The Sorry State Of IT Education

docrice

The comments after the article are also interesting:

http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/executive-insights-and-innovation/the-sorry-state-of-it-education/d/d-id/1204552

stryder144

Interesting read.

markulous

I see his point, but I think this applies to a lot of fields, not just IT. Going through college you learn how to study for a test and meet performance standards, but you don't necessarily learn how to "learn" (for lack of a better term). Procedures become almost robotic in other words.

My way around this is to always have goals and just try to step back and look at the big picture when facing any issue I can't immediately solve. It keeps me on my toes and I continually strive to be better.

10Linefigure

I feel there were some vast generalizations in this article. ''Out of that challenge evolved two new training tracks'' but in those didnt mention people with other jobs or perhaps a lower tier job who self study. I am very new to IT, but believe the higher level pro's that hold certifications like GIAC GSE, CISSP, and CISM know a lot about business and are probably competent problem solvers and business leaders. Yea no.. not buying this. Its more of a bad day rant then news.

networker050184

I think the article is pretty useless. You mean to tell me no doctor ever misdiagnosed a patient? I know for damn sure many mechanics have misdiagnosed problems. There are good and bad professionals in every profession. I also love how the problem started from people developing their own skills and getting certified yet this is also his solution to the problem.

the_Grinch

First, I'd say that where you are educated dictates a large portion of what skills you have coming out. Honestly I tend to think my high school and college have made me the professional I am today. In high school I was in a program that prepared you to enter college as an engineer. Higher level maths and a series of courses on engineering were required. This prepared me to think as an engineer would which is different then a scientist and an IT person. I ultimately learned that I didn't want to be an engineer, though I went to an engineering college as an IT major. It was there that I had professor with real world experience. They worked at fortune 500 companies, they continued to consult, and they didn't just teach from the book. It was very much an environment of "this is the Microsoft way and here is how it will actually work in the real world."

Second, the pace of technology greatly beats the pace that college courses (in IT) are updated. Let's face it there are only a number of fundamentals that you can learn before a program basically turns into courses that are structured on some form of technology. I took courses on Server 2003 when 2008 had already begun being rolled out (I even recall working on Windows 2000 desktops for a period of time). Unfortunately we are not like Computer Science where when all is said and done knowing C++/Java will get you a job without issue. I tend to feel that you can't blame the schools because a lot of money goes in to developing courses and changing them even once a year can really be a chore.

Third, some people aren't meant to be in IT. Just like any other profession there are people who probably should not have gone into IT. I've known many people throughout my career who you knew this was the last resort for them. The money was good, their options were few, and they knew how to spell "IP".

Final note, I know a lot of IT professionals who do not have a degree in anything IT related. Smart people, good at their job, but have degrees in Liberal Arts..Philosophy...Music Appreciation. You won't see people in the healthcare field, law field, or engineering field without degrees in those fields.

I'm not saying education is everything, but it does serve a purpose. Articles like this are good, but don't give the complete picture and comparing IT professionals to the likes of lawyers, doctors, and engineers is apple to oranges. If IT had a standard to teach too (as these others professions do) then we probably wouldn't have such issues. We don't thus the hodge podge of people and standards we deal with.