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At least in my program (University of Waterloo Computer Science), there is barely any emphasis on practical things like modern tooling, different roles of a sof

At least in my program (University of Waterloo Computer Science), there is barely any emphasis on practical things like modern tooling, different roles of a software engineer, etc., with the exception of some of the upper year courses. Instead it is largely theoretical - data structures, calculating runtimes, how the networking stack works, theory of distributed systems, etc. You learn practical things, but only enough to help you learn the theory. So yes, this absolutely doesn't prepare you for a job, but I don't think it is supposed to, it is a university program, not a bootcamp. Instead it gives you the foundation to do more research and learn practical applications of the theory you have learned. Through internships, I feel I've learned the practical I need in order to work full time, and what I learn during internships is complimented by the theory I have learned through my degree. So I guess what I am saying is that if you are doing a university program, you shouldn't expect it to give you the practical skills for working, that's not what it is for. Instead do lots of internships if you can, they are fantastic.

ipsum2 7y ago
Anecdotally, I've heard many startups (and large tech companies) enjoy (and prioritize) hiring Waterloo grads because of their expansive work experience, due to Waterloo's unique co-op program that mostly doesn't exist in U.S. universities.
toomanybeersies 7y ago
I don't know about the University of Waterloo, but at the University of Canterbury, we had separate Computer Science and Software Engineering degrees; you could get either a B.Eng (hons) in Software Engineering or a B.Sc in Computer Science. Software engineering students had to do process and design papers, they (theoretically, at least) learned about agile development, UML diagrams, and all that other SDLC bullshit. As a computer scientist, I instead took fun papers like computer graphics and cryptography. All the things I missed learning because I did computer science, I picked up as I needed at work. Learning how agile development works doesn't take a semester of reading books, and what you learn in theory about the SDLC at university doesn't reflect reality in any company.
ummy 7y ago
That's true,,intenships really helps.

ipsum2 7y ago

Anecdotally, I've heard many startups (and large tech companies) enjoy (and prioritize) hiring Waterloo grads because of their expansive work experience, due to Waterloo's unique co-op program that mostly doesn't exist in U.S. universities.

toomanybeersies 7y ago

I don't know about the University of Waterloo, but at the University of Canterbury, we had separate Computer Science and Software Engineering degrees; you could get either a B.Eng (hons) in Software Engineering or a B.Sc in Computer Science. Software engineering students had to do process and design papers, they (theoretically, at least) learned about agile development, UML diagrams, and all that other SDLC bullshit. As a computer scientist, I instead took fun papers like computer graphics and cryptography. All the things I missed learning because I did computer science, I picked up as I needed at work. Learning how agile development works doesn't take a semester of reading books, and what you learn in theory about the SDLC at university doesn't reflect reality in any company.

ummy 7y ago

That's true,,intenships really helps.