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A comment on I'm graduating with a CS degree but I don't feel like I know how to program. Parent comment

Re:I'm graduating with a CS degree but I don't feel like I k... by Nitramp on Friday February 04, 2011 @10:04AM (#2179606)
1. Should college teach you to program? This is a philosophical question about whether a CS degree should be educational or vocational. The general consensus seems to be that it should be the former not the latter. It should give you the theoretical foundation that you can apply to almost anything. Therefore, college won't necessarily teach you any programming beyond what you need to read examples and do assignments, which may not be particularly deep.

I personally think that's a problem. There is nothing wrong with being educational in your sense of the term, but I do think people with a degree in CS should be expected to know how to program.

Not expecting a CS alumnus to be a programmer is like having an architect not know how to draw buildings, or a surgeon not know how to wield a scalpel.

Sure, the degree should absolutely teach you more than just programming, but there is no value in being a CS grad without knowing how to program. It's sort of the low level toolkit that you absolutely must be proficient in to being with.

A strange thing about CS education is that we have all these people studying Computer Science or even Software Engineering without ever looking at a significant piece of software. You learns lots of small examples and lots of theoretical bits, but as far as I can see most programs never take a look at, say, the Apache webserver and explain how all these small things come together to produce a successful piece of software. That's really a pity.

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Re:I'm graduating with a CS degree but I don't feel like I k... by kenjackson on Friday February 04, 2011 @10:32AM (#2179714)
Not expecting a CS alumnus to be a programmer is like having an architect not know how to draw buildings, or a surgeon not know how to wield a scalpel.

You do realize that with both professions you noted there is usually an apprenticeship time (internship/residency) -- and also in both professions you must licensed (in architecture typically after your internship and in medicine before the residency).

I do disagree though that there is no value in not being able to program. The main contribution of CS is not programming. It is in the theory of computation. I really do view programming as purely incidental.

You wouldn't expect a mechanical engineer to know how to repair a 2011 Ford Focus. They'll konw the basic ideas under the hood, but all of the technoogy specific aspects of it shouldn't be taught.

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Re:I'm graduating with a CS degree but I don't feel like I k... by absconditus on Friday February 04, 2011 @11:46AM (#2180037)
What you want is a different program. Call it software engineering. I agree that too many people seek CS degrees, but that is not a good reason to change CS into something that it is not.
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Re:I'm graduating with a CS degree but I don't feel like I k... by JoeAltmaier on Friday February 04, 2011 @10:26AM (#2179679)
Difference between Computer Science and Computer Programmer. I'm sure there are colleges that teach Computer Programming.
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