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No, I have no opinion about picking people. What I do have is the notion that it's very easy to convince yourself that you know when you just have theory. (I ha
by javajosh 5y ago
No, I have no opinion about picking people. What I do have is the notion that it's very easy to convince yourself that you know when you just have theory. (I have a physics degree, and that seems to come with the territory - there is an XKCD cartoon, of course, that lampoons the physicist considering some long-standing problem in biology or chemistry and believing that the idea they just had after 2 minutes would be somehow novel or useful.)
Theory is great, and opens a lot of possibilities. But until you pull out the soldering iron, or the compiler, or the hammer and saw, and make mistakes, you can't really say you know a thing. At best, you know how to start.
- Jensson 5y agoAre you saying you learned nothing in your physics degree? You learn different things when you do stuff like soldering, but you still learn things when you practice math and theoretical problems. The main value of a degree is that basically nobody learn those things properly on the job. So after a few years in industry the person with a degree now knows both theory and practice, while those who just worked only knows the practice and has a glaring lack of theory. And theory is extremely valuable, modern society cannot function without having a lot of people who understands the theory well. Not everyone needs it but some do.
- javajosh 5y agoNo, I think the degree has great value. I like the feeling of knowing a lot. I'm just less and less convinced that I really do.