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

["Dan Hull" <hulldb67@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with ya Jefferey.  I too put my family and other things above my 
degree.  i am in my last class, Physics, and it has made me realize that 
none of the school crap is important at all.  My established family life and 
the friends I have will help me more than a degree.  I am only 32, but to 
change now would put way too much strain on my family when we would 
obviously have a cut in pay for a few years.  Not worth it.
> From: "Jeffrey L. Hansen" <jlhansen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: discussion@xxxxxxxxx
> To: discussion@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [aclug-L] Re: CS Degrees (Was: Re: Cool new fan site....hehe)
> Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 11:26:56 -0500 (CDT)
>
> I can't say that I didn't learn anything in school.  On the contrary, it
> was responsible for the basic foundation I have in problem solving.  I've
> had many instances of exposure to self-taucht programmers and found their
> approach to design pretty shabby, for the most part.  The fundamentals of
> programming are important.  My only gripe is that the degree itself seems
> to have some mystical quality that transcends the actual knowlege.  I've
> scored near the top of every class I've taken in my upper division, but
> have put the needs of my family above those of the various IT departments
> with which I've had experience.  I'll probably retire as an
> instrumentation tech and let it go at that.  A 45 year old, entry level
> programmer doesn't make any more than a 21 year old one and that's not
> enough to support an established family with a mortgage so it's probably a
> wasted effort.  I'll have to live with the fact that I didn't go to school
> and apply myself when I was young enough to make it matter.
>
>
>
> On Fri, 14 Apr 2000, Jonathan Hall wrote:
>
> > > As someone who writes personnel requirements and hires people, I
> > > disagree with you strongly about the degree position. Having a BS in
> > > Computer Science does not make you a literate computer user or
> > > administrator. It will get you _P_A_I_D_ more!
> > >
> > > Frankly, if you have the professional computer experience and can back
> > > it up, I could care less what the degree is in.
> >
> > It's statements like this that say just exactly how much a degree really 
> is
> > worth.  If employers don't care what the degree is IN... they just care 
> that
> > you went through all the hoops to get one... then that's a very STRONG
> > indication that a degree practically means nothing.  All it is is a 
> 'tactic'
> > to get into certian companies that are too 'stupid' to realize how 
> worthless
> > degrees are.
> >
> > If what you look at is experience... well, you don't need a degree to 
> have
> > experience.  I don't have a degree (and likely never will), but I have 
> much
> > more experience in certian areas than the vast majority of this planet's
> > population.
> >
> > I know for a fact that I am as qualified for some Unix/Linux admin
> > possitions as many of the people at ACLUG.  I know I'm more qualified 
> than
> > some Unix admins--including some people I've worked with in the past.
> >
> > 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.
> >
> > A degree does have uses...  For me, attending WSU served only to 'force' 
> me
> > to learn the material that I could have learned on my own, but was too
> > unmotiviated.  (That's a pretty high price tag for motivation, though!)
> >
> > In some areas, a degree is needed... I want my doctor or dentist to have 
> a
> > degree!
> >
> > 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.
> >
> > Anyway... that's my 2.5 cents on the topic :-)
> >
> >
> > --
> > "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not 
> Gary
> > Cooper." -- Gary Cooper, on his decision to not take the leading role in
> > "Gone With The Wind."
> > --
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >   Jonathan Hall  *  jonhall@xxxxxxxxxxxx  *  PGP public key available
> >  Systems Admin, Future Internet Services; Goessel, KS * (316) 367-2487
> >          http://www.futureks.net  *  PGP Key ID: FE 00 FD 51
> >                   -=  Running Debian GNU/Linux  =-
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >
> > -- This is the discussion@xxxxxxxxx list.  To unsubscribe,
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> >
>
>
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