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I found that CS theory was great, once I had the practical experience to recognize how to use it. In a sense I feel like we do things backwards. You should wo

by sbov 11y ago

I found that CS theory was great, once I had the practical experience to recognize how to use it. In a sense I feel like we do things backwards. You should work in industry for a couple years, then learn the theory you learn when getting a CS degree. The software development career path isn't setup like this now, but if it were, I feel like we would all be better off.

noxToken 11y ago
I don't know if I completely agree with your implementation, but I definitely see where you're coming from. A lot of CS theory felt bland and only useful in academia. It felt like the theory would only be useful if I was doing research and not application. This was especially true with the data structures, discrete maths and automata. It was almost impossible for me to grasp those concepts without something concrete to back it up, and my homework/test grades in those courses reflected that. Now that I've been developing for a while, everything has fallen into place. I understand Chomsky's hierarchy, the limitations of regular expressions & stacks, time complexity, and the like. It's like development filled in this enormous gap that I had been missing.
bcbrown 11y ago
That's what I did, and it's worked very well for me. I have a degree in another science, then spent a couple years as an sdet. When I transitioned to a dev, I began to self-study via textbooks, lectures, and MOOCs. It took me about three years to cover all the topics included in a CS degree, and now I'm as knowledgeable as anyone I work with. I credit a lot of my ability to learn to my bachelor's degree, though. I wouldn't recommend most people skip college, and I've considered going back for a MS in CS.
morgante 11y ago
Interestingly, I think that is actually how it works for most elite/successful programmers. They hack around on computers in high school and get to being pretty good at programming, then go to college and pick up the theory side. Fundamentally, I think trying to get people to be developers who are only interested in money is a losing proposition.
- techman9 11y ago
  I'm a university student in a very well ranked Computer Science program in California. I'm interested in the fundamentals of CS, and I code because I love coding, not because I'm really interested in a high paying low stress job. Most students in my program and who I'm friends with have an interest in going into management or building a cool product quickly. (Let me be clear, I don't wish to pass value judgement on the reasons that one is interested in CS. Those reasons are equally legitimate, just not to my interest) Unfortunately, at least my observation, students who have recently become interested in CS "for the money" tend to perform significantly worse are and are largely less successful at Computer Science. The students who are most successful are those who have known that Computer Science is their passion for a long time and who are now in college pursuing that interest. Fundamentally, I agree with you, the divide between those who wish to be serious computer scientists and "coders" becomes more clear every year.
sotojuan 11y ago
> I found that CS theory was great, once I had the practical experience to recognize how to use it. Exactly my experience. When I started college, I hated all the theory and built apps. Now I am a senior and spending most of my time reading theory books and wishing I had minored in math!

by sbov 11y ago

noxToken 11y ago

I don't know if I completely agree with your implementation, but I definitely see where you're coming from. A lot of CS theory felt bland and only useful in academia. It felt like the theory would only be useful if I was doing research and not application. This was especially true with the data structures, discrete maths and automata. It was almost impossible for me to grasp those concepts without something concrete to back it up, and my homework/test grades in those courses reflected that. Now that I've been developing for a while, everything has fallen into place. I understand Chomsky's hierarchy, the limitations of regular expressions & stacks, time complexity, and the like. It's like development filled in this enormous gap that I had been missing.

bcbrown 11y ago

That's what I did, and it's worked very well for me. I have a degree in another science, then spent a couple years as an sdet. When I transitioned to a dev, I began to self-study via textbooks, lectures, and MOOCs. It took me about three years to cover all the topics included in a CS degree, and now I'm as knowledgeable as anyone I work with. I credit a lot of my ability to learn to my bachelor's degree, though. I wouldn't recommend most people skip college, and I've considered going back for a MS in CS.

morgante 11y ago

Interestingly, I think that is actually how it works for most elite/successful programmers. They hack around on computers in high school and get to being pretty good at programming, then go to college and pick up the theory side. Fundamentally, I think trying to get people to be developers who are only interested in money is a losing proposition.

techman9 11y ago
I'm a university student in a very well ranked Computer Science program in California. I'm interested in the fundamentals of CS, and I code because I love coding, not because I'm really interested in a high paying low stress job. Most students in my program and who I'm friends with have an interest in going into management or building a cool product quickly. (Let me be clear, I don't wish to pass value judgement on the reasons that one is interested in CS. Those reasons are equally legitimate, just not to my interest) Unfortunately, at least my observation, students who have recently become interested in CS "for the money" tend to perform significantly worse are and are largely less successful at Computer Science. The students who are most successful are those who have known that Computer Science is their passion for a long time and who are now in college pursuing that interest. Fundamentally, I agree with you, the divide between those who wish to be serious computer scientists and "coders" becomes more clear every year.

sotojuan 11y ago

> I found that CS theory was great, once I had the practical experience to recognize how to use it. Exactly my experience. When I started college, I hated all the theory and built apps. Now I am a senior and spending most of my time reading theory books and wishing I had minored in math!