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The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

theatlantic.com

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Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#101

Post by WrtCdEvrydy »

acemarke wrote: post #89
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, the CS degree is weird. Some classes are super basic and some classes are nintendo hard. The classes that are in the middle of the road are very few but those are the ones that are most useful. Operating Systems, Data Structures, Parallel Computing and Software Engineering II (Basic Project Management) were notable for being interesting, difficult enough to make not slack and endlessly applicable for progra…

I've always felt that a CS degree (at least based on the curriculum I went through) is really three separate and only partly related areas of study crammed together: - Teaching people how to program for the first time. Most of us had never actually programmed before, so you've got to have the intro classes that both teach _how_ to think through breaking a problem down into steps, and also the specific syntax of expre…

> I was going through this almost 20 years ago

10 here.... your comment holds up.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#102

Post by fullshark »

Top universities can still keep their most valuable asset: a piece of paper with their name on it, scarce. They likely will and be fine. Those degrees will still open many doors.

The lower tier universities that charged tens of thousands of dollars to offer a minor leg up for your resume among the pile of resumes when applying for a job though are in big trouble. Ultimately colleges will more clearly shift their value proposition from "here is where you learn key material" to "here is where you learn to be an adult" and survive I think. Most kids out of high school are idiots and need some sort of structure to latch onto as they leave adolescence / the nest.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#103

Post by AznHisoka »

_curious_ wrote: post #91
turbinerneiter wrote: post #83

Ya'll use University wrong. The classes, etc. ... whatever! During my time at Uni, I: * designed a demonstrator car frame to show off a bunch of new manufacturing techniques, which was actually built in the end * was part of a team who tested a new type of fiber optical vibration sensor on a sounding rocket * worked with a PhD student on developing a sensor to measure water flow through a tank to validate his simulat…

How could the essence of this comment been captured and communicated without running the risk of coming off as braggadocios?

I didn’t view it as bragging. OP was just throwing out examples on how to best utilize an university.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#104

Post by pm90 »

GaryNumanVevo wrote: post #80
pm90 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Racism appears in many forms, identifying that is not as straightforward as it might appear to be. Debating Racism would probably include many of the ways in which racist behaviors manifest themselves, which isn’t clear from the get go. Eg we now know that certain policies such as redlining, war on drugs and harsher criminal sentences affected minority communities disproportionately. Were these policies racist? The c…

Those are great topics of research. But platforming racists as just people with different ideas is a false equivalency.

I agree. Debating racists does not necessarily mean giving them a platform though. They may already have one. The current US President is well regarded as a racist but he has a platform regardless of his racism. This is true of others as well; it’s not just KKK members who are racists, it can be anyone, especially anyone wielding power via institutions.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#106

Post by simonebrunozzi »

turbinerneiter wrote: post #83

Ya'll use University wrong. The classes, etc. ... whatever! During my time at Uni, I: * designed a demonstrator car frame to show off a bunch of new manufacturing techniques, which was actually built in the end * was part of a team who tested a new type of fiber optical vibration sensor on a sounding rocket * worked with a PhD student on developing a sensor to measure water flow through a tank to validate his simulat…

Your specific experience is great, and I'm glad for you.

The point here, however, is what University is for all people, not just for individual cases like yours where things align nicely, and where maybe your own character and personality (and some of your professors and class mates) helped you get a meaningful experience out of it.

My personal opinion is that the article is mostly right about what doesn't make sense for Universities in 2020. Many things are wrong, including providing access to it for ALL valuable students irrespective of income or wealth.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#107

Post by carlinmack »

xvedejas wrote: post #47
bsurmanski wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, the biggest benefit of the university structure was 1) teaching me things I didn't even know existed and 2) teaching me things I didn't think we're important (but turned out to be). (1) might be solvable with an online curriculum, but (2) requires an evaluation or end-game credential to force me to do it. Other than that, as you mentioned an even bigger benefit was social, the shared experiences with others,…

It's not necessary to attend university to learn things you didn't know existed, or to learn things that seem less important in the moment. Whenever I've taught myself something out of interest, when I've seriously set aside time to explore a topic, it's not hard at all to expose oneself to many new concepts. This is assuming the field has a wealth of literature to read, and CS is one of those fields. Whether you hav…

maybe so, but there is a certain level of self-discipline and privilege needed to be able to study just from books. Lots of people on CS and other courses want friendly exposure to new ideas, not a recommendation of a list of text books

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#108

Post by _curious_ »

mattacular wrote: post #88
dougmwne wrote: post #16

I was having another one of those moments yesterday where I was questioning the value of higher education while reading a HN thread about teaching yourself CS. There was a healthy debate about whether the typical CS curriculum helps a modern software engineer at all. Some thought the degree was stuck back in the 70's. Others thought there was value, but had trouble articulating it. It seems that when the information…

> employers often look for the degree, but do not believe it is much of an indicator of quality and don't expect new grads to walk in the door with the needed skills In other words, requiring a college degree (even in an irrelevant field) of applicants is a form of class gatekeeping for technical professions.

Feels like that sometimes, doesn't it? Then you find an employer in said technical profession who understands how their field has become inefficient at sourcing new employees and they seize on the opportunity to open the gate and let 'em in, thus creating a competitive advantage in the hiring pipeline and diversity in culture.

The real tragedy is when all the others who can't/won't/don't open the gate cry whine and complain about not being able to find talent. Sometimes, when they are really pathetic, they have the gall to go to their local economic development agent with their hands out for a subsidy for hiring assistance.

So those who adapt to the times end up paying taxes into a system that, in turn, gives that money (in part) those who don't. Perverse much?

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#109

Post by skosuri »

turbinerneiter wrote: post #83

Ya'll use University wrong. The classes, etc. ... whatever! During my time at Uni, I: * designed a demonstrator car frame to show off a bunch of new manufacturing techniques, which was actually built in the end * was part of a team who tested a new type of fiber optical vibration sensor on a sounding rocket * worked with a PhD student on developing a sensor to measure water flow through a tank to validate his simulat…

I agree whole heartedly with this comment. Until last year, my family and I lived in the undergrad dorms at UCLA (as a professor in residence). In the end the major thing I’d advise students to do is get involved. It might be research, but there are a million other things as well, and opportunities to explore these types of activities become a lot more rare after you leave college.

I wonder if over the long term there might be a way to replace that experience too, because I agree with the OP that it’s the most valuable part.

Re: The University Is Like a CD in the Streaming Age

#110

Post by pjmorris »

throwlogon wrote: post #100
turbinerneiter wrote: post #83

Ya'll use University wrong. The classes, etc. ... whatever! During my time at Uni, I: * designed a demonstrator car frame to show off a bunch of new manufacturing techniques, which was actually built in the end * was part of a team who tested a new type of fiber optical vibration sensor on a sounding rocket * worked with a PhD student on developing a sensor to measure water flow through a tank to validate his simulat…

For students who arrive at a university without already knowing these opportunities exist, it's not always apparent that they do exist and may be available to them.

True. But it's even more difficult to participate if you don't go. Even my fractionally-aware stumble through the resources available at the universities I went to opened up doors that I didn't even know existed.
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