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From: calhoun@mcc-pp.UUCP (Myron Calhoun)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Re: EE classes a waste to CS
Message-ID: <1682@mcc-pp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Sep-86 09:43:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcc-pp.1682
Posted: Wed Sep 17 09:43:38 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Sep-86 17:39:40 EDT
References: <1681@mcc-pp.UUCP>
Organization: MCC, Austin, TX
Lines: 38

Re:

> Keywords: Wake up to reality!
> ..... everything deleted .....
> Frank Bellucci (UCSD Energy Management, st122@sdcc12)

Obviously I goofed on my first-ever try in posting a followup--my apologies
for making you read his whole article again and never finding my comments!
I'll try again:

I feel Frank is holding his own experience out to be "truth" for us all.

I, too, am an expert (right now I'm almost 700 miles from home!) computer
scientist AND an electrical engineering specializing in all kinds of
things.  I also (try to) teach many of those things to others.  I have
been in the field for 20 years (since Ph.D.) and know umpteen languages,
have worked with everything from unix to mdos, both in industry and as
a college professor, and in addition have ........ etc. etc.

Having stated a few of my qualifications I would just like to say that I
have found my interest in both hardware AND software to be INVALUABLE and
heartily advise others *WHO HAVE SIMILAR INTERESTS* to study both.  I have
never regretted my decision to study both; but I don't claim that everyone
ought to do so.  (If everyone knew everything I did, my employers wouldn't
be nearly so willing to pay me as well as they do!)  Perhaps everyone
formally studying some area (e.g., in college) ought to take at least a
*beginning* course in all possible aspects of that area, but beyond that,
having the same fixed requirements for everyone is probably wasteful.

It might be instructive to ask your local college placement center about
average salary offers to EE, CS, and EE+CS (or CE?) students.  At my
university (in Kansas), the rank begins with CS and ends with EE+CS at
the top.  To me, this shows that knowing both is more valuable than
knowing just one.  (And if I could only study one, it would be EE!)

And to Frank I'd like to say that just as knowing a little spelling and
English (and even typing skills and how to use a spelling checker!) seem
to be beneficial to computer scientists, so also does a little hardware
skill seem beneficial.  One does not necessarily need to learn that skill
in college, but that is often the easiest way to get started.