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From: coatta@utcsri.UUCP (Terry Coatta)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Role of computer science
Message-ID: <3447@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Oct-86 17:30:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.3447
Posted: Fri Oct  3 17:30:14 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 3-Oct-86 17:41:58 EDT
References: <10331@cca.UUCP>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 26

> 
> In fact, academia tends to do the student a disservice, by teaching
> the values of academia as the only relevant values.  In fact,
> academia has strange notions about what is important for programmers.
> Most programmers need not know anything about writing compilers, for
> example.  On the other hand, they do need to know how to be a quick
> study -- how to learn enough about a specialized topic so that they
> can work with experts in the topic.
> 
> Richard Harter, SMDS Inc. [Disclaimers not permitted by company policy.]

An academics job is to teach the ideals of academia -- they are not doing 
the student a disservice by any means.  If a student wants to be a 
professional programmer, then a professional school is the appropriate
institution of post secondary education for them.  Those students attending
universities should be well aware that the training offered there is
academic, not professional.

Terry Coatta
Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. of Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4
{allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsri!coatta

-- Oh dear, I think you'll find reality's on the blink again

             Marvin the Paranoid Android