Degree Requirements Absurd?

Edwards Finance > Computer Engineering

Q. Like, many older folks in this business, I started out in the field without a degree in computer science (in fact, I started with only a tech school diploma). I went on to earn a BSCS, but now find myself needing to either earn a masters degree or get out! What I truly find amazing is that most computer work does not require college-level training in computer science. For example, have you ever used simple theory like "Big 'O'" or "DeMorgan's Theorem" in solving a problem only to have your colleagues shake their heads and claim that you were showing off? Most computer work involves banging mindless drivel, in the language du jour, using heroic methods (because they are too darn shortsighted and cheap to do it right the first time), for people who think that the work they perform in their domain is extremely difficult to master. These are the same people who think that one must possess a masters degree to bang simple C++ or Java code. Go figure?

A. -Of course it is absurd. Employers use is as a risk evaluation mechanism. You are an unknown aas far as they are concerned. You have no credibility, but you do have a pedigree and a history. They believe that they can rely on the pedigree and the hitstory -Yes and no -- respectively. That is, I have used such things as Big O and DeMorgan's Theorem, and NOT had my colleagues shake their heads and think I was showing off. In fact, once upon a time a colleague was having minor trouble coding a condition, I suggested applying DeMorgan, and he said basically "d'oh, I shoulda thunka that". I've also used some of what I learned about parsing theory, OS internals, and a lot more, that I considered esoteric at the time. Maybe you've been working with the wrong class of developers? IMBSHO, one of the reasons for practically everything requiring a college degree these days (even if it isn't in a relevant field), is that a HS diploma hasn't really meant anything (in the US anyway) for the past few decades. They are routinely handed out like candy, to idiots who can't even read the damn thing. Don't get me started.... -Do you know what's more absurd than hiring a college grad to bang out simple C++ code? Hiring a community college hack to bang out complex C++ code. Certainly, some people that went to community colleges are better programmers than those who went to college. But a college degree does say something about the person's persistence and thinking abilities (although sometimes it says something negative about those things). I have a masters in EE with a strong mathematical emphasis, and although there is no direct application to CS, I think it helped my thinking abilities. That said, I think it is valid to complain about the curriculum and its relevance.

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