Learning OOP and Design Patterns doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to program worth squat nor does keeping up with all the new trends guarantee employment. Further, if I did everything my clients wanted, they’d go broke (or in one case to jail).

However, learning OOP and Design Patterns in my case broke a lot of bad habits and helped me understand loose coupling and gave me a far broader and more useful handle on developing applications. Doing the same thing again and again in a changing environment is not only boring, but I do believe self-defeating in both the short and long run. In the short run, you’ll miss opportunities that open up with new technologies. I lucked out and had the first book out on the Commodore 64, and it sold 350,000 copies–not because I’m the Ernest Hemingway of computer books, but rather because I took the time to learn something new. I did the same thing with HyperText, and bought an airplane with my first royalty check.

In working out things for new technology, I would suggest judicious selection as you suggest. However, just because you like hammers, you shouldn’t try to build a house with one–ignoring saws, screwdrivers, drills and everything else you need.

Kindest regards,
Bill

To hear employers tell it, there is another myth, too: The myth that you can ‘get by’ with basic communications skills. In post secondary IT programmes we see students who choose IT because they are strong in math and perhaps not so strong in communications and/or people skills. They are often encouraged by well meaning caregivers and truly believe these skills don’t matter much in this industry. Popular culture certainly reinforces this cliche. (Sadly the most extreme cases still end up working in boxstores.)

But employers involved in curriculum advisory panels (which have a huge impact on curricula) beg for students who have more of what they consider to be fundamental workplace skills such as greater general knowledge, a grasp on basic business concepts, and the ability to see ideas from various perspectives. Communications skills, both interpersonal and verbal, are always stressed.

Their frustration, it seems, is with IT staff who do not see their role in the larger context, have no vision of how their skills may be effectively applied to improve not just both product quality but also the quality of materials produced by their workplace teams. Forgive the cliche, but they seem to want fewer introverted geeks with computer tans and bad shoes. (ducks, then chuckles) Since I am already in the dangerous waters of stereotypes, I should mention that we see the female graduates hired in greater percentages than the males, based on the perception that they are more well rounded and can communicate well. (Or could it be because they put “plays well with others” on their resumes?)

So loud is this industry cry that whole new degree programmes have been developed to meet it. It’s interesting to note that in an era of decreased IT enrollment worldwide, these programmes are very attractive to students and have engaged segments of the student population who shudder at the antisocial geek stereotype.

So, my friends, from your point of view, is this Myth or Mrs? Comments s’il vous plait?