It's funny how this thread has turned this way - all about the value (or lack thereof?) of college degrees...
My mom has been programming since the early 60s... started with good, old Univac in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania... Worked on many projects and systems for them and other companies over the years, then went "solo" and has contracted for AT&T, PG&E and many others... Currently, she's writing code and supporting another telecom company in Las Vegas. Her degree? A ... BA? In accounting. Then she did go back to school and get something in CIS - an AA? Don't remember... Me? I'm an EDI Coordinator for a major retailer - well over 900 million in annual sales from about 400 stores. I am "the" EDI department. Started off doing technical support for our stores and corporate users, moved "up?" to a lead operator and then on to EDI. My degree? None. Although I was about 3 classes shy of a BA - in Architectural Graphics & Design. I'd actually started off as an English Major and was adding IS/IT as a minor... But the scary thing (and this kind of goes with Glenn's comment, below) is that I knew a hell of a lot more - just having grown up with My mom and having spent some time doing testing and documentation for her and being in "white rooms" (data centers) as a kid - than the teacher did. I mean, IS 101 was all about the Naval contracts for the first computer and Admiral ... Oh, what was her name? While I can agree that a degree does seem to ... provide some merit ... in that you're able to complete a course of study and follow through on a long-term project, I've found in My career (and this is nothing against any pros out there with degrees!) that a degree - or, even to this level, a certificate of ... ability? ... with a certain operating system or network appliance - doesn't mean that you know how to use the applications or appliances... It just means you can attend a class, read some materials and pass a test or two. I've met Microsoft "Certified" engineers who can't seem to master the concepts of "drag n drop" - even when it's just the Windows toolbar. True, not all degreed and certified individuals are this ... lame ... but it does show that in some cases - remember I said SOME - that piece of paper does nothing other than look good on the wall and pad out the resume. Much like many others on this list - and in the world in general - I put more emphasis on DOING and learning from DOING than from just cracking a book and checking the right box on a test. I'm not knocking education and degrees - just that sometimes - sometimes - you get better results and better learning from actual hands on... Craig E. Dunham EDI Coordinator EYE Analyst Big 5 Sporting Goods Re: Fw: EDI Coordinator - HOT! <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/message/23907;_ylc=X3oDMTJyMGQzdmg1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzIxMDc2NzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDA1NTgyBG1zZ0lkAzIzOTA3BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEyMjk2ODQ5MTk-> Posted by: "Thompson, Glenn" [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]?subject=%20re%3a%20fw%3a%20edi%20coordinator%20-%20hot%21> triageglenn <http://profiles.yahoo.com/triageglenn> Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:02 am (PST) It's funny how true the old adage is that "those who can do and those who can't teach". I got my degree because of its check box quality. While I did learn at my time in school most of my knowledge has been obtained on the job. The best teacher is experience. At some point I will probably pursue a MBA but again it's for the doors it will open. Some of the best programmers, EDI or otherwise, I know don't have a degree. And it's a loss for the companies that don't want to hire them. But companies know best, just look at the state of the economy. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ ... Please use the following Message Identifiers as your subject prefix: <SALES>, <JOBS>, <LIST>, <TECH>, <MISC>, <EVENT>, <OFF-TOPIC> Job postings are welcome, but for job postings or requests for work: <JOBS> IS REQUIRED in the subject line as a prefix.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
