Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ttidcc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!linus!philabs!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Titles Message-ID: <140@ttidcc.UUCP> Date: Thu, 6-Feb-86 13:43:43 EST Article-I.D.: ttidcc.140 Posted: Thu Feb 6 13:43:43 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 03:19:21 EST References: <4514@kestrel.ARPA> <487@hoptoad.uucp> Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Lines: 40 Summary: In article <487@hoptoad.uucp> laura@hoptoad.UUCP (Laura Creighton) writes: >CS degrees are very useful in getting a job. Whether they are any use in >*teaching you something* depends on where you got it, and how much work >you put into learning. Too true. >The problem is not usually that not enough science is taught in >computer science. The problem is with the professionalism of the >code which is (by and large, to make a generalisation, which may, >of course not apply to you and your students) up to academic >standard but not up to professional standard. I've encountered this problem with new-hired CS majors. They think that because they have a degree they know all there is to know about programming. Wrong! Most CS programs seem to concentrate on teaching programming logic rather than good programming practice. All you need to do to pass a course is turn in projects that work (i.e.: They generate the requested output from the given input and the overworked instructor hasn't got time to find the bugs). They don't have to be maintainable because they're one-shot efforts that get trashed at the end of the course. This attitude just doesn't make it in the real world where 70% of the software lifecycle is maintenance. As to those new-hires -- they're usually very surprised to find out how much of the job is documenting their work. They're also very surprised to learn about such things as coding standards and code review boards ("But you're stifling my creativity!"). Most get the idea, after having to rewrite several hundred lines of code to standard. Those who don't don't last long. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp(+)TTI 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. Geniuses are people so lazy they Santa Monica, CA 90405 do everything right the first time. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe