[aclug-L] Re: CS Degrees (Was: Re: Cool new fan site....hehe)

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jonathan Hall <jonhall@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> Being knoweldgable in the area of computers or Unix specifically is not
> "magic."  You cannot become proficient at school.  You become proficient at
> home, or on the job.

There are things that are taught at school that you do not necessarily
pick up at a job.  Where was the last job that gave you on-the-job
training of how to construct a linked list, a hash table, or a LZW
compression algorithm?  Or told you why you might use shutdown()
instead of close()?  Few do.  These are also non-obvious things that
will not immediately reveal themselves to someone.

What else do you learn that is of value?  I really enjoyed my
philosophy classes, especially the one on Ethics and Computers.  And
if you are planning on learning THAT on the job, you are sorely
mistaken.  It gives you a broadening of horizons that you will not get
on the job.

Does this class help people?  Without question.  The lively
discussions we had in that class were really useful.

> In some areas, a degree is needed... I want my doctor or dentist to have a
> degree!

What is unique about certain areas?  Note that computer programmers
sometimes write programs that people's lives depend on.  Or more
frequently, millions or even billions of dollars ride on.

> If/when I'm ever hiring Unix admins, though, I doubt a degree will be all
> that important to me.  In fact... in my experience, a degree can sometimes
> hurt someone's creative problem solving abilities.  People with "formal"
> training are more likely to go "by the book"--that can be good, or bad.

CS programs, at least, encourage creataive and unique solutions to
problems.

So where does that leave me.  You might be thinking "ahh, but he's
being hypocritical" thoughs.  Yes, I do not have a degree.  I do
intend to get one.  I do not need it for getting a good job.  I want
it because of the knowledge that I gain.

-- John

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