Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 20 posts

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#11

Post by bendmorris »

Locke1689 wrote: post #6

What a dumb question -- what makes the two mutually exclusive? I've been programming since I was 9. Here's the paper from the research I worked on my freshman year, which wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't gone to college. http://v3vee.org/papers/ipdps10.pdf

While I agree with you, "what a dumb question" doesn't really contribute to the discussion.

In my opinion, getting your degree and teaching yourself or launching a product show two different types of initiative. If you've done both, you should get double points.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#12

Post by weaksauce »

amichail wrote: post #9
Locke1689 wrote: post #6

What a dumb question -- what makes the two mutually exclusive? I've been programming since I was 9. Here's the paper from the research I worked on my freshman year, which wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't gone to college. http://v3vee.org/papers/ipdps10.pdf

They are not mutually exclusive, but it's a matter of degree. Someone who is exclusively self-taught has the potential to demonstrate more initiative.

It only shows that the person is good at doing things that they find interesting. I am a largely self taught man but I have learned a lot of things in school that I am grateful for learning but probably wouldn't have spent a lot of time learning on my own. Probability & Statistics and DSP are two that come to mind off the top of my head. I probably would have done them to a cursory understanding and not spent the countless hours in class and studying that it takes to get a deeper level of knowledge. That is not to say that I wouldn't have been learning though; it just would have been in a different area.

Learning subjects and doing well in school shows a potential employer that you are indeed capable succeeding in doing things that do not interest you. This is a skill that is important to employers.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#13

Post by Locke1689 »

bendmorris wrote: post #11
Locke1689 wrote: post #6

What a dumb question -- what makes the two mutually exclusive? I've been programming since I was 9. Here's the paper from the research I worked on my freshman year, which wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't gone to college. http://v3vee.org/papers/ipdps10.pdf

While I agree with you, "what a dumb question" doesn't really contribute to the discussion. In my opinion, getting your degree and teaching yourself or launching a product show two different types of initiative. If you've done both, you should get double points.

My comment about it being a dumb question certainly contributes to the discussion: it says that I think the question is intellectually bankrupt prima facie and that I don't think questions like it should be submitted in the future. I have a standard for intellectual discussion on Hacker News and this question doesn't meet it.

There may be a legitimate question hidden behind the non sequitur but if so one should ask that question, not require people to do some linguistic gymnastics to find the real question.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#14

Post by dwc »

As someone who doesn't have a single credit hour of college and currently works at a university as lead developer on a NASA space mission, I will say without hesitation that I would recommend getting a degree. I would hire anyone who was right for the job, but a good education gives some breadth that is very hard to acquire through self study.

Some universities offer a different degree program where you learn some EE & chip design along with software. When these programs are done well they are great.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#17

Post by ia »

Locke1689 wrote: post #13
bendmorris wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree with you, "what a dumb question" doesn't really contribute to the discussion. In my opinion, getting your degree and teaching yourself or launching a product show two different types of initiative. If you've done both, you should get double points.

My comment about it being a dumb question certainly contributes to the discussion: it says that I think the question is intellectually bankrupt prima facie and that I don't think questions like it should be submitted in the future. I have a standard for intellectual discussion on Hacker News and this question doesn't meet it. There may be a legitimate question hidden behind the non sequitur but if so one should ask t…

I agree with you, but the pretentious tone of your comment distracts from your point.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#18

Post by Locke1689 »

ia wrote: post #17
Locke1689 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My comment about it being a dumb question certainly contributes to the discussion: it says that I think the question is intellectually bankrupt prima facie and that I don't think questions like it should be submitted in the future. I have a standard for intellectual discussion on Hacker News and this question doesn't meet it. There may be a legitimate question hidden behind the non sequitur but if so one should ask t…

I agree with you, but the pretentious tone of your comment distracts from your point.

Sorry, I'm just attempting to beat Reddit away from HN with as big a stick as possible.

Re: Ask HN: Should CS university grads be unemployable due to lack of initiative?

#20

Post by chad_oliver »

rock001 wrote: post #19

No, self-taught is fine for trivial tasks but for good solutions it take a well balnced education. Example: I've yet to interview a self taught programmer/analyst that had a grasp of space/time complexity.

(first year electrical engineering student here) Could you explain what you mean by space/time complexity? Is this just Big-O notation and the associated ideas regarding complexity, or is it more than this?
Post reply on HN