Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ann!tomg
From: tomg@ann.MN.ORG (Thomas S. Greenwalt)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: What exactly is a software engineer ?
Keywords: degree requirements,job definitions
Message-ID: <181@ann.MN.ORG>
Date: 17 May 89 03:42:13 GMT
References: <497@dekalb.UUCP> <40386@think.UUCP> <3359@ae.sei.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: tomg@ann.MN.ORG (Thomas S. Greenwalt)
Organization: A.N.N. Systems, Minneapolis
Lines: 31

In article <3359@ae.sei.cmu.edu> rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito) writes:
>
>>...Fortunately the real world is often a good
>>teacher, so people with CS degrees (or no degree at all) become
>>proficient engineers with experience. 
>
>I would take issue with that as a general statement, just as I would the
>statement that people with no medical degrees can become good physicians by
>real-world experience.  Indeed, many can become good _pracititioners_ of the
>craft aspects of a trade, but few can assemble enough knowledge by mere

[Several paragraphs of good arguments]

I agree that the 'real' world (whatever that is) is a good teacher.  I am a
case in point. I have no degree in anything and probably never will, however
I am also more than a _good practitioner_ of the craft of programming.  For
many people organized rote learning may make them better programmers or software
engineers, however many of the degreed people I have worked with, needed a 
couple years to learn that theory in the classroom doesn't always translate into
a pratical and profitable piece of software.   Of course just real world 
experience isn't enough by itself.  I read everything I can get ahold of on
OOPS, CASE, Software Engineering, design methodologies, etc, to keep learning
on my own.

The best thing I can say for a college education is that if I ever get a real
job versus being a consultant, it would be easier to get a raise.

-- 
Thomas S. Greenwalt	                  {amdahl|hpda}!bungia!datapg!ann!tomg
A.N.N. Systems		+1 612-933-6467	  tomg@ann.MN.ORG	tomg@ann!uunet
----------------------------- Patience is a Vice -----------------------------