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Most of these classes have nothing to do with that persons life, it's a ploy on the public to make us think we need it. The government makes money on each class you take, if you take out loans, so it makes sense for them to make you take chemistry or anthropology which you will never use again (at least in the depth that the professor teaches). College is a scam and most of us have fallen for it.
Most of these classes have nothing to do with that persons life, it's a ploy on the public to make us think we need it. The government makes money on each class you take, if you take out loans, so it makes sense for them to make you take chemistry or anthropology which you will never use again (at least in the depth that the professor teaches). College is a scam and most of us have fallen for it.
Too bad the BS classes your forced to take don't provide anything but excess money for the universities, and nothing like well rounding...
The bachelors of science (and arts) courses outside of the major provide students with the basic foundation of various subjects to complete their education. Research at the masters and PhD level extends across several disciplines. If you don't have a foundation in those disciplines you won't be well prepared.
Good universities have enough endowment that tuition has little impact on their finances. That's why they give away so much in scholarships and financial aid to the point where students attend for close to nothing.
Another relative who is a Computer Science Major told me the same thing.
just how successful is this relative?
in my experience one thing that commonly differentiates the most successful software developers is that they communicate and write very well
joel spolsky, a stackexchange.com founder, agrees. note how 3 of his seven tips for success in this field have nothing to do with writing code and that #1 is "learn how to write"
Quote:
Without further ado, then, here are Joel's Seven Pieces of Free Advice for Computer Science College Students (worth what you paid for them):
Learn how to write before graduating.
Learn C before graduating.
Learn microeconomics before graduating.
Don't blow off non-CS classes just because they're boring.
Take programming-intensive courses.
Stop worrying about all the jobs going to India.
No matter what you do, get a good summer internship.
Yeah, we wouldn't want college graduates to have any knowledge about anything other than their major. Being well rounded is overrated.
Right. Being able to write a coherent paper is over-rated as well. I tried to find the accounting degree course requirements at the U of CO and/or Colorado State but I couldn't find them, all in one place. However, judging from my own experience in college all those years ago, and the experience of my kids just about 8-11 years ago, not all the coursework the first two years is totally unrelated to the major. Some courses are in fact, pre-reqs/co-reqs for the major coursework.
I can understand wanting to get to the "nitty-gritty" part of one's major, but these courses are necessary.
Too bad the BS classes your forced to take don't provide anything but excess money for the universities, and nothing like well rounding...
...and also, apparently, nothing like the ability to spell or write coherently.
Dumbing education down anymore than has already occurred would only be a continuation of the same mistake. As it is, higher ed has already done a pretty thorough job of lowering the bar overall.
The fact that these people want to rush through the degree program, taking only what they currently feel is relevant and useful, only shows the same personality flaws that will hold them back the rest of their lives (short sightedness, impatience, poor work ethic, etc.).
I got something out of every one of my gen ed courses, as well as electives. Not all necessarily helped me in my career but they made me a better educated person overall (aka well rounded). College is not meant to be a job training program. Think of it as job training and you rob yourself of the experience.
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