[ILUG] where are the Irish "Summer of Code" entrants?

[Paul Biggar]

On 6/14/05, Dave O Connor <doc at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >The vast majority of Irish computing students aren't actually all that
> > >interested in computing as a subject (or as an art).
> > Bollocks. I see no evidence of this. Can you back this up, please?
> 
> With what, bullshit figures?

With however you came to form this opinion. I'm not looking for
figures. I'm looking for what you based this flame-bait on. Which
doesnt appear to be all that much.

> > In my class, probably half  were true and true geeks: code in college,
> > code at home, talk about computers in the pub. And my class entered at
> > the height of the bubble. Kids coming  in to college these days can
> > code before they get there!
> 
> I do agree that it's probably getting better, but from what I see
> certainly in DCU, and from what I hear from other courses, a lot of
> places are basically degree factories (DCU is especially guilty of
> this, but I digress).

>From what I understand, DCU tries to pump out graduates to feed a
growing economy. Trinity tried this too, and just closed the ICT
course (down to 10 students from 140). The CS degree (which I did) its
a lot more theoretical, and you learning interesting, useful things
(with the occasional irrelevence). And that's possibly why I see more
hard-core geeks than you do.


> Certainly in my case, After 3 years of a Computer degree, people in my
> class were contemplating making official complaints to the college
> because they were being asked to code in C, which they hadn't had
> extensive tutorials in, and basically hadn't been spoonfed.

Exactly the same thing happened to us. Not a complaint.


> Yes, there are a lot of nerds in college, who do genuinely like what
> they do. But, I still say most folks get into computers for money, or
> because they reckon it'll be easy, or a laugh, or they are interested
> or involved in computer culture. It's specifically a trait of Irish
> people, I think. Easy way out, more more more for me and to hell with
> everyone else.

You might have seen more of that (getting in for money) during the
bubble. All the rest seem like perfectly good reasons for getting into
it.

Looking at the people who do have that attitude, they seem to end up
in London, working at banks, and making far more money than the rest
of us. Those who are really interested tend to end up in cool jobs
(working at google eh?), or in postgrads making less money than them,
but having the advantage of interesting work.

Paul

-- 
Paul Biggar
paul.biggar at gmail.com