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[David Aikema]

On 5/4/05, Fred A. Miller <fmiller at lightlink.com> wrote:
> in the United States. Is the IT talent sky falling? I don't think so,
> because I feel the importance of a computer-science degree is
> overstated.

I think that a lot of people with degrees will end up working at least
a portion of their lives in a different field than that which their
major is in.  Personally I'd look for more for a degree of some sort
than a degree in a particular field if hiring.

>  If I had used the
> computer-science degree as a nonnegotiable litmus test in hiring, I
> would have missed out on some top IT talent with all of these traits in
> abundance.

Perhaps some of this is because computer science is a relatively young
discipline.  Quite a few people in this stated, may have started their
careers before much of the current technology was around and then
became involved in the technology's development.  You definitely don't
need a computer-science degree for every coding task.

>  But the
> lack of a computer-science degree won't doom you to irrelevance, nor
> does it mean a better-educated candidate from Palo Alto, Calif., or
> Bangalore, India, will edge you out of the job market. Just ask Bill
> Gates, who is still a few credits shy of graduation.

Bad example.  He did have at least some post-secondary education, and
also came equipped with a million-dollar trust fund courtesy of his
grandfather.

I'd spend more time on a reply, but I have to run off to class...
(which could indicate a slight pro-university bias).  Perhaps I'll
expand on this in an hour or so.

David