>All points are well taken - and I AGREE - from a theoretical standpoint - it's just - well - maybe I'm under different constraints (real or imagined) than you guys. If I were working per/hour, then 3-4 hours a day x 5 days a week is 15-20 hours at $100/hr is $1500 - $2000 a week I wouldn't be making - I can not afford that kind of investment in my "education" with 3 kids, mortgage, etc. etc. etc.
>
>As it is - on salary - I would have a hard time justifying the time when projects are constantly due yesterday - sigh - maybe it's just the work, clientele, etc. - thanks!
>

Actually, what I'm finding is that the "payback" from online newsgroups is pretty high. The time isn't "wasted", it's just allocated differently. What I mean by that is I've had several things come up that I would have spent anywhere from 8-20 hours on, that I've had solved because I happened to think some message was interesting enough to save; messages I would have missed if I didn't spend a bit of time online (anywhere from 1-2 hours a day at work or at home). That one piece of information has paid me back for the "lost" time spent online. Let's face it, those jobs are >ALWAYS< due yesterday, regardless of how much you work on them. The newsgroups are a good diversion, help you think about things from a different perspective, and are at least productive - not like sitting down in front of the TV for 1-2 hours a day.

If you're working for someone, I don't think 10% of your time is too much to ask towards your continuing education, especially an industry like computers where things change almost daily.

For people like Jim, I doubt much of that time is lost at all. Since he has authored a few books, I would think it's a great place to decide what gets included in the book, and for ideas on topics to cover.


-Paul