We love to root for the underdog. Many examples are given in the comments to this post about college grads who founded successful companies (Intel, Bose, etc).
There are arguments both for the enlightening and factory-product aspects of college. Academia is definitely a path to the great body of thought that has come before us; this is particularly important in the field of engineering. At the same time, it also does teach being obligated to an outside sense of importance, possibly diminishing out own internal value systems.
Not a new debate, but one I usually like to leave as, "There's a place for both sides."
There are arguments both for the enlightening and factory-product aspects of college. Academia is definitely a path to the great body of thought that has come before us; this is particularly important in the field of engineering. At the same time, it also does teach being obligated to an outside sense of importance, possibly diminishing out own internal value systems.
Not a new debate, but one I usually like to leave as, "There's a place for both sides."