Advice for Computer Science College Students by Joel Spolsky Presented by: Sherrie Dowdy

Overview Joel’s 7 Pieces of Advice for Computer Science College Students Joel’s reasons behind his advice?

Joel’s 7 Pieces of Advice for Computer Science College Students: 1.Learn how to write before graduating 2.Learn C before graduating 3.Learn microeconomics before graduating 4.Don’t blow off non-CS classes just because they’re boring 5.Take programming-intensive courses 6.Stop worrying about all the jobs going to India 7.No matter what you do, get a good summer internship

Learn how to write before graduating Joel states that “the programmers with the most power and influence are the ones who can write and speak in English” Clearly Convincingly Comfortably

Learn how to write before graduating (cont.) A programmer that’s writes well can 1.Influence others 2.Comment their code well 3.Write good specifications 4.Write good technical documentation 5.Get the attention of management

Learn how to write before graduating (cont.) According to Joel, “the more you write, the easier it will be, and the easier it is to write, the more you’ll write”. Joel’s suggestions for getting writing experience 1.Take as many “writing intensive” classes as you can 2.Look for classes that have daily/weekly writing assignments 3.Start a journal/web blog

Learn C before graduating Joel’s Reasons to know C 1.To learn something well you need to first learn the basics 2.Language closer to machine language than most programming languages taught today 3.Language most working programmers use to communicate

Learn microeconomics before graduating Microeconomics teaches you about: 1.Supply and demand 2.Competitive advantage 3.Net Presence Value 4.Discounting 5.Marginal utility Code should not only make sense in code, but it should also make good business sense.

Don't blow off non-CS classes just because they're boring Why not? Neglecting non-CS class = possible drop in GPA Employers screen applications based on GPA What does the GPA demonstrate to employers? What many professors, over a number of classes, over a long period of time have thought about your work That you will put in the work even if you do not like the job

Take programming-intensive courses Computer Science vs. Software Development What is the difference? Computer Science - deals more in using logic to solve complex problems Software Development - deals more in actually designing, developing, and documenting the software

Stop worrying about all the jobs going to India Joel’s reasons to stop worrying 1.Trying to choose a career based on a current business fad is foolish 2.Programming is good training for all kinds of interesting jobs 3.There is still a shortage of really good programmers, in Joel’s words, “really good programmers do have jobs” 4.You got any better ideas?

No matter what you do, get a good summer internship Reasons to get a summer internship 1.Programmers who love to program will program any chance they get 2.Always good to have the additional experience 3.Recruiters check programmers resumes looking for part-time programming jobs and summer internships

Summary To summarize Joel’s career advice: Know how to write and communicate well Know the basics for a good programming foundation Know good business concepts Keep your grades up and persevere even when something maybe boring to you Get as much programming experience as possible Do not worry about “current” business fads when making your life decisions Get a summer internship

References mlhttp:// ml, Joel on Software, “Advice for Computer Science College Students”, Joel Spolsky, Jan. 2005