rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) (03/05/86)
In article <3451@nsc.UUCP> freak@nsc.UUCP (Curt Mayer) writes: >CS degree factories spit out hundreds of cloned nine-to-fiver hacks who read >4 years ago that CS was the degree to get for THE BIG BUCKS. You bet! I went to the University of MS (total student population < 10000). One day we were out having a drink with one of our CS professors, and a friend and I were pretty fed up with (a) being bored to tears in CS classes, and (b) watching people do 20-50% of the 'required' coursework and still get B's and C's. We finally asked the prof why he let them get away with it -- didn't he know what he was doing to the future job market and public perception of CS professionals? He replied that, over the past 5 years, out of an average freshman CS class of 160, UM had graduated only 10 students a year -- that included spring, fall, and summer graduates combined. If he made it any harder, he explained, there would be no CS program because there would be no graduates. We were floored by these numbers! In our compiler class, out of about 12-14 students, the two of us were the only ones to produce working compilers -- the whole object of the course! One student did as his senior project a backgammon game. When questioned as to his algorithm, he mumbled, "I don't know, I just tried some stuff 'til it worked OK." Don't worry, there were other projects even *worse*. I am *SO* glad I applied my free time fairly wisely instead of just kicking back in an easy program, and *SO* glad I got out of school when I did! -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj
luner@uwai.UUCP (David L. Luner) (03/06/86)
In article <3451@nsc.UUCP> freak@nsc.UUCP (Curt Mayer) writes: >CS degree factories spit out hundreds of cloned nine-to-fiver hacks who read >4 years ago that CS was the degree to get for THE BIG BUCKS. From an advertisment in CACM, V29 N3. I think this about sums it up. "...The Department of Computer Science is one of the nations largest producers of undergraduate computer science majors..." Although they later say: "The graduates of <mumble's> programs are highly regarded for the thoroughness of their education and are in great demand by the nation's industrial and commercial firms." Regardless of the reputation of an institution, what one learns in any setting is what one wants to. You can complete a program at a "good" institution and have learned nothin, or complete a program at a "not-so-good" institution and have learned a lot. It is the responsibility of the interview to filter out the best candidate. David Luner