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I am aware of legal clinics and pro bono work, but this is very different from legal training. Even here in the UK, taking a GDL and LPC/BCPL is a very expensi

I am aware of legal clinics and pro bono work, but this is very different from legal training. Even here in the UK, taking a GDL and LPC/BCPL is a very expensive proposition. There are no real free resources, if you want even a sniff of it you are putting down serious cash. I know because I looked very hard at doing it, and opted out partly because of the perilous costs involved. The engineering example is very different: helping high school kids take nurture an interest in engineering is definitely a common volunteering trope. I'm not sure it's the same as giving potential practitioners free professional training. > I think your perception of what other professions do might be limited by your own experience, though. Politely, I do not think you should be making that assumption about strangers on the internet.

snowwrestler 6y ago
I think it's really hard to compare because of credentialing. In the legal space there is a ton of free information and resources out there, and plenty of ways to work personally or professionally with the law that don't require a JD. For example part of my job is to advise colleagues on contracts and IP issues. I have no formal legal training; I learned on my own and have built up trust in my ability based on demonstrated competency. Not that I'm some special flower; I know other people with similar responsibilities. Of course we also have actual lawyers on staff, and I'll never be able transfer to that role without shelling out some $$ because it is a formally defined credential. By definition there's only one way to become a lawyer. Conversely, the lack of formal credentialing in software development makes it hard to evaluate the quality of the "professional training" that is available for free. If I go through the COD3 curriculum linked up top, what job can I reasonably expect to get? I don't think COD3 is comparable to a 3-year post-graduate degree in law. The free-for-all that allows for open-ended innovation also allows a lot of open-ended promises about the value of free things. And because they're free, there's not really any accountability if the promises fall short. I don't think this is a bad thing; but it does make it hard to cleanly compare it to more formally credentialed industries.

snowwrestler 6y ago

I think it's really hard to compare because of credentialing. In the legal space there is a ton of free information and resources out there, and plenty of ways to work personally or professionally with the law that don't require a JD. For example part of my job is to advise colleagues on contracts and IP issues. I have no formal legal training; I learned on my own and have built up trust in my ability based on demonstrated competency. Not that I'm some special flower; I know other people with similar responsibilities. Of course we also have actual lawyers on staff, and I'll never be able transfer to that role without shelling out some $$ because it is a formally defined credential. By definition there's only one way to become a lawyer. Conversely, the lack of formal credentialing in software development makes it hard to evaluate the quality of the "professional training" that is available for free. If I go through the COD3 curriculum linked up top, what job can I reasonably expect to get? I don't think COD3 is comparable to a 3-year post-graduate degree in law. The free-for-all that allows for open-ended innovation also allows a lot of open-ended promises about the value of free things. And because they're free, there's not really any accountability if the promises fall short. I don't think this is a bad thing; but it does make it hard to cleanly compare it to more formally credentialed industries.