I second this advice. While I do not have a four-year degree in an IT-related discipline, I do have a two-year degree in Computer & Information Systems. Personally, I do not feel that I gained much from my two years of college, but I also get the sense that it's not so much a four-year degree that gets you a job, but WHERE you obtained your four-year degree. Having said that, you shouldn't just attend the best school you can, but as the person above suggested: do you what you enjoy.
This is a great, great idea. It won't work, though. Why? Because the great majority of Computer Science professors out there CAN NOT guide a project to completion (hell, most can't even conceptualize a project), to save their life.
Take Colorado Technical University (Sioux Falls, SD branch). I was in their IT program back in 1998. We had this one professor who had basically just gotten out of the military. She was talking up a huge storm about how we were going to create a project out of the elevator example in the Deitel & Deitel C++ book, by breaking students up into groups. Suffice to say that she NEVER got anywhere with it, and I was one of ALMOST all (I think 12 of 15) of the students who had dropped out of the course. I dropped out not because of incompetence, but because I had quickly realized that this professor thought her sh*t didn't stink, but that all she could fall back on, in terms of "real world experience", was "wrote some C++ programs in the NAVY and designed some Crystal Reports". Ugh.
Also, I had a Database Applications course professor (another woman) who did nearly the same thing. She started out the semester by boldly proclaiming that "you will have some real-world experience in completing a project, by the time the semester is over". Yeah, right. We did noting but follow the stinking book and its assignments. I did well in the course, but to this day feel that I gathered very little from the course in the way of real-world knowledge, skill or experience.
It is my opinion that most companies would NOT utilize the services of a university (let alone four-year college or community college) to design a real-world application or utility. You can literally count on your ten fingers (well, 8 fingers and 2 thumbs, assuming you have all of them) the number of real-world applications or utilities that have been created by universities AND are still around.
Most Computer Science professors are great "book parrots", but they usually also have little to no real-world experience (not even personal projects), and as a result graduates of the programs at those schools are left out in the cold after graduation, in terms of finding Computer Science-related employment.
Completely agree! I laugh everytime I see these nerds try and proclaim that the average salary is around $40k. LOL! The "average salary" for one person in the United States (if you exclude states like California and New York) is probably about $17,000.
And, NEITHER of those I would consider equitable. Work for the "well-known internet company", and I guarantee that you will be looing for work in 3-6 months, if not sooner. Go with the Wall Street firm, and you'll see that job security in the investment field is as volatile as the market itself. You have nothing to brag about.
I live in the 40370 (Sadieville, Kentucky) and the ONLY way we can get broadband Internet access here is to fork over a huge wad of greenbacks for crappy satelite internet using DirecWay. No thanks. I wrote Southeast Telephone (our local service carrier) the other day to ask why they couldn't service our area. To that email I attached my phone number with area code. Their response was to have me to email them my '911 address' -- guess they don't have it in themselves to look up my account (or are just really, really dumb) -- which I did. Their response was then:
=== === === Hello, I checked your 911 address and unfortunatly at this time we do not cover that area but we do keep expanding so check frequently.
David SouthEast Telephon > Hey Ricky, > > My 911 address (same as home address?) is: > > 6666 Ky Hwy 32 W > Sadieville, KY 40370 > > My wife and I are fed up with dial-up Internet connection speeds and > having our telephone line tied up, resulting in quite a number of > important calls that were missed. Taking out a second telephone line is > not an option for us. > > Sincerely, > > Tom Whalen > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: support@setel.com > To: thewhalens@linuxmail.org > Subject: DSL > Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 14:07:58 -0500 (EST) > >> >> Hi Tom, >> >> If you could, send us back the 911 address of your home, and we would be >> glad to check. We are working to get DSL in around 50 new areas soon. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Ricky >> Customer Care >> 1-888-364-9000 >> >> "When are you planning on offering DSL Internet services to the zip code >> of 40370 (area code 859)? We\'re getting sick of using dial-up >> Internet, >> and will pursue local phone service with another provider if Southeast >> Telephone can\'t offer DSL Internet to us. >> >> Thanks! >> >> Tom & Marlene Whalen" > > === === ===
Unbelievable. So, Bell South, Setel and apparently everyone else can't serve DSL to this neck of the woods, even though though this county has 15,000 people in it. All this while many parts of Europe and Asia serve broadband at a very affordable rate.
I find it funny how nixnerds get an ego pump by posting screenshots of application windows overlapping their entire desktop. Do they get any work done? Or do they just down porn all day long?
Great post! It's about time these nixnerds understood where most of its developmer base is coming from. If it weren't for Windows, these nixnerds wouldn't be using Linux, because we ALL know they're using either Gnome or KDE:-)
Oh, I don't know, was anyone addressing YOU? That's right, lonely penguin, the article was written for geeks like me that read Slashdot and use WinXP. Move along, penguin.
You're truly STUPID, aren't you? I didn't think you had it in you, then you go and pretend that you know what a monopoly is. So, here, my royal peoness, is why EA is becoming a monopoly. Other game publishing corporations out there won't be able to develop an NFL game with the actual player names, logos, among other things. What about this don't you understand?
Actually, the domain "bestbuysucks.com" may have already been taken. Case in point, direcwaysux.com is so daftly named that way because SOMEONE bought up the domain name "direcwaysucks.com". You got it, DirectTV bought the domain:)
What you could do is make a copy of the receipt (and any other papers you might need) and present both the originals and copies in the event the originals faded beyond comprehension.
Slashdot Mirror
I second this advice. While I do not have a four-year degree in an IT-related discipline, I do have a two-year degree in Computer & Information Systems. Personally, I do not feel that I gained much from my two years of college, but I also get the sense that it's not so much a four-year degree that gets you a job, but WHERE you obtained your four-year degree. Having said that, you shouldn't just attend the best school you can, but as the person above suggested: do you what you enjoy.
This is a great, great idea. It won't work, though. Why? Because the great majority of Computer Science professors out there CAN NOT guide a project to completion (hell, most can't even conceptualize a project), to save their life. Take Colorado Technical University (Sioux Falls, SD branch). I was in their IT program back in 1998. We had this one professor who had basically just gotten out of the military. She was talking up a huge storm about how we were going to create a project out of the elevator example in the Deitel & Deitel C++ book, by breaking students up into groups. Suffice to say that she NEVER got anywhere with it, and I was one of ALMOST all (I think 12 of 15) of the students who had dropped out of the course. I dropped out not because of incompetence, but because I had quickly realized that this professor thought her sh*t didn't stink, but that all she could fall back on, in terms of "real world experience", was "wrote some C++ programs in the NAVY and designed some Crystal Reports". Ugh. Also, I had a Database Applications course professor (another woman) who did nearly the same thing. She started out the semester by boldly proclaiming that "you will have some real-world experience in completing a project, by the time the semester is over". Yeah, right. We did noting but follow the stinking book and its assignments. I did well in the course, but to this day feel that I gathered very little from the course in the way of real-world knowledge, skill or experience. It is my opinion that most companies would NOT utilize the services of a university (let alone four-year college or community college) to design a real-world application or utility. You can literally count on your ten fingers (well, 8 fingers and 2 thumbs, assuming you have all of them) the number of real-world applications or utilities that have been created by universities AND are still around. Most Computer Science professors are great "book parrots", but they usually also have little to no real-world experience (not even personal projects), and as a result graduates of the programs at those schools are left out in the cold after graduation, in terms of finding Computer Science-related employment.
Completely agree! I laugh everytime I see these nerds try and proclaim that the average salary is around $40k. LOL! The "average salary" for one person in the United States (if you exclude states like California and New York) is probably about $17,000.
No, he meant companies that do exactly what they have studied. Since Google hires *PhD", it doesn't qualify.
And, NEITHER of those I would consider equitable. Work for the "well-known internet company", and I guarantee that you will be looing for work in 3-6 months, if not sooner. Go with the Wall Street firm, and you'll see that job security in the investment field is as volatile as the market itself. You have nothing to brag about.
Or even work at all that is related to your degree. Welcome to the real world.
When will we see informative Slashdot articles without all the "Buy this!" thrown in our faces???
Did anyone else here know that? She used to be a transsexual. Admittedly, she's beautiful as a woman, just thought others might find this of interest.
I live in the 40370 (Sadieville, Kentucky) and the ONLY way we can get broadband Internet access here is to fork over a huge wad of greenbacks for crappy satelite internet using DirecWay. No thanks. I wrote Southeast Telephone (our local service carrier) the other day to ask why they couldn't service our area. To that email I attached my phone number with area code. Their response was to have me to email them my '911 address' -- guess they don't have it in themselves to look up my account (or are just really, really dumb) -- which I did. Their response was then:
===
===
===
Hello,
I checked your 911 address and unfortunatly at this time we do not cover
that area but we do keep expanding so check frequently.
David
SouthEast Telephon
> Hey Ricky,
>
> My 911 address (same as home address?) is:
>
> 6666 Ky Hwy 32 W
> Sadieville, KY 40370
>
> My wife and I are fed up with dial-up Internet connection speeds and
> having our telephone line tied up, resulting in quite a number of
> important calls that were missed. Taking out a second telephone line is
> not an option for us.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Tom Whalen
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: support@setel.com
> To: thewhalens@linuxmail.org
> Subject: DSL
> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 14:07:58 -0500 (EST)
>
>>
>> Hi Tom,
>>
>> If you could, send us back the 911 address of your home, and we would be
>> glad to check. We are working to get DSL in around 50 new areas soon.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Ricky
>> Customer Care
>> 1-888-364-9000
>>
>> "When are you planning on offering DSL Internet services to the zip code
>> of 40370 (area code 859)? We\'re getting sick of using dial-up
>> Internet,
>> and will pursue local phone service with another provider if Southeast
>> Telephone can\'t offer DSL Internet to us.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Tom & Marlene Whalen"
>
>
===
===
===
Unbelievable. So, Bell South, Setel and apparently everyone else can't serve DSL to this neck of the woods, even though though this county has 15,000 people in it. All this while many parts of Europe and Asia serve broadband at a very affordable rate.
I find it funny how nixnerds get an ego pump by posting screenshots of application windows overlapping their entire desktop. Do they get any work done? Or do they just down porn all day long?
Great post! It's about time these nixnerds understood where most of its developmer base is coming from. If it weren't for Windows, these nixnerds wouldn't be using Linux, because we ALL know they're using either Gnome or KDE :-)
Oh, I don't know, was anyone addressing YOU? That's right, lonely penguin, the article was written for geeks like me that read Slashdot and use WinXP. Move along, penguin.
You're truly STUPID, aren't you? I didn't think you had it in you, then you go and pretend that you know what a monopoly is. So, here, my royal peoness, is why EA is becoming a monopoly. Other game publishing corporations out there won't be able to develop an NFL game with the actual player names, logos, among other things. What about this don't you understand?
Shut up, turd breath.
Actually, the domain "bestbuysucks.com" may have already been taken. Case in point, direcwaysux.com is so daftly named that way because SOMEONE bought up the domain name "direcwaysucks.com". You got it, DirectTV bought the domain :)
What you could do is make a copy of the receipt (and any other papers you might need) and present both the originals and copies in the event the originals faded beyond comprehension.