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Having completed most of CS undergrad, I can think of a reason that would discourage people to transfer into CS. Programming assignments usually take the most t
by bobbyz 7y ago
Having completed most of CS undergrad, I can think of a reason that would discourage people to transfer into CS. Programming assignments usually take the most time to complete by far. As much as half of that time is wasted trying to decipher ambiguous requirements, unclear source code, or some other symptom of careless design and what seems like a total disregard for the student's time.
- Nashooo 7y agoSeems like good preparation for the workforce.
- joncp 7y agoOh huh. So it’s a lot like working as a software engineer, then?
- xyst 7y agoReplace “programming assignments” with corporate politics, deadlines that are defined with no actual thought behind them, and product owners that can’t write acceptance criteria to save their life. Sounds like its pretty good preparation from my perspective.
- bobbyz 7y agoSeems like you and a few other people believe that having your time wasted is the nature of work, or at least that it is typical. If you're dealing with this on a daily basis and you feel like it is not worth it, perhaps it's time to find a new job.
- Jorge1o1 7y agoVery much agree with this. In some ways it appears intentional. To avoid “giving away the answer” professors will sometimes hand you a very fuzzy set of loose rules, perhaps 2 example test cases and you’re off to the races. It’s funny because you can read about the same exact algorithm in Sedgewick or CLRS anyways, so I don’t know who they’re trying to fool.
- bobbyz 7y agoEvery time it happens it feels like my productive work hours are being stolen from me and there is no recourse. I'm considering (am going to, haven't had the time yet) billing my professor for time wasted.