Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Koan
The interesting thing about computer related majors (both IS and CS type degrees) is that you don't really come out with the exact skills you need. You (should) come out with a deep understanding of computers, and (hopefully) the ability to pick up the skills you need as you need them. No matter what you do, expect to be continually learning as you work.
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I think that's pretty common, same in engineering. Even at Poly where we took constant lab courses for the 'learn by doing' motto, it doesn't prepare you for most of what you will actually be doing day to day on the job. An ME can learn how to bang out a flawless free body diagram in 0.72seconds in school but when he gets to work, say in vehicle design, he still won't have a good understanding of how that one component he's responsible for designing needs to interface with everyone else's parts. Or how to work with a vendor to actually get the part made. Or how it will all actually be fabricated and then assembled on a line. Etc etc...
School is for learning the fundamentals, the stuff that gets hammered in deep and will stick with you even just way in the back of your mind unconsciously. 'Learning how to learn', and all that. The stuff you do daily in your career, the specific software packages you'll use, etc. - that mostly gets picked up on the job. Seems like learning is the only constant through a technical career. If you stop learning at some point, it's either time to find a new job or to retire. Otherwise you'll just get laid off anyway cause you won't be as useful to the company anymore.
