Re: Autodidact

I have heard this before. Ironically, the people I heard it from are comp sci students (and graduates). Even more interestingly, I have met computer managers who won't hire CS graduates. Want to hear their reasoning?

CS students are dangerous
CS students have to be mentored and monitored
CS grads have no experience and are completely untested
CS grads know everything about computers, except how to actually do the job

What a comp sci grad can do for you:

Provide the textbook's perspective on a problem
Digest dry, difficult material and regurgitate it without any attempt at comprehension
Read the latest pamphlets from MS and enthuse about them endlessly
Tell you how much money they're going to make when they graduate

I seriously doubt that anyone here fits this profile, but if you did CS you've met the people I'm talking about. The phrase 'wet behind the ears' applies to a lot of people fresh out of any course, but in no other industry are fresh graduates let near anything important.

____________________
Jeremy
I didn't believe in evil until I dated it.

2002-04-17 Edit by Corion - fixed an open <UL> tag

Comment on Re: Autodidact

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Re: Re: Autodidact by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Oct 07, 2002 at 11:05 UTC
A rather belated post, but I wasn't here first time around. Hopefully this will be forgiven. If not, c'est la vie. Digest dry, difficult material and regurgitate it without any attempt at comprehension That phrase gave me the biggest belly laugh of any I have seen here. Partly, because it is, of itself funny. Partly because it reminded me of a piece of advice my first boss (and mentor) in the IT industry came up with. <paraphrase> If you want to learn, listen. Absorb, be like a sponge, but don't take anything anyone says, regardless of who they are, as right. Prove it to yourself, for yourself. If you don't reach the same conclusions, question, but don't challenge. If your still not convinced, don't argue, just do more research. Eventually, you will arrive at a conclusion that works for you. You may then offer that opinion, but remember that the next listener may well arrive at a different conclusion to you, so be prepared to be wrong. Oh! And just because I told you to be sponge like, I don't want to hear you running around verbally dribbling stuff you've overheard! </paraphrase> Cor! Like yer ring! ... HALO dammit! ... 'Ave it yer way! Hal-lo, Mister la-de-da. ... Like yer ring!	[reply]

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Re: Re: Autodidact
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Oct 07, 2002 at 11:05 UTC

A rather belated post, but I wasn't here first time around. Hopefully this will be forgiven. If not, c'est la vie.

Digest dry, difficult material and regurgitate it without any attempt at comprehension

That phrase gave me the biggest belly laugh of any I have seen here. Partly, because it is, of itself funny. Partly because it reminded me of a piece of advice my first boss (and mentor) in the IT industry came up with.

<paraphrase>
If you want to learn, listen.
Absorb, be like a sponge, but don't take anything anyone says, regardless of who they are, as right. Prove it to yourself, for yourself. If you don't reach the same conclusions, question, but don't challenge. If your still not convinced, don't argue, just do more research.
Eventually, you will arrive at a conclusion that works for you. You may then offer that opinion, but remember that the next listener may well arrive at a different conclusion to you, so be prepared to be wrong.
Oh! And just because I told you to be sponge like, I don't want to hear you running around verbally dribbling stuff you've overheard!
</paraphrase>

Cor! Like yer ring! ... HALO dammit! ... 'Ave it yer way! Hal-lo, Mister la-de-da. ... Like yer ring!

[reply]