Personally, as a computer programmer, my hero is a bit odd perhaps - Gordon Ramsey.
I think Gordon Ramsey is awesome. No nonsense - He tells boring, lazy, mediocre people that they are mediocre, and passionately tells them what they are doing wrong... because he wants them to do better. Mediocre, lazy people are EVERYWHERE in American Society.
If you are in the tech industry, here is some Gordon Ramsey truth: If you have a question about a piece of software... knowing how to type a question into Google, read a tutorial, and make it happen is where it's at in 2011.
As an employer... If you list that you've spent thousands of dollars to learn something that a few quick queries on Google would tell on a resume... I assume you are slow and a moron. Just why did you pay money to learn something that was free?
PLEASE, if you are applying for a job - don't underestimate the value of knowing how to use the Internet. The first 10 search results on any topic will typically include some detailed tutorials. It is far more impressive to me, as an employer, if you understand that you can use the Internet than if you have spent money learning how to click on "big obvious graphical buttons". Being able to associate a button with a big underlined U to create underlined text is... well... ugh... fuck. You actually paid money to figure that out? I think I'd rather wait for someone else.
The current economy just sucks. Don't brag about how much education you needed to perform a modern, basic task. Be proud of how clever and thrifty you are - that you can quickly learn new things thanks to the Internet and solve problems without paying a dime. (And also, have pride in yourself - don't just dress nice for one interview - take pride in your appearance all the time, and it will be self-evident at the interview.)
It's 2011. It is the Internet age. Stop paying. Start searching!
- Lime
