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From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: American Programmer (What's a Ph.D. worth?)
Message-ID: <2218@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 1 Apr 88 19:34:21 GMT
References: <555@psu-cs.UUCP> <1434@ur-tut.UUCP> <3415@bunker.UUCP> <3326@zeus.TEK.COM> <461@vsi.UUCP> <5775@bunny.UUCP>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath)
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 32


Just to add another aspect to the discussion of education vs. real world
experience, the following ad appears in the positions offered section of
the Communications of the ACM, March 1988, page A-36 (spelling, grammar
and punctuation are theirs, elipses are mine):

                         INDUSTRIAL POSTIONS FOR
			 COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS

		  Positions nationally.  Fees paid by em-
		  ployers.  U.S. citizens or permanent res-
		  idents.  PhD or minimum three years,          <== Note
		  experience.  Call or write ... [etc.]

Of course, that's just one recruiter's opinion.  Makes you wonder, though.
My experience has been that CS degrees and CS competence are not closely
related.

I agree with the need to bring more of the real world into the class room.
I've had to clean up too many messes that would probably have received a
passing grade because they worked (until a boundary condition, or
something else unexpected, tripped them up).

I'm cross-posting to misc.jobs.misc because the degree question often
comes up there.  Please edit the Newsgroups line appropriately before
following up.


-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM)   Illegitimati Nil
Citicorp(+)TTI                                           Carborundum
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 452-9191, x2483
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe