3 ms·

I believe this has more to do with CS in public schools versus race and gender issues. I went to Palo Alto High School, got a college degree in CS, and was not

I believe this has more to do with CS in public schools versus race and gender issues. I went to Palo Alto High School, got a college degree in CS, and was not even aware my high school offered AP computer science until after I graduated...

SiVal 13y ago
Our local high school, about 20 minutes away from Palo Alto in another affluent neighborhood, offers AP CS but doesn't have a teacher for it. That means they are counted in the statistics of how many high schools offer it. If you want it, you can take it online. I wonder how many kids bother to take it that way. The school has a terrific athletics program with great facilities but can't come up with a CS teacher in a neighborhood where most of the parents work for software companies.
- alxndr 13y ago
  How much does being a CS high school teacher pay vs working for a software company?
- Nicholas_C 13y ago
  It could be difficult to find a qualified person with a CS degree willing to work for teacher's pay in and around Palo Alto. There are probably some pretty high opportunity costs.
  - SiVal 13y ago
    It's unlikely to be about pay, since there are a lot of 50-something or retired programmers around here who could teach Java in their sleep, would be happy with teachers' hours, teachers' vacations, teachers' "delivery dates", and teachers' pay, which is pretty good in this area, and are unlikely to be hired by Google, Apple, Oracle, or a YC startup. I think the more likely problem is the state requirements for public school teachers, which would come down to about two years of political re-education camp, which such programmers wouldn't put up with. The elite private schools around here pay less than the public schools (yes, less) and yet they all seem to have CS (and other subject) teachers. Their teachers tend to be quite a bit older and have subject matter degrees and/or professional experience rather than education degrees.

SiVal 13y ago

Our local high school, about 20 minutes away from Palo Alto in another affluent neighborhood, offers AP CS but doesn't have a teacher for it. That means they are counted in the statistics of how many high schools offer it. If you want it, you can take it online. I wonder how many kids bother to take it that way. The school has a terrific athletics program with great facilities but can't come up with a CS teacher in a neighborhood where most of the parents work for software companies.

alxndr 13y ago
How much does being a CS high school teacher pay vs working for a software company?
Nicholas_C 13y ago
It could be difficult to find a qualified person with a CS degree willing to work for teacher's pay in and around Palo Alto. There are probably some pretty high opportunity costs.
- SiVal 13y ago
  It's unlikely to be about pay, since there are a lot of 50-something or retired programmers around here who could teach Java in their sleep, would be happy with teachers' hours, teachers' vacations, teachers' "delivery dates", and teachers' pay, which is pretty good in this area, and are unlikely to be hired by Google, Apple, Oracle, or a YC startup. I think the more likely problem is the state requirements for public school teachers, which would come down to about two years of political re-education camp, which such programmers wouldn't put up with. The elite private schools around here pay less than the public schools (yes, less) and yet they all seem to have CS (and other subject) teachers. Their teachers tend to be quite a bit older and have subject matter degrees and/or professional experience rather than education degrees.