From: BS
To: Editor
Date: 6 Sep 2004
I have been reading dbdebunk.com since 2001, and I agree with
almost all the content I have read so far.
I am a logic-lover who demands at least some form of reason in any
debate, so I am pleased to find those few who still believe in logic and
reason.
Professionally, I am an enigma. I began programming as a hobby when I was 5 years old, and by the
time I finished my Spanish degree, I had decided to make computing my career. I
gained a scattered scope of experience, typical of many who worked in small
dot-com companies, all the while studying programming fundamentals in my spare
time. After the dot-com crash, I was
informed that I could not be hired unless I got a degree. Thus, I went back for two more years of
college to get a B.S. in Computer Science. "B.S."--how appropriate; I
learned virtually nothing in those two years.
I can honestly say that I knew more about most of the subjects taught
than the professors who taught them. At
least I was not expecting to learn; I knew that I was submitting myself to that
experience for credentials rather than knowledge.
The cruel joke is that my acquisition of the vaunted degree
did not help me acquire a job. At age
24, I found myself with a C.S. degree, years of experience, even some
Brainbench certificates (ha), and yet no job.
Apparently, I am too old and have too much in my head to get an
entry-level job (generally reserved for ignorant interns); mid-level jobs are
not being openly offered anymore; senior-level jobs go to those who have
"5 years of professional experience with Software Package X", which I
lack.
Now, at age 26, I work at a convenience store for minimum
wage, with no means to pay off my college debt, while I watch kids who do not
care one bit about programming or logic rush in waves to become the new
ignorant legions of the professional programming world, hell-bent on promoting
vendor-specific technologies rather than general technique.
To support the arguments of the two previous paragraphs, I
offer the following example: During a visit by State Farm recruiters to my
university, an older classmate who had over a decade of professional experience
(and great knowledge of technique) asked one of the recruiters if they would
take him as an intern. The recruiter
flatly responded that he would rather take a student who had no prior knowledge
so that they could mold the recruit in the State Farm way of computing.
My professional future as a programmer (at least here in the
U.S.) looks very dim. Given my
financial status, I doubt that I could continue on to a Ph.D., which would at
least get me a job as a professor.
After this long-winded introduction, the question I pose to
you, for myself and for the thousands of others like me that must be out there,
is this: If caring about logic,
quality, and responsibility is detrimental to one's profession ... if
preferring general theory over vendor-specific technology is outright heresy
... and if one is unable to enter the ivory tower of Academia ... then what is
one to do?
Put another way, if everything you state about the computing
industry is true (and my experience indicates that it is), then how are the
"thinking unemployed" to become "thinking practitioners"?
If I had not invested so much of my life into computers, it
would not matter much to me. However,
programming has been an important part of my life since before it became
fashionable and lucrative and driven solely by "market forces". I am not in it just for the money, as most
so-called programmers are. At times I
feel a pain, not because I have no programming career, but because the science,
or rather the art, that I love has become so tainted. Dijkstra's bitter words
towards the computing industry resonate in my mind, as do many of your words.
I wish I knew what to do about the deplorable state of
programming. The more I learn about
fundamentals, the more frustrated I feel, knowing that so few are implementing
the fundamentals, and that, as of yet, nobody is interested in hiring me to do
so.
At least I am no longer bitter about my personal
situation. I understand why I am,
according to current doctrine, undesirable as a programming employee, and there
is no use in arguing against it.
Besides, debt is the American Way, so I guess in spite of my so-called
"un-american" tendencies, I'm as American as you can get. ;)
Lastly, I liked your comment about ignorant arrogance. For years, I have joked about the Trinity of
Destruction: Ignorance, Arrogance, and Belligerence--three qualities that the
current U.S. government gloriously embodies.
After your Slashdotting, I thought you might like to know
that at least *some* young people can agree with logic.
Keep up the good work.
From: FP
To: BS
Sorry to hear about your predicament, but can't say it
surprises me. I wish I knew the answer to your question. I do not believe there
is a solution for thinking people in this society and things are getting worse,
not better. If I were as young as you are, I would look for a career in the far
east--China or India. They are appreciating knowledge and reason there, but
only because they are ascending. The US is on its last legs, just like the
roman empire. Wish you luck.
Posted
10/22/04
