On the danger of pursuing a computer science degree.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=892371

by amichail • 17 years ago

7 2 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

The main danger is that professors impart not only (useful) knowledge, but also a worldview as to what a career in computing is all about.

Namely, you are taught that it is about building efficient and reliable software.

While an employer would appreciate employees with such a worldview, this is not a path to a fulfilling career.

It's kind of like being taught that writing is all about spelling and grammar.

Without a university education at all, you might have and keep a worldview that building software is primarily about the fun you have in creating something original.

University can mess this up for you and it may take many years for you to change your worldview -- if you ever do.

owinebarger• 17 years ago

You're going to the wrong university/program. There are professors out there who exemplify the attitude you mention, though they also think getting it right is part of the fun.

I know you can find such professors at Indiana University, Bloomington from first hand knowledge. Northeastern's CS department seems another likely candidate.

Of course, I don't have a CS degree, I just took a fair number of courses while I was a math grad student.

confusedcitizen• 17 years ago

I think the advantages of a university education have been chronicled elsewhere. However, to your specific points:

Yes, it is about building efficient and reliable software, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Even when you build software for fun, you'd like to be robust, else it's the creator who has to pick up the pieces later when trouble strikes. Good professors explain the need for formal verification in programs, and that kind of insight is important for us to understand the limitations of software in the industry today.

I don't think there's anything taught in a university regarding the "efficient and reliable software worldview" that would not lead to a fulfilling career. In fact, its only an advantage, because you have a perspective on why software should be reliable. It's something that people use, and possibly their daily experiences are influenced by how good (reliable+efficient+fast) your software is. What that worldview might give you is to empathize with these very users ... which in fact, is one of the most important take aways from a successful industry career.

All writers I've read are impeccable in their spelling and grammar. Writing may not be only about grammar and spelling, but these are the fundamentals, without which you don't have the right tools at your disposal to affect the sentiments of others.

Building software is fun. Building reliable and efficient software is fun, as much is building software that is fast, and none of these attributes make creating a piece of software less original. These characteristics are the building blocks of good software, originality lies in the idea, what your software is supposed to do, but reliability and efficiency are inherently assumed.

University education is a wonderful opportunity to not only explore computer science but also its interactions with other fields (like neuroscience, electrical engg, etc etc). It's all about finding where your true calling lies in, and a university education only helps with that.

On the danger of pursuing a computer science degree.

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