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Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

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Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#111

Post by donaq »

why-el wrote: post #45
alecco wrote: post #33

Dropped out out of frustration with ridiculous emphasis on calculus and extremely poor algorithms teachers. I don't regret dropping out, I regret wasting a couple of years fighting that. But almost 15 years later I now find algorithms teaching in top universities completely out of touch with reality. Hardware changed drastically in the last decade and it seems they just gave up. It's turning into a cult of big-O theo…

I really respect your decision to drop out. I am a senior and I decided to take my last semester off and do a long internship. I am lucky to have found a good company, but that fight you had is still going on in my head. Most of the problems I solve at work are new to me, and nothing from my university is relevant, including the algorithms class. For instance, I have never used git in school. In fact, nobody has even…

Git was built using said "outdated theory bound knowledge".

Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#112

Post by jinfiesto »

hughw wrote: post #81
alecco wrote: post #33

Dropped out out of frustration with ridiculous emphasis on calculus and extremely poor algorithms teachers. I don't regret dropping out, I regret wasting a couple of years fighting that. But almost 15 years later I now find algorithms teaching in top universities completely out of touch with reality. Hardware changed drastically in the last decade and it seems they just gave up. It's turning into a cult of big-O theo…

You dropped out of college because of a "ridiculous emphasis on calculus" yet you are able to track and form opinions on the quality of "algorithms teaching in top universities"? I doubt it.

Agreed. Calculus as a bridge to Real Analysis is a fundamental part of a real math curriculum.

Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#113

Post by robertocr »

prophetjohn wrote: post #87
why-el wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really respect your decision to drop out. I am a senior and I decided to take my last semester off and do a long internship. I am lucky to have found a good company, but that fight you had is still going on in my head. Most of the problems I solve at work are new to me, and nothing from my university is relevant, including the algorithms class. For instance, I have never used git in school. In fact, nobody has even…

Sounds like you guys should have gone to technical school or majored in CIS or something. Learning how to use version control is not in the scope of a Computer Science curriculum.

One time I showed my 1st commercial web system to a teacher and he was so quick to say 'but this is not CS' it was sad.

I never said it was supposed to be CS, I just showed the system... His response had nothing to do with anything... His words were just a quick self-defense he seemed very used to use, in a pretty destructive way.

It took me some time to know University was doing no good to me, but now I'm past detox and I'm glad I dropped out.

I don't care if 'it is not CS', I learn whatever it takes to build awesome stuff.

Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#116

Post by jlees »

donaq wrote: post #111
why-el wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really respect your decision to drop out. I am a senior and I decided to take my last semester off and do a long internship. I am lucky to have found a good company, but that fight you had is still going on in my head. Most of the problems I solve at work are new to me, and nothing from my university is relevant, including the algorithms class. For instance, I have never used git in school. In fact, nobody has even…

Git was built using said "outdated theory bound knowledge".

This. There is a difference between learning to use today's cutting edge technology, and learning the principles that will enable you to build tomorrow's.

Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#118

Post by pepijndevos »

lwat wrote: post #101

For what it's worth we don't consider candidates without a degree when we hire. It doesn't HAVE to be a CS degree - math or electrical engineering is close enough most of the time. But there's just so many job seekers without a degree and most of them are useless so we save a lot of time and effort simply ignoring those.

"most of them are useless" Would you care to elaborate what constitutes useful? In my little bubble, there are a lot of useful people without degrees.

Re: Poll: Do you have a CS degree?

#119

Post by jlees »

I have a traditional, theoretical-focused CS degree, which I followed up with a more practical CS master's and half a PhD in natural language processing. I dropped out of the PhD to do a startup.

I do not currently program for my job - I'm a product manager - so this is a counterpoint to the "no CS degree but I rock at programming" responses. I'm actually a mediocre programmer, but an excellent improviser and duct-taper.

However, I absolutely loved studying CS, especially the more theoretical parts, and even nearly ten years later, there are odd things that turn up that make me happy I studied CS rather than sticking with my original plan of maths. (for example a recent foray into compiler design, and a sidetracked conversation about memory, both of which were topics I hadn't touched as hobbies since my undergraduate years but which I had some base, stored-away knowledge of).

Perhaps I took the shortcut and self-teaching would have resulted in the same long-term results (except the whole immigration process, which was greatly expedited by my career-relevant Master's). I do wonder, however, if lack of role models and environment would have become an issue if I were slogging it alone. At university I had a fantastic mentor and a great environment where I could delight in logic and systems without worrying about anything else - employability, chromosomes, the real world.. ultimately, that latter was the downfall of my PhD.

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