What's a degree anyway?
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I went to a well known but highly maligned school. They deserve the reputation in a lot of ways but what I found interesting in comparison was this. Looking through the course list MIT has posted there, I see relatively few actual language specific programming classes compared to what I did in my school. However I do see MANY more programming classes in regards to structure, algorithms etc.. the core of programming that you must use in any language.. Huge difference. And I think I would have liked it better doing it MIT's way. hell you can learn a language easily enough if you actually know how to program. Looks like I'm "going back to school" for the next few months. I've already picked out a handful of those courses I'm going to work through for my own benefit.
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning. Be careful which toes you step on today, they might be connected to the foot that kicks your butt tomorrow. You can't scare me, I have children.
My school's CS curriculum focuses much more on concepts. There's Intro to Programming (in C++ or Java, your choice...and Fortran and Matlab if you're not CS) but beyond that there's very few language specific classes (only one I can think of is an "advanced Java" course), although most classes require assignments in a specific language (so far mostly Java X| ). Everything else is concepts, like the fundamentals of processors, programming languages in general and compilers, algorithms, the software development process, etc.
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I went to a well known but highly maligned school. They deserve the reputation in a lot of ways but what I found interesting in comparison was this. Looking through the course list MIT has posted there, I see relatively few actual language specific programming classes compared to what I did in my school. However I do see MANY more programming classes in regards to structure, algorithms etc.. the core of programming that you must use in any language.. Huge difference. And I think I would have liked it better doing it MIT's way. hell you can learn a language easily enough if you actually know how to program. Looks like I'm "going back to school" for the next few months. I've already picked out a handful of those courses I'm going to work through for my own benefit.
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning. Be careful which toes you step on today, they might be connected to the foot that kicks your butt tomorrow. You can't scare me, I have children.
At Université de Montreal (not the engineering school) , the CS bachelor is mostly oriented towards theory and not proper language teaching; so much that a lot of students who got in expecting to do a lot of programming ended up quitting after 1 year; and rest of us who survived did not really know any real languages (other than specialised languages like prolog, simula, miranda, VHDL, ... )when we graduated.
Watched code never compiles.
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http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm[^] MIT offers all class materials online, for free. You just don't get a degree. I say awesome. [Probably a repost]
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
Outstanding thanks.
A girl phoned me and said, 'Come on over. There's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home! Rodney Dangerfield
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http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm[^] MIT offers all class materials online, for free. You just don't get a degree. I say awesome. [Probably a repost]
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
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sigh... algorithms.. I also did not take typing classes... :laugh:
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning. Be careful which toes you step on today, they might be connected to the foot that kicks your butt tomorrow. You can't scare me, I have children.
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http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm[^] MIT offers all class materials online, for free. You just don't get a degree. I say awesome. [Probably a repost]
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
My tripos was in natural science rather than computing, which is difficult to learn outside of a university setting. A degree doesn't make you intelligent (I believe that intelligence is a matter of nature), but it does give you an opportunity to gain knowledge in a structured way - people learn in different ways, but here in the UK so many people now go to university, that without a degree you will struggle to get a good job without nepotism. :sigh:
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My tripos was in natural science rather than computing, which is difficult to learn outside of a university setting. A degree doesn't make you intelligent (I believe that intelligence is a matter of nature), but it does give you an opportunity to gain knowledge in a structured way - people learn in different ways, but here in the UK so many people now go to university, that without a degree you will struggle to get a good job without nepotism. :sigh:
Even more sad, in the U.S. I find this to be the case:
Reiss wrote:
but here in the UK so many people now go to university, that without a Masters degree you will struggle to get a good job without nepotism
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
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http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm[^] MIT offers all class materials online, for free. You just don't get a degree. I say awesome. [Probably a repost]
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
I can't wait to do the AI course offered here[^]. Also, I highly recommend taking a look through this site: http://www.khanacademy.org/[^]
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I think you'll find it's while getting wasted :-D
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
I flew drunk once and never again that was the worst headache The turbulence was not very well appreciated either.
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sigh... algorithms.. I also did not take typing classes... :laugh:
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning. Be careful which toes you step on today, they might be connected to the foot that kicks your butt tomorrow. You can't scare me, I have children.
I agree oh well I guess paper does not automatically mean a degree is worth anything. Market Saturation for the fail
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I can't wait to do the AI course offered here[^]. Also, I highly recommend taking a look through this site: http://www.khanacademy.org/[^]
I'm taking AI starting next week. (Not the online one you linked to, although our textbook is the one mentioned in the article) AI is the primary reason I'm enrolling in the combined BS+MS program here, all the cool AI courses are graduate level (the AI course itself being the only exception, although it can also be taken for grad level credit).
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I flew drunk once and never again that was the worst headache The turbulence was not very well appreciated either.
The problems I always had with flying drunk was that when you arrived, you either had to deal with Customs and Immigration with a hangover, or while still drunk. Neither works very well... :laugh:
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."
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I flew drunk once and never again that was the worst headache The turbulence was not very well appreciated either.
I flew sober once...
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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Not sure I Want to watch the programming theory stuff but some of that other stuff looks amazing. Of course I do the programming theory stuff all day long.
To err is human to really mess up you need a computer
Doesn't mean it isn't worth a quick scan - it is surprisingly easy to forget something interesting / important if you just don't use it...
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."
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Interesting. Have you watched any of it? If so what did you think of it?
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! Personal 3D projects Just Say No to Web 2 Point Blow
No, just had it sent my way while at work. I'll have to look at it more over the weekend.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
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Shouldn't be though: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/18/study_finds_large_numbers_of_college_students_don_t_learn_much[^]
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson My comedy.
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The problems I always had with flying drunk was that when you arrived, you either had to deal with Customs and Immigration with a hangover, or while still drunk. Neither works very well... :laugh:
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."
Been there, done that. Several times. Last time in the States I nearly missed my connecting flight cause I thought, after having a few beer to much during a transpacific flight, that it might be a good idea to be "funny" with the Homeland Security guy. Next time I will just shut up and put my head down. :)
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." (DNA)
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Been there, done that. Several times. Last time in the States I nearly missed my connecting flight cause I thought, after having a few beer to much during a transpacific flight, that it might be a good idea to be "funny" with the Homeland Security guy. Next time I will just shut up and put my head down. :)
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." (DNA)
Ooo! Bad choice! Fortunately I was on a dry airline when I flew to Malaysia via Pakistan, or the the stop over in Karachi might have been a few years longer than planned... :omg:
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."
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David1987 wrote:
A license to get a job.
Kind of like a drivers license. Doesn't mean one can actually drive the car. Certainly doesn't mean one knows how the car works. Most assuredly doesn't mean that one will ever be able to win a professional car race. At least some possibility that the only car ever driven was a go kart. And no guarantee that one won't drive drunk, kill an entire family and then end up in a high speed chase.
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I flew sober once...
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
Yeah after flying drunk I think I will just sleep through the flight
