What would you recommend for things like school work?
I do full time development work but I'm self taught. When I was hired the company agreed to pay for part of the tuition to get a degree. I'm still a couple years away from completing all the courses, but I just can't handle a lot of the material. Much of it is outdated and a lot is biased based on the instructors past work and experiences. Last year I had to take a class on ASP.NET (web apps, not MVC). The school's introductory database class used MS Access.
I know there are benefits to these from a historical standpoint. Understanding where the technology came from. Access may also be easier for absolute beginners to jump into. Much of it just seems like a waste of my time though since I know these systems have been replaced. Having to work full time _and_ study technology that I know isn't commonly used has worn me down quite a bit. I no longer have the drive to learn that I once did. The obvious answer would be to find a better institution to attend classes, but I have a limited budget to spend on tuition annually and few colleges will allow for the schedule I need to continue working.
I had to take a required CS class in COBOL programming. I think these courses are focused on teaching the concepts and techniques rather than expertise on the particular tool they are using. Plus, if you think you’ll get to focus on just the cutting edge tools in the workplace and won’t have to deal with some bs legacy crap, you may be slightly disappointed.
I appreciate that input as that's the point I'm reaching. Senior devs that I've worked with have said the same thing. However, I haven't found a convincing argument for upper management.
I do full time development work but I'm self taught. When I was hired the company agreed to pay for part of the tuition to get a degree. I'm still a couple years away from completing all the courses, but I just can't handle a lot of the material. Much of it is outdated and a lot is biased based on the instructors past work and experiences. Last year I had to take a class on ASP.NET (web apps, not MVC). The school's introductory database class used MS Access.
I know there are benefits to these from a historical standpoint. Understanding where the technology came from. Access may also be easier for absolute beginners to jump into. Much of it just seems like a waste of my time though since I know these systems have been replaced. Having to work full time _and_ study technology that I know isn't commonly used has worn me down quite a bit. I no longer have the drive to learn that I once did. The obvious answer would be to find a better institution to attend classes, but I have a limited budget to spend on tuition annually and few colleges will allow for the schedule I need to continue working.