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- Path: news.duke.edu!stking
- From: stking@acpub.duke.edu (Steve King)
- Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
- Subject: Re: Need Professional advice (by a beginner)
- Date: 16 Apr 1996 18:17:14 GMT
- Organization: Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Message-ID: <4l0o7a$eds@news.duke.edu>
- References: <316996F3.3343@netvision.net.il> <DpLu2y.MFF@iquest.net>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: bio2.acpub.duke.edu
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-
- Laurence Barea (larry@tarik.demon.co.uk) wrote:
-
- : It's funny you should say that but I have found that the people who take
- : courses are normally the people who are less good at what they do at the
- : end of the day (probably something to do with thinking that if they do
- : a course they don't need the experience or thinking that they don't have
- : anything else left to learn after they do the course).
-
- Interesting. For another perspective, I'm currently in the middle
- *of* taking courses, at a local community college, working towards
- a formal certificate in C/C++ programming, with the future goal
- of "retooling" myself for another career.
-
- I can't see the future, but I, for one, sure think this (formal
- training) was one of the best moves I ever made, regardless.
-
- IM(very)HO, I see nothing restrictive about receiving formal, structured
- education in C -- only positives. Especially when one is lucky enough
- to get a good teacher -- in my case, someone currently working at
- a high level at a large software company, with *years* of industry
- programming experience. Think that's not a help?
-
- Second, for me, and I suspect more than a few that ask this same
- question ("Newbie wants to learn C") the discipline and competition
- of class mandate a certain work ethic. How easy, otherwise, would
- it be, to simply skip, or pass over things one doesn't readily
- understand? Or write sloppy code? Who's to care? You? Sure, but
- often it's not easy *knowing* what one's doing wrong, poorly, or
- writing with such bad style, you'd horrify any prospective employer.
-
- I dunno. I can't help but look at this sort of like brick-laying.
- If I just wanted to tinker around the house, building this or
- that for my amusement, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a book or video.
- If I wanted to sell my services, however, damn right I think it
- might be useful to work under someone who knows what he or she's
- doing.
-
- ======================================================================
- *stking@acpub.duke.edu*| Such as they are, these are my opinions only;
- *919-286-4476* | not my employer's or internet provider's....
- ======================================================================
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