Re:Problems with Computer Science Education
by secstate on Tuesday August 11, 2015 @04:36PM
(#10044213)
Well said, and honestly, I think this goes deeper than just CS. It's probably a shitty thing for me to argue standing here with a BA, but I don't think the vast majority of people earning BA's today are actually using universities and colleges for what they were designed for. We need voc-ed and technical schools to not be shameful any more. There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn how to code without wanting to learn higher level mathematics along the way.
I promise you that not every electrician understands the subtly of homogeneous layers in high frequency integrated circuits. Nor do the vast majority of people actually building things with computers need to understand the draw backs to using a binary tree over a hash table. Sure, it'd be nice to be curious and want to learn more, but you don't need it to be competent.
I feel that having a CS background has made it easier for me to pick up new skills throughout my career. I hear colleagues talk about things being challenging yet I've never struggled with them. Why? Because I can recognize the underpinnings of the whole thing
This sums up the root problem, to me. Many comp-sci programs are run with an eye towards arid, abstract wisdom, not marketable skills. That's not inherently bad, and it's true of many degree programs--no one goes into a philosophy major thinking that it'll be a good career move; they do it because they love philosophy. The problem is that the philosophy department is honest about that fact. Advisors tell bright-eyed would-be programmers that they'll just love the CS program when they should be telling them to turn around, walk out the door, and check out the technical college across town. By the time the kid discovers the lie, he's down five years and $30,000 will not much to show for it.