There are things that others value highly, which I do not value at all.There are things that others value highly, which I never valued at all.There are things that I value highly, which others do not value at all.There are things that I once valued highly, which I no longer value. I once valued a good classification. I no longer value this so highly… degree I was getting a degree to find my place in the world. It was going to give me value. It was hence going to make me valuable. A degree was a catalyst to a base value level. I once valued a degree. I saw other students from other universities . They were gaining useful, practical, valuable skills. This felt highly valuable to me – the skills which were value creators. I started attending them and learnt a lot. I then started my degree. gaining skills & value from Hackathon events , my value, in work in a research group in my university. I was valued by them. . I was further valued by external companies that I was working with. I then applied my skills My skills felt valued I then was approached for contract work. This is all from the skills I have I felt valued. I was providing services that others could not for less. I felt I could charge more. I was understanding the potential of the skills I have developed. Value, in terms of hourly rate, had gone up by a factor of 5. developed by myself, in my own time. I started the 2016–17 academic year, and I was . Yet, It seemed that . The once-valued degree felt much less valuable than it once did. My skills have been applied in wide-ranging contexts, yet they were mainly built outside of my degree. My degree merely supplemented them. learning what I was learning didn’t feel valuable. learning theory was not increasing my value Only now do I realise where my motivation levels for actions come from. My from that action. I have had . In contrast, more . motivation for action comes from my perceived level of value potential next-to-zero motivation to learn theoretical modules practical modules have plenty of handles for my motivation to latch onto Skill-building and . Having felt such , . The most . The most . I have provided value to a real client in the process of the most practical module. I have learnt skills I can use to generate further value. value-creating potential attracts my motivation value from my skills has led me to heavily devalue theory creating extreme motivation polarity theoretical, I will fail practical, I expect to have done very well in This leads me to conclude: . throughout the university experience. Many people drop out of their degree due to huge value potential from other places (e.g. Gates, Zuckerberg, Jobs). I don’t care about how well I do in my degree The outcome of one’s degree is not proportional to the value potential they obtain in the time to get it I’ll still continue my degree. It has been a great experience, but not because of the modules of my degree. It’s been great because it has provided good environments to develop my skills and value potential. I have been surrounded by people who share the same ideas of what is valuable. A degree is simply one product of going to University. Going to university has many products of varying value, like a company with many products of varying value. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Samsung Electronics (KRX: 005930), and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG/GOOGL) still have massive value. They gained much value from elsewhere. My degree is the Microsoft Zune, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, or the Google Plus of my University experience. I have also built a network of people through HackSheffield. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t attend university. How much value can I create when I am not sitting in lecture theatres every day listening to things that I can’t use straight away to generate value? How much value can I create when I can use the energy I have to learn on that which I perceive to be valuable? How much value can I create when I am not using my energy to learn, and am just converting my skills into value? How much value can I create when I am doing the things I want to do, doing that which is naturally driven by my intrinsic motivation? These questions I want to answer. My degree is getting in the way of that. However, I have started a degree, and I want to finish it. It’s just another unfinished project.
