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Computerists

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Re: Computerists

#41

Post by demian »

samatman wrote: post #30
demian wrote: post #13

Comment: In English there is a split between Software Engineering and Computer Science. German uses the word Informatik which comprises both disciplines. It's the same for most of continental Europe. There is theory and research focused areas like computing or computational mathematics, and there is application, informatics (more similar to a CS degree) or informatics engineering (roughly an EECS degree, or a CS&SE w…

With the notable exception of "bioinformatics", which is fairly maths intensive.

right, I should have used "area" instead of "term". I meant the bachelors/masters/PhDs in "Informatics".

Re: Computerists

#42

Post by dorkrawk »

VLM wrote: post #21
dorkrawk wrote: post #18

Most people who get a BS in biology end up becoming scientific biologists, though they might apply things that they've learned about biology in more practitioner type careers. Most people who get a BS in computer science don't go on to be "computer scientists", though they hopefully apply things they've learned in practitioner type careers. Of course people without serious research oriented training/education/focus a…

Most people who define themselves as having a BS in bio (as opposed to it merely being a stepping stone) work as lab techs ranging from $10/hr pharmacy techs up to maybe $25/hr at a med testing lab in an expensive cost of living area. At least in the old days. Currently, probably near half end up as waitresses and bartenders, completely out of the field. Most people who get a BS in computer science (not as a stepping…

I know a fair number of people with a wide range of CS-type BS degrees from vocational schools up to top tier universities. None of them are working "$8/hr no benes" jobs. It sounds like you're just being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Here's an article that lists the average starting salary with a CS degree as $56K ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/04/12/college-de... ) And another that lists CS major unemployment at 4.3%

Re: Computerists

#43

Post by cygwin98 »

VLM wrote: post #27
cygwin98 wrote: post #9

How about Computer Plumber, Network Plumber, System Plumber, Data Plumber?

An apprenticeship and licensing system would surely solve a large number of problems (while creating a much smaller number of new problems). I'm sure the computerist's union would be an absolute joy to deal with (sarcasm), no doubt making every other skilled trades union look like civilized extroverted yes men in relative comparison. The existence of trained plumbers does not mean no civil engineers are educated, or…

Don't disagree with what you said.

Maybe I didn't put it clear. But I wasn't referring to apprenticeship, trade union or anything relevant to them, I was simply joking about the "plumbing" factor of any computer-related jobs/roles, the majority of them are as boring as "plumbing".

Re: Computerists

#44

Post by acomar »

rhizome wrote: post #37
acomar wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is no objective meaning of "democratic" outside of the ideal that no country satisfies, so what we can conclude is that in just about all cases it's to differentiate the governments from their predecessors. Oh come on, you can generalize that argument to practically anything. No real world examples live up to their platonic ideals so who cares if you call a duck a horse, it's just to differentiate it from a d…

you can generalize that argument to practically anything Maybe, but that's not what I'm doing. I'm arguing for an implied "More-" before "democratic." That's what I mean by context.

Several of the listed countries aren't democratic in any sense of the word. Even with context the argument is still absurd -- we intend to communicate meaning with the words we use, and the introductory paragraph in the OP and the comment you replied to both highlight cases where what a word means and how its use are unrelated.

Re: Computerists

#45

Post by Fleuri »

Compared to what physicISTs, biologISTs, or these scientISTs practice, computer scientists are more likely to be mathmatICIANs and logiICIANs, right? So "Computericians" might be a better title for them.

Also we have the word "Hacker", which is a marvelous invention, and which make these scientists that deal with computers sound so different. Though sometime it's hard to draw the line between what we call "computer scientists" and "programmers" when we use "hacker", but "hacker" is initially been employed as a term for academes, and what's more, we like it, right?

Re: Computerists

#47

Post by as_if »

demian wrote: post #13

Comment: In English there is a split between Software Engineering and Computer Science. German uses the word Informatik which comprises both disciplines. It's the same for most of continental Europe. There is theory and research focused areas like computing or computational mathematics, and there is application, informatics (more similar to a CS degree) or informatics engineering (roughly an EECS degree, or a CS&SE w…

lol yeah, but you could make such assumptions (who calls himself a scientist isn't one) in german too :D

Biologen Mediziner Chemiker Mathematiker Informatiker

Wirtschaftswisseschaftler Kulturwissenschaftler Medienwissenschaftler etc.

;)

Re: Computerists

#48

Post by bnegreve »

As the article suggests, science is a methodology, not a field of study. You can apply scientific reasoning to computers as well as anything else that is sufficiently stable to be studied.

So computer scientist makes some sens... Computerist? I am not sure.

Re: Computerists

#49

Post by aethertap »

I think my title would fit better if it was "Error Scientist."

All of my best hypothesis crafting, experiment design, and data analysis seems to be done in the name of figuring out why my code is broken.

Re: Computerists

#50

Post by mangrish »

Hopefully someone has already said this:

Computer science is about research in the theory of computation. When you do your CS degree it is designed with you becoming a researcher/hacker.

Software engineering is about the practical application of that theory executed in a disciplined way.

No need for new titles!

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