Browsing Posts published in October, 2009
Communications skills are a key element for professional success. Effective use of presentation tools, like Microsoft PowerPoint, can enhance your ability to communicate. The opposite is also true – and this video from YouTube is a funny reminder of that fact.
(Thanks to Jennifer Skjellum for pointing me to this video!)
Are you interested in computer networking and looking for some self-study materials? There are plenty of good resources. I recommend the following to students looking to develop a basic understanding of the subject.
(1) Computer Networking first-step by Wendell Odom (published by Cisco Press) is a good introductory book on networking. If you have little or no networking experience, then this book can advance your knowledge rapidly and it’s easy to read.
(2) TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1 by W. Richard Stevens is an excellent reference for understanding the various protocols and the data formats they use. It’s moderately technical, yet even a beginner will find it useful. This is a good place to start adding depth to your understanding. Combined with a network protocol analyzer (for example, see Wireshark at www.wireshark.org), you can learn plenty about what’s going on behind the curtain.
(3) Computer Networks by Andrew S. Tanenbaum offers an in-depth treatment of the layers of the OSI reference model (giving you a good understanding of the concept of a layered architecture) and also provides a broad treatment of virtually every area of computer networking – possibly more than you would want if you’re at the introductory level. But it’s an interesting tour through the subject matter. It’s a good book for adding breadth and depth.
You can find quite a bit of good information on the Internet, as you would expect. Take a look at these excellent CISCO links:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/technology/handbook/Intro-to-Internet.html
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/technology/handbook/Intro-to-LAN.html
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/technology/handbook/LAN-Switching.html
I hope these links and references are helpful to you.
I am re-posting this entry from my EE607 course blog (from October 14th, 2009):
I saw the following article on CNN this evening. The title is “30 jobs that pay $80,000″ and the top ranked job in this particular list is sales engineer.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/14/cb.jobs.paying.80000.dollars/index.html
Many engineers (and other technical types) do very well in technical sales positions.
It’s something to think about.
Neumont University in Utah offers only one major: computer science. You may have read about this in the October 18th edition of Parade magazine.
Why have a school dedicated to training computer scientists? Because there aren’t enough qualified software engineers to meet projected demand. Neumont University is helping to address that shortage. They condense the typical four-year undergraduate curriculum down to 2 ½ years. The article says that around 94% of its graduates are placed “quickly” with an annual starting salary in excess of $62,000.
I like this approach. It’s a great idea. I went to a technical institute for my undergraduate degree and it was the perfect school for me. I truly enjoyed my time there and I benefited greatly from the experience.
But I confess to having somewhat mixed feelings. I still second guess myself, at times. Would it have been better to first get an outstanding liberal arts education, capping it off with an MBA or some kind of technical equivalent*? Or was it best to have first gotten the technical, marketable skills? And, if the latter, how do you come back and add the liberal arts courses later?
To this day, I sometimes look yearningly at the Great Books Curriculum offered by schools such as St. John’s College, Thomas Aquinas College, and others. I now want to study that curriculum – even if I must do it on my own. I wish there were a Great Books Curriculum cable channel that could facilitate the experience. Or a Great Books online community (perhaps there is one?).
Once you get your career established – with some attendant level of financial security – and have wrestled with life a bit, I think studying something like a Great Books Curriculum could be especially valuable and edifying. Or, just choose a specific discipline that captures your imagination – philosophy or history or literature – and pursue it in depth.
There are times when I envision a three-year undergraduate education devoted to career development, followed some years later with a master’s degree program where you engage with the greatest ideas of human civilization.
What feels right to me is to get the depth (i.e., the marketable skills) first, then the breadth (i.e., liberal arts) afterwards. But each of us must make that assessment based on our own personal goals and aspirations. The role of higher education is to find innovative, affordable ways to serve you as you follow your own path.
* Note: I would like to develop a variation of the IEM Program that would build up the technical skills and insights of people who have non-technical undergraduate degrees. It’s an idea to which I am giving some thought.
