I suppose I could do that now, but I think with access to the circles of people involved with this program my voice might be able to reach more people and be more respected.

unfortuntately, this program costs $31,000 per year. Looking at it realistically, I would have to accept a full time job with the consumer products company I'm currently doing contract work for and hope that in light of their recent corporate buyout they still offer tuition re-embursement and take these classes part-time while I'm working full-time. It would proabably take several years at that pace, and I think that might be too slow. Although I may accept a perm. position here anyway even if it is a consumer products company and it makes me want to puke working for a company that spends billions making things that are intrinsically useless. jobs are already hard to come by... and i don't see that trend shifting towards the positive... we'll see...
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