Education [was Re: for / while else doesn't make sense]

[Rob Gaddi]

Marko Rauhamaa wrote:

> Christopher Reimer <christopher_reimer at icloud.com>:
>
>> Under various proposals in the U.S., everyone will soon learn how to
>> program and/or become a computer scientist. Won't be long before some
>> snotty-nosed brat graduates from preschool, takes a look at your code,
>> and poops in his diapers. He will then dips his finger into his
>> diaper, write on the whiteboard how your code can be written in a
>> single line, and summary dismiss you with security escorting you off
>> the premises.
>>
>> Gotta love the future. :)
>
> Unfortunately, most CS graduates don't seem to know how to program.
>
> Yes, some highschoolers could excel in the post of a senior software
> engineer -- I've had the privilege of working alongside several
> specimens. However, it has been known for half a century that good
> developers are hard to come by.
>
> I think it is essential to learn the principles of programming just like
> it is essential to learn the overall principles of nuclear fission or be
> able to locate China on the map. However, a small minority of humanity
> will ever earn a living writing code.
>
> At the same time, it may be that in the not-too-distant future, the
> *only* jobs available will be coding jobs as we start to take the
> finishing steps of automating all manufacturing, transportation and
> services. Then, we will have a smallish class of overworked coders who
> have no use or time for money and vast masses of jobless party-goers who
> enjoy the fruits of the coders' labor.
>
>
> Marko

Well, so long as we're going wildly OT...

I think it's not a matter of who's going to earn a living by it.  I
think it's that, increasingly, programming is similar to carpentry.  I
can't reframe a house, and certainly can't build cabinetry, but I can do
an adequate job putting up a simple wooden shelf.

Looked at that way, it becomes a question of teaching people enough of
the general principles to be able to muddle though and do a passable job
on trivial "But all I want to do is" tasks.  It's not a CS degree, it's
shop class.

-- 
Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology -- www.highlandtechnology.com
Email address domain is currently out of order.  See above to fix.