Personally, I think engineering is more versatile. You can get a CE degree, but take a lot of CS classes. That gives you a technical engineering degree (which depending on the school, means that it is a professional degree), while at the same time, allows you to showcase a talent (which I most definately do not have) for programming.
I chose a dual Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering degree for my bachelors which allowed me to show an expertise in a field, and am working on my Electrical Engineering (Digital Communications and Signal Processing concentration) at night to show an emphasis on a specific area. That way I am able to apply for all CE/EE jobs, as well as show a little extra expertise in a specific field.
-dave
A lot of those don't mention a degree, true. But guess what happens when those companies lay off. Sure, you might be able to get a job, but the job requiring the degree is generally more secure.
And I would disagree. Sure the ads don't have a requirement, but that doesn't mean that when they go through the 100 resumes they receive for the single opening that they don't consider the degree.
In IT it might be slightly different. But as an engineer, even though I am an EE, the degree has given me a broad enough background that I can understand any engineering discipline (sp?) to a certain extent. I can read a piping diagram just as well as a structural drawing, interpret it and make a decision/recommendation based on what I know. That is valuable and important.
Put it this way, you have two candidates, one with a CS degree with a concentration in networking and one with a certificate. The college graduate spent 4 years being exposed to different technologies and is able to make decisions because of a broader exposure, while the CCNA spent a couple of months learning about Cisco products and may be no better than the toll-free sales line for making an overall decision. I don't know anyone who regrets a college degree (at least a technical based one).
That isn't to say that a degree is everything. I work with non-degreed engineers who have spent there whole life working with our final product, and they are as valuable to the company as anyone else.
Why is everyone suddenly convinced that products need to protect themselves? There are ALREADY laws making counterfeit a crime. There are already laws making the use of counterfeit currency a crime. There is this thing called a court system, where they used to hold things called trials... and if guilt can be established (yeah, they used to have to PROVE guilt, weird huh?) people went to jail.
And it is illegal to steal someone's belongings, yet you probably lock your doors/windows, possibly have a security system, and probably have insurance in case somebody wipes you out. Why is everyone on slashdot convinced that by having a law alone is enough protection and that no other measures should be taken?
It is also illegal to shoot the President, but we have the Secret Service protect him. Same principle.
Repeat after me: the world is not a huge conspiracy theory.
The toshiba I'm using here at work right now sucks. Thing is heavy as hell. Sure it has a 15" screen, but the size of the case I need to lug this thing around makes it more like a moveable desktop than a laptop.
Give me a 1" thin (or thinner) sub-5lb notebook with a 12" screen anyday over this giant. And for the price paid for the Toshiba, we could have easily bought a nice IBM T-series.
Note, this Toshiba is not a centrino.
-dave
You might want to recheck that. According to the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/2 0010309-5.html) households making $200,000+ will now pay 46% of the total taxes, a far cry from the 50% burden you state multi-millionaires will be paying. Also, this is computed as if these people paid taxes. With the loopholes in the laws, these people making $200,000 will not actually be paying 46% of the tax burden in this country.
-dave
From my original post: But if one million people are overcharged by 30 cents
That's $300,000 and it's money that adds up. Imagine doing this every month with a net profit of $200k after you settle the people who did complain, that's $2.4M/yr.
Heck, the CEO's new Ferrari only cost $250k, so one months worth of mistakes nearly pays for it.
In college, my roommates and I had a "family talk" plan with Cingular. Every month, you had to call up because of bogus roaming charges or similar increases. They are betting on the fact that most people won't bother, especially for only $1 or less. But if one million people are overcharged by 30 cents, and only 100,000 complain, the company has now made $300,000 and as long as they can settle the 100,000 complainers with that amount or less, they come out ahead.
Look at rebates. The whole idea behind them is that even with a 100% money rebate, only x% of people will actually send in the rebate, and only y% will be valid. Hell, how many people will complain if they deny a rebate submission, I would, but I have a spite factor.
In terms of the cellular industry, or any other industry with competition and technology bringing down prices, the companies will look for new methods to get back any lost revenue.
Just make sure you always fight it, write an email, make some phone calls, but most importantly Don't use companies that screw you over!
There are newbie friendly mom-and-pop shops, but they are hard to find. In Minneapolis, both General Nanosystems and Tran Micro are great, incredible prices, and will help you troubleshoot any problems, even if you built the system yourself.
But I can't find a decent shop out here in SE CT, so obviously your mileage will vary. When you find a good one though, make sure you tell everybody about them, lest they go out of business.
-dave
Rationally, I think the only way around it is to attack the economics of spam, as has been suggested by many much smarter than me.
You are absolutely right. But attacking the economics does not mean taxing email, etc. You have to get it through the heads of people much dumber than we can imagine not to reply to spam. Spam is very cheap to send, but it does cost some money and time, so if you can reduce the return to $0, you've won.
My point here would be that you ought to be responsible for operating an unsafe computer on the Internet.
This whole car analogy is flawed and here's why. When you buy a car, it is in a safe working condition, if it is not, the NTSB or the manufacturer recall the vehicle and fix it to a safe working condition. Your OS on the other hand never had the security in the first place. If your OS started out secure, but you changed settings to allow the virus or trojan, then the analogy would be valid. But in the real world, you are not held responsible for other's negligence in designing a flawed product.
Slashdot Mirror
Personally, I think engineering is more versatile. You can get a CE degree, but take a lot of CS classes. That gives you a technical engineering degree (which depending on the school, means that it is a professional degree), while at the same time, allows you to showcase a talent (which I most definately do not have) for programming.
I chose a dual Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering degree for my bachelors which allowed me to show an expertise in a field, and am working on my Electrical Engineering (Digital Communications and Signal Processing concentration) at night to show an emphasis on a specific area. That way I am able to apply for all CE/EE jobs, as well as show a little extra expertise in a specific field. -dave
A lot of those don't mention a degree, true. But guess what happens when those companies lay off. Sure, you might be able to get a job, but the job requiring the degree is generally more secure.
And I would disagree. Sure the ads don't have a requirement, but that doesn't mean that when they go through the 100 resumes they receive for the single opening that they don't consider the degree.
In IT it might be slightly different. But as an engineer, even though I am an EE, the degree has given me a broad enough background that I can understand any engineering discipline (sp?) to a certain extent. I can read a piping diagram just as well as a structural drawing, interpret it and make a decision/recommendation based on what I know. That is valuable and important.
Put it this way, you have two candidates, one with a CS degree with a concentration in networking and one with a certificate. The college graduate spent 4 years being exposed to different technologies and is able to make decisions because of a broader exposure, while the CCNA spent a couple of months learning about Cisco products and may be no better than the toll-free sales line for making an overall decision. I don't know anyone who regrets a college degree (at least a technical based one).
That isn't to say that a degree is everything. I work with non-degreed engineers who have spent there whole life working with our final product, and they are as valuable to the company as anyone else.
-dave
Why is everyone suddenly convinced that products need to protect themselves? There are ALREADY laws making counterfeit a crime. There are already laws making the use of counterfeit currency a crime. There is this thing called a court system, where they used to hold things called trials... and if guilt can be established (yeah, they used to have to PROVE guilt, weird huh?) people went to jail.
And it is illegal to steal someone's belongings, yet you probably lock your doors/windows, possibly have a security system, and probably have insurance in case somebody wipes you out. Why is everyone on slashdot convinced that by having a law alone is enough protection and that no other measures should be taken?
It is also illegal to shoot the President, but we have the Secret Service protect him. Same principle.
Repeat after me: the world is not a huge conspiracy theory.
The toshiba I'm using here at work right now sucks. Thing is heavy as hell. Sure it has a 15" screen, but the size of the case I need to lug this thing around makes it more like a moveable desktop than a laptop. Give me a 1" thin (or thinner) sub-5lb notebook with a 12" screen anyday over this giant. And for the price paid for the Toshiba, we could have easily bought a nice IBM T-series. Note, this Toshiba is not a centrino. -dave
You might want to recheck that. According to the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/2 0010309-5.html) households making $200,000+ will now pay 46% of the total taxes, a far cry from the 50% burden you state multi-millionaires will be paying. Also, this is computed as if these people paid taxes. With the loopholes in the laws, these people making $200,000 will not actually be paying 46% of the tax burden in this country.
-dave
From my original post:
But if one million people are overcharged by 30 cents
That's $300,000 and it's money that adds up. Imagine doing this every month with a net profit of $200k after you settle the people who did complain, that's $2.4M/yr.
Heck, the CEO's new Ferrari only cost $250k, so one months worth of mistakes nearly pays for it.
-dave
It's just the most recent revenue stream.
In college, my roommates and I had a "family talk" plan with Cingular. Every month, you had to call up because of bogus roaming charges or similar increases. They are betting on the fact that most people won't bother, especially for only $1 or less. But if one million people are overcharged by 30 cents, and only 100,000 complain, the company has now made $300,000 and as long as they can settle the 100,000 complainers with that amount or less, they come out ahead.
Look at rebates. The whole idea behind them is that even with a 100% money rebate, only x% of people will actually send in the rebate, and only y% will be valid. Hell, how many people will complain if they deny a rebate submission, I would, but I have a spite factor.
In terms of the cellular industry, or any other industry with competition and technology bringing down prices, the companies will look for new methods to get back any lost revenue.
Just make sure you always fight it, write an email, make some phone calls, but most importantly Don't use companies that screw you over!
-dave
There are newbie friendly mom-and-pop shops, but they are hard to find. In Minneapolis, both General Nanosystems and Tran Micro are great, incredible prices, and will help you troubleshoot any problems, even if you built the system yourself. But I can't find a decent shop out here in SE CT, so obviously your mileage will vary. When you find a good one though, make sure you tell everybody about them, lest they go out of business. -dave
Rationally, I think the only way around it is to attack the economics of spam, as has been suggested by many much smarter than me.
You are absolutely right. But attacking the economics does not mean taxing email, etc. You have to get it through the heads of people much dumber than we can imagine not to reply to spam. Spam is very cheap to send, but it does cost some money and time, so if you can reduce the return to $0, you've won.
People just don't get it though.
-dave
My point here would be that you ought to be responsible for operating an unsafe computer on the Internet.
This whole car analogy is flawed and here's why. When you buy a car, it is in a safe working condition, if it is not, the NTSB or the manufacturer recall the vehicle and fix it to a safe working condition. Your OS on the other hand never had the security in the first place. If your OS started out secure, but you changed settings to allow the virus or trojan, then the analogy would be valid. But in the real world, you are not held responsible for other's negligence in designing a flawed product.