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From: wilber@aludra.usc.edu (John Wilber)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,misc.education
Subject: Re: What is a professional?
Summary: Computer Science Degrees
Message-ID: <12008@chaph.usc.edu>
Date: 17 Sep 90 20:37:40 GMT
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In article <1990Sep10.132253.2781@pdn.paradyne.com> reggie@dinsdale.paradyne.com (George W. Leach) writes:

>     In addition, I have seen people without degrees who are just as
>qualified to be a professional as those with degrees.  It is rare, but it
>happens.

In the areas in which I have worked, computer science degrees (especially
past B.S.) have seemed to have an inverse relationship to professional skill.
My initial reaction to hearing that someone has a PhD in CS is that 
he's likely to know little of any practical value.  That's not to say
that I have never met competent people with advanced degrees (I have one
myself), nor that I have never seen an undegreed idiot, but I think that using
the level of university "education" as an indicator of skill level in
computer professionals is a misguided approach.