Re: Tony seeks direction (sigh)

fran sendbuehler (katiemur@NOTHINGNESS.ORG)
Wed, 3 Jan 1996 11:19:28 -0500

Concerning "Re: Tony seeks direction (sigh)", Bill Hutten hath scrawled:
Tony wrote:
>>How many FCer's have computer training (formal or informal) &/or
>>employment? What were your personal experiences? How did you come to
>>where you are now? Any advice for me? What's the market like?
>>What do you think it'll be like in 3 years (estimated time
>>for me, w/ a BA in English & little math, to get a BS in CIS
>>by studying part-time)?
>
>In
>my opinion, a CS degree is in many ways a waste of time if you're looking
>for employment skills, they teach many things that you'll never actually
>use, and many things you need to know they'll never teach.....and, they
>tend to teach Computer Science, when in fact hacking is Art. :)

I do computer and word-related computer things part-time, freelance
(part-time only because I was foolish enough to start doing a PhD....)
In any case, I'd prolly make more in a year (if I don't fracture my
time as I have been wont to do) than a prof will after 15 years tenure;
at least, that's what my thesis advisor tells me. However, my computer
skills (BA and MA in English) were learned entirely on my own time.

So forget the extra degree... I'd recommend training yourself in
something that interests you and working with that. For me, it was
Quark, other wordy stuff, troubleshooting, and internet things. Some
bits of graphics come my way, but I'm in no way a specialist at that;
it's fun to play, though, and one always learns things.

Happy New Year, all!

fran
who has resolved to do all the things that interest her and not any of
the things that don't (other than laundry) cos life's too short to
waste any more time being unhappy about school.