Re: FN-FORUM profession??

date posted 29th September 2002 16:32

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Pritchard" [EMAIL REMOVED]
To: [EMAIL REMOVED]
Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 3:35 PM
Subject: Re: FN-FORUM profession??


> Hi there,
>
> >In my case, at
> >least, I directly compete with folks with twice as much time in the
> >industry. I ascribe at least part of that to the principles I learnt
during
> >my (CompSci) degree.
>
> I guess I'm probably one of the non-educated in the field professionals.
I
> started in IT in 1982 with a Biochemistry degree and just started writing
> code as part of my degree. there was more money in it than in
Biochemistry,
> so I stayed with it. However, does this mean I'm bad at what I do? The
> principles I learnt in my BSc have worked well for me. What theory I
needed
> to develop applications I guess I picked up and read up on as I went
along.
> I recently interviewed a number of BSc Computer Science graduates for
> development roles and to be frank I ended up recruiting one and getting
the
> others I needed from 'gifted amateurs. The problem was that the BSc stuff
> was great for designing microprocessors and compilers but bugger all use
for
> the grunt work of getting systems up and running.
>

The fact you have had formal analytical training is a big advantage and as I
said in an earlier post, you don't necessarily need formal ComputerScience
qualifications )although I do think they are helpful if you are serious
about your profession, for yourself, if not an employer)

I agree with you about some Computer Science courses as I have found them to
be very varied in what they teach. My preference would be for a 'hard' comp
sci course for someone who has experience already, or who is willing to only
start their apprenticship when they graduate. However, there are some
computer studies course that are excellent at giving people practical
experience. However, why should computers be any different from any other
engineering field? You wouldn't expect a newly graduated Mechanical Engineer
to design an aircraft wing on his own, or a civil engineer to start
designing a sky scraper. It is expected that they spend hard years learning
their profession and that the degree is just the start of their education.

Oh, and that compiler designing stuff, if taught and learned properly, is
invaluable for a skilled developer since it gives insight to the code being
generated and how to make it efficient. An art lost by the new crop of code
it and run style developers.


> I've seen this in graduate entry programs in client sites; the actual
> CONTENT of the degree for most applications development is meaningless.
> What's important is the ability to think in a certain way. Good practice
> can be reasonably quickly learnt in and in ost places the practice coems
> from external consultancies, lead developers, etc.
Ii disagree, if that is all that is required, I'll start my new profession
as a heart surgeon tomorrow.


> When I did my MBA a few years ago the IT part was a joke. It was 10 years
> out of date and I actually got marked down on it for using modernm
examples
> because they weren't part of the course.
>
The problem with many of these courses is that the IT component is badly out
of date. I had a look at the course prospectus for a friend of mine a few
weeks ago for an MIS degree. It taught e-commerce. How in the hell a
university can teach e-commerce when the industry is only 5 minutes world
and we, the experts, are only just now making it up as we go along, I don't
know. It is this sort of reasoning that makes me question 'practical'
degrees in many cases.


> As for qualifications for designers, not being one I wouldn't know. But I
> believe that with the creative stuff 'batural selection' takes place in
> which the bad go to the wall.

Since a lot of art is used then it cannot really be taught. However there
are somethings that can be taught such as basic UI design and how to make a
site that is usable; not just flash and cute the first time u look at it. Ma
ybe so called designers should study HCI, GUI design and simple details like
colour wheels and what colour combinations affect colour blind users etc.

After that, though, natural select should cut in. Unfortunately, with the
current dotBomb mentality, too few sites survive long enough for the dross
to be weeded out and until more formal design procedures are brought in, it
is all too easy for the bad designer to blame crap work on decisions forced
upon him.