mark@promark.UUCP (Mark J. DeFilippis) (08/07/90)
In article <1990Aug3.005036.20679@sqwest.sq.com>, brad@sqwest.sq.com (Brad Might) writes: > > I have been on the work force for several years and > have decided that it might be time to expand my > FORMAL education. I know so many people who went back for their Masters in Comp Sci. All of them for the wrong reason. I have yet to find a Masters CS program that is worth my time and effort. This was my chief problem when I decided I wanted my masters. I looked at the interesting code I was doing for my current company, much of it implementation of ideas/systems that are in the ACM currently, and I ask myself what they have to teach me at the masters level? A year of compilers, a year of arch, a year of language theory, and usually 15 - 22 credits of your "special topic" area. THey are all the same. Most universities don't even require a thesis, but allow the substitution of two exams, one is the fundamentals of CS, which requires little more then a 4 year CS degree. Of those that allow projects many, NOT ALL, but many universities project requirements are a joke. A friend of mine received his MSCS from a school in Brooklyn which I won't name. He handed in an application I banged out in the course of a month or so part time as his thesis. It was a simple database application. Others I know have their masters and are no better off and know little more then they knew before obtaining their masters. The point I am trying to make is that the degree has much less value when there is no standardization, and since industry really don't respect the degree many employers don't know the good from the poor schools (with a few noted exceptions) and could care less since they rarely pay you for the MS. One thing I found really helpful and very interesting are the technical conferences given by various vendors. When I had to do work with x25 and I didn't know anything about it, I attented a class at AT&T. It was great and I was treated as a professional who could suck up the material. I prefer this to the universities method of spoon feeding a little at a time to the point of boredom. If you have not tried a class or two at AT&T, DEC, or IBM try it. I think you will be pleased. I also list these classes on my resume and they always get a positive comment or two. -- Mark J. DeFilippis UUCP: uunet!adelphi!markd