Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!pixar!unicom!jonson
From: jonson@unicom.UUCP (Mary D Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: MS in SE or CS
Message-ID: <334@unicom.UUCP>
Date: 4 May 88 22:54:11 GMT
References: <1622@ogcvax.UUCP> <6300001@b-mrda.UUCP>
Reply-To: jonson@unicom.UUCP (Mary D Johnson)
Distribution: na
Organization: Science Computer Center, MCC, Kentfield, CA
Lines: 22
Keywords: scientific experience education
Summary: experience vs educ

In article <6300001@b-mrda.UUCP> fletcher@b-mrda.UUCP ( Justin Fletcher ) writes:
>I should first point out that I'm 'one of those guys' with an unrelated
>degree.  I have had the good fortune to discover from working with a
>number of very good people that the degree itself meens nothing.

stuff deleted

>Yes, people still fresh out of school are (and should) be hired.  They
>have the latest techniques and methods (I hope) but I still prefer
>an individual with experience (whatever the degree) to play a key role
>in product development.

I have found the same to be true after working in both the scientific 
programing and 'business' applications world. The new 'kids' on the block
bring the yeast to the mix to keep us 'old' duffers on our toes.
The only problem I have run into is when the youngsters want to do all
the new exotic stuff, and haven't done some of the maintenance work that
they are usually hired to do (since no one else wants to do it).

Also found it hard to convince scientific (FORTRAN) types that they needed
to learn some of the other languages if they wanted to keep their jobs
when the company had to start doing design and maintenance work in the
area of business applications.