Jobs?

[Mike Coleman]

"Tony Hammitt" <tony at speedscript.com> writes:
> In all my experience with 8 years of college at a University, I never once had
> a technical subject taught by anyone junior to an Associate Professor with a
> PhD.  My only unprofessional teachers were in English and Art.  Try saying
> that about DeVry.com.

I generally agree with this.  A *good* CS program will emphasize the stuff
that you really need to know, which is the theory behind programming.
Learning the particulars of one or a few languages is less important and
something you could pretty much do on your own.

A good foundation in theory is the basis for good engineering judgement.  What
is it exactly that makes a quick sort better or worse than a bubble sort in
various circumstances?  If someone says "once you start swapping you're dead",
what sorts of effects are they talking about, and when do they come into play?
etc.

That notwithstanding, *you* are the most important variable in what you learn
in school.  Push yourself hard and if your program doesn't cover some areas
well, then make sure you cover them yourself.  It might be harder to learn
things on your own, but it's certainly possible.

--Mike

-- 
Mike Coleman, mkc at mathdogs.com
  http://www.mathdogs.com -- problem solving, expert software development