> that must be learned by critical analysis of actual code I agree fully, and won't ever deny that many students simply either never do this or never do it eff

> that must be learned by critical analysis of actual code I agree fully, and won't ever deny that many students simply either never do this or never do it effectively. There are courses which teach this however (such as OS), and many of them are required for a degree. I feel that the likelihood that someone with a CS degree has had these good practices ingrained in them is higher than someone with no background in CS. In other words, it's a safer bet.