moiram@tektronix.UUCP (Moira Mallison ) (04/28/84)
** ED ** >>Things are not all that hopeless, indeed there are some here who are really >>here for the education. You tend to find them in the more obscure majors. >>When having a discussion with someone on campus , you'll find that if you're >>a Philosophy major people are not impressed. Now if you say, "I'm in >>Engineering." People tend to hold you in a higher regard. ** ALLEN ** >GEEZ! Is this arrogant or what? Perhaps that is the way you feel when >you meet a philosophy major, but I have a lot of respect for someone >who can get through a major in philosophy (I doubt that I am alone in this.) >Why the *hell* is an engineer more respectable than a philosopher? > Because he/she stays up all night with programs that Seg. fault? >I don`t think so. (By the way, I am doing a double major in >computer science and philosophy.) Allen, perhaps your double major has made you sensitive. I dont think Ed is being arrogant at all. There is a certain mystique about all this computer stuff as far as the general public is concerned. I have experienced everything from awe to envy in response to my confession of majoring in Computer Science. I majored in theatre arts the first time through, and stayed as far away from the sciences as possible. (I did take my science requirements in math, but I withdrew from the Fortran class because I just couldn't figure fut how to decompose a problem into logical steps). out how to decompose a problem into logical steps.) Now twelve years later and a relatively succesful career in theatre behind me, I am about to graduate in Computer Science. It wasn't until last fall that I finally came to terms with the fact that I was a scientist (as well as an artist) in spite of my awe of the Sciences. With reference to the general discussion, educational institutions are there to serve the needs and desires of the students. Some of those students just want a good job; some are there for the joy of learning; many are there because they dont know what they want to do and college seems like a logical step after high school. (This last paragraph is purely my opinion. Any resemblance to fact is purely coincidental 8-). Moira Mallison ..!tektronix!moiram