Re: Sci-fi Reference is needed

Rachel Heckert (heckertkrs who-is-at juno.com)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 07:31:32 -0400

Eugene,

I think the story is Isaac Asimov's "Profession" which is in a current
collection by Ballantine called "Nine Tomorrows" - truly a gem of a story
and probably meant as a comment on what education was becoming in 1959
and has become much more so since. Even reading was taught by direct
neurological manipulation. The boy didn't want to be a rocket pilot but
a metallurgist - less romantic but more relevant. In '59 the "dream
profession" was rapidly becoming nuclear physics.

Regards,

Rachel Heckert

PS If that Ballantine is out of print it's probably in almost any
comprehensive collection
of his short fiction, since it's one of his "classic" stories.