'Outsourcing' homework trend...?

I think the only thing certifications and education are good for is being a slave to someone else that knows how to manage people and make the "real money".

Granted, I have a wall full of certifications that I earned - but I'm just now beginning to understand that with just a bit more courage - I could doing easier types of work that do not change (managing people), and leveraging other people's time instead of spending 14 hour days studying technical stuff.

There will always be someone who is willing to completely forego their social life to "1 up" you in the technical areas. So if you are competing for a job, you are competing against someone willing to trade their family and freedom for a J.O.B.

I agree that hiring someone to do your research is a misrepresentation - but I think you miss the main point - there is a greater skill to learn than the skill itself. I think you only need enough knowledge to know who to hire and evaluate their effectiveness. You pay them, they do the work, and you make a deal for 3x what you paid them. The deal takes 20% of the time, and in the meantime you make 4 more deals just like it.

See my point? The "reward" for being technical - is cubicle slavery. The reward for managing people and knowing how to leverage their abilities is freedom. How ethical is it to spend an extra 3 or 4 hours a day studying something when your 7 year old son is asking, "Daddy, will you play soccer with me?".

I am personally a very technical person - but I am also a highly paid cubicle slave and my family suffers for it. They don't care if I make $X or $Y, they just want me around them to help them with their own struggles, to love them and to play with them. Cubicle slaves do not have that luxury.

I'm not advocating cheating, or lying. I am simply saying that if you prioritize the things in life - outsourcing a skill is a lesser evil than not being there for your family. Who cares if I did the work, or if someone else did? As long as it gets done correctly - everyone is happy.

PS: I hated school. I thought most of the work was stupid and only taught me how to kill creativity and imagination. I can count on 1 hand the teachers that actually taught me things valuable in life.

haha, funny thx

Actually, the funny thing is -- up until recent years -- I actually knew of students of different nationalities that did precisely that (arabic, east indian, asian)... the reason for that was that "white" proctors (seriously) couldn't usually tell the difference from one asian/east/arabic guy from the rest (when checking ID's)... so many people actually 'did' send it 'substitute' exam writers... (figured they all looked the same)

Now that there are now proctors from different nationalities checking the exams, I don't think that happens as much any more...

There's a difference between outsourcing "efficiently" and just being plain lazy.

It's so important to note this - because at school, college and/or University, many of those who "outsource" their work to someone else do so because either they're lazy, would rather be doing something else (that in itself isn't an efficient use of their time) or simply don't understand the work in hand enough to research about it themselves. How is outsourcing then going to further their career - and more importantly, their life?

Here in the UK, compulsory education stops at 15/16. At 16 we then choose to either go to college or not. Then, at 18 / 19, we choose either to go to University or not (usually if we've been to college). Why would I make those two choices, only then to get someone else to do my work - especially when I paid tuition fees at University, to learn from (note: not taught or spoon fed) some of the leading Law lecturers on their topics? What would I gain by outsourcing?

Then there are other indirect benefits by doing it myself. Writing essays, coursework and research honed my writing and researching skills - which are simply invaluable to have when I come across new challenges. Being able to read and compute large amounts of information and summarise so I can understand my next goal, and opening doors and possibilities to future prospects. These are specific to what I studied, but it gives you an idea of the type of transferred knowledge and learning you simply don't get when you outsource. It's not just about the certificate on the wall.

Outsourcing at University level, certainly, would be like signing up to a big IM event, but sending someone else there. What do you gain from it? Some free time, maybe. But do you gain experience? New skills? New prospects? No, no and no.

Don't get me wrong - education needs improving. The subjects we're taught need updating, certainly where education is compulsory. Even teaching basic business skills, applying maths to the real world and discussing basic business models would be a good start.

There's a time and a place for outsourcing. Education isn't it.