What every computer science major should know (2011)

Post by hamburglar » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 7:24 AM UTC

drieddust wrote: post #108

burlesona wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a great list. I would add estimating , although it's implied in a few of your points. As an engineering manager I find that a consistent difference between good engineers and great engineers is that great engineers can tell me how long something will take even when they haven't done something just like it before. That doesn't mean they can perfectly forecast how the hours will be spent -- no one could do that…

Don't you think estimation is a management job? What if Engineer decides to over estimate and enjoy the freetime?

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 7:40 AM UTC

jstewartmobile wrote: post #43

bigred100 wrote: post #33

To me, this sounds more like what a good CS Ph.D who spent his free time filling in every general CS knowledge gap he could come up with would know. I don’t know why he says learn real analysis and linear algebra to talk to engineers when I doubt 90% of engineers took one analysis course unless they’re Ph.Ds.

Judging by the Wikipedia article, "Real analysis" is freshman-level math for most branches of engineering. Pretty shocking how little math most CS programs require in comparison.

Post by Dextro » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 7:46 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #91

It's a good list, and I always recommend these: 1. Public Speaking. If you can't talk coherently in front of a group of people and sell your ideas, your career will be stunted. 2. Accounting. Accounting is the language of business. If you don't understand double entry bookkeeping, you can't be a manager. You can't run a startup. You can't talk to investors. If you misuse terms like "gross margin" you'll be overlooked…

Post by taneq » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 7:48 AM UTC

drieddust wrote: post #108

burlesona wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a great list. I would add estimating , although it's implied in a few of your points. As an engineering manager I find that a consistent difference between good engineers and great engineers is that great engineers can tell me how long something will take even when they haven't done something just like it before. That doesn't mean they can perfectly forecast how the hours will be spent -- no one could do that…

Don't you think estimation is a management job? What if Engineer decides to over estimate and enjoy the freetime?

Post by lagadu » Wed, Jul 17, 2019, 8:01 AM UTC

bharam wrote: post #76

quickthrower2 wrote: post #42

In my experience no one cares about the portfolio. They want your CV, some references and to pass some coding tests. Now to be fair I am not going for the highest paid jobs or jobs required deep computer science knowledge, but for the ordinary job I have found that recruiters and employers alike look at CV. They might look at github if you are lucky.

Here's how I review resumes. I'll scan the document for evidence of some kind of selectivity in terms of education and/or past employers. I ignore action phrases, GitHub accounts etc. If I see one that interests me I'll setup a phone call. It's a common misconception that we look for reasons to hire someone when in fact the opposite is true: we are looking for reasons to say 'no'.