[ILUG] College

[Mark Fallon]

> Yes you might have more, or less knowledge, who knows?
> 

I still doubt that, for example I have a good knowledge
of the hardware side and how it works, but would not encounter
this in any of my work since. I doubt I would have touched
on computer vision topics or AI or some of the maths unless
I had gone to College, because they are away from what I have
done since, but I have used some of the things I learnt in these
courses.

It is one thing to be able to read up on subjects like 
queueing theory and simulated annealing, it is another to know
that they exist to be read up on.

The areas I got from college help me in not re-inventing the
wheel.

> >
> > It is not enough just to read all this, it helps to have it
> > in context, it is not enough to just know the "how" it is
> > also important to know the "why".
> >
> 
> Agreed, but why does college put all this in context,
> and are you saying that teaching yourself means that
> you won't learn why?
>

No, it is very possible to learn by teaching yourself, I have
done that as well. I did not stop in college. I read technical
books and journals, play with new things all the time, but it
is a tremendous helping hand having someone there to help
show you the way and also to expose you to other areas, this
is much harder to do by yourself or just through work. 

> >
> > I am much better at my job for going to College and because of
> > it I find it much easier to pick up new technologies and
> 
> I find it really, really easy to pick up new technologies etc....,
> and I doubt the going to college would have made me better,
> or worse for that matter.
>

Again this is down to being able to see these new technologies
in context. For example I found it no problem to handle JINI,
because I had seen CORBA while I was in college and can compare
these systems in general terms knowing what is important in distributed
systems e.g. transparency, fault-tolerance, naming etc..
 
> >
> > techniques. I was also exposured to a much wider range of areas
> > which means I can use techniques from one and apply them to another
> > which means my problem solving is better.
> >
> 
> Maybe you wre or weren't exposed to a wider range of technologies,
> how can you tell, you did not have the non-college experience in
> parallel with the college one.
> 
> Unless you were also living in a parallel non-college universe you
> cannot possibly make that assumption.
>

I know this because I have been working in the industry since.
It comes down to main reasons though, time and access to 
technology.
 
> >
> > Also when going through college I got lots of experience
> > presenting technical subjects to peers which helps with my job.
> >
> 
> I do this also, and have always done, it's what makes you a good
> person.
> 
> >
> > Mark
> >
> 
> College is no substitute for intelligence ;-)
> 

I have seen some skilled people who have not gone to college,
I know some people who have gone to college but would be phased
by straight forward problems. 

College is certainly not a panacea, but it definitely can help.

Regards,

Mark
-- 
_______________________________________________________________

Mark Fallon			E-mail : mfallon at ie.oracle.com
Senior Software Engineer	Phone  : +353-1-8033207
Product Line Engineering	Fax    : +353-1-8033221
_______________________________________________________________