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Does Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey need a BS in Computer Science? No, apparently not. The purpose of science related PhDs has always seemed to be
by oldstrangers 15y ago
Does Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey need a BS in Computer Science? No, apparently not.
The purpose of science related PhDs has always seemed to be a means to an end that wasn't financially available anywhere else. Academically, there are a lot of pursuits that you simply can not pursue outside of that setting. The science PhD is ultimately the direction you want your career to take, but you know it can't realistically take that path without some luck. And of course, the safety of academia is intoxicating on all levels. Why dive head first into research that requires funding and years of preparation when you can basically do the same thing at school without any repercussions? The PhD is a safety net for abstract thought that has little to do with the real world.
It may seem like a crazy comparison, but the sort of struggles scientists go through with their research is not entirely unlike what an artists goes through. No one really wants to acknowledge your absurd existence, and there's not really anyone to talk to when you do get on the outside. So no, success, be it financially or scientifically does not require higher education. But socially and emotionally, you can't underestimate the importance of things like a PhD.
- zerostar07 15y agoAre they scientists? No.
- oldstrangers 15y agoIs computer science not a science? Someone should alert all the major colleges of your discovery.
- p4bl0 15y agoComputer science is a science. Engineering and programming are not. This is not at all a value judgement, just a fact. Studying/creating/improving logic and type systems is doing science, creating Facebook is not. The wording "computer science" is too much overloaded. In French we have even less luck with the word "informatique": everything from studying category theory to using Microsoft Word is called doing "informatique"… :-/
- oldstrangers 15y agoSo, building a bridge does not require science. And building the algorithms for google also does not require science. Its as though we need a new word for these non-science related sciences. EDIT: I thought of it! Vanity Science.
- urbanjunkie 15y agoBridge building is accepted as engineering. Engineering is not science. Brunel could probably not have formulated the Theory of Relativity. Einstein could probably not have "built" the Great Western Railway. The application of science is not science.
- oldstrangers 15y agoSo scientists create science, but non-scientists apply science? If a scientist were to ever apply science, perhaps like those working at CERN, they would ultimately become non-scientists? Wait, engineers _built_ CERN applying science, but scientists _use_ CERN ... using science. I think the only difference is that some scientists test science, and some scientists apply science. Is a doctor a scientist or an engineer? He's both testing and applying. Semantics are sometimes pretty stupid (or usually always), and honestly that's the only reason I'm pursuing this silly argument.
- urbanjunkie 15y agoGo and do some research into the difference between science and engineering. Then go and do some research into the difference between theoretical and experimental science. Just because you use science, doesn't mean you are a scientist. The application of science CAN be science, but often isn't. Pointless trolling is always pointless.
- oldstrangers 15y agoI'm not trolling, I just think the semantics involved in this discussion are stupid. Scientist: A person who is studying or has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences. Seems rather open ended.
- zerostar07 15y agoBusiness is not science
- oldstrangers 15y agoYou're right, its an art.
- wisty 15y agoThey oversee R&D programs. They might not be good scientists, but they do a very good job running an R&D intensive organization. Unless your definition of science is "writes papers nobody reads about stuff no-one cares about while being payed tax dollars", industrial R&D can also be science. Of course, Facebook is a terrible example. Google would be a much better one. Intel or Boeing would be even better. There'll be people who say that computer R&D isn't science, because it's just gimped math or hand-wavy pretend engineering, but they'd be the same people who say that most of the stuff computer science academics do is also crap.
- zerostar07 15y agoScientists seek knowledge, entrepreneurs seek profits. One has to collaborate with the other a lot. Scientists and Entrepreneurs can equally well produce crap, with scientists being more methodological about it. It's a symbiotic relationship, not a power play.
- grovecai 15y agoApparently, they are not scientists.