Why You Shouldn't Write Off Higher Education, Young Grasshopper

Presented at HOPE Number Nine (2012), July 13, 2012, 6 p.m. (60 minutes)

This talk is addressed to that kid in the back who’s wearing a Utilikilt and a black t-shirt that says “I Hack Charities,” who asks, “Why would I bother going to grad school? I’m self-taught, college was a waste of my time, and universities only exist to train wage slaves.” John will draw from personal experience to describe how in graduate school you get to do what you love, you get to make larger and more structured contributions to the community, you experience personal growth while surrounded by amazing people, you’re part of a meritocracy and a close-knit social circle, and the door is open for interesting opportunities afterward. Included will be a discussion on how hackers can get in.


Presenters:

  • John Linwood Griffin
    John Linwood Griffin works in industry (research fellow at TeleCommunication Systems, with a focus on computer and communications security) and academia (assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on computer storage systems). Since finishing graduate school at Carnegie Mellon in 2004, he has also worked in security research and development groups at IBM Research, at BAE Systems, and at a startup company he founded. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, singing baritone in semiprofessional classical choirs, and, most recently, taking lessons towards a private pilot certificate.

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