Paul CantrellOct 19, 2024

I’m a software developer with a bunch of industry experience. I’m also a comp sci professor, and whenever a CS alum working in industry comes to talk to the students, I always like to ask, “What do you wish you’d taken more of in college?”

Almost without exception, they answer, “Writing.”

One of them said, “I do more writing at Google now than I did when I was in college.”

I am therefore begging, begging you to listen to @stephstephking: https://mstdn.social/@stephstephking/113336270193370876

Stephanie King (@[email protected])

It's bumming me out to see so many universities forcing their English departments to put on a "English Majors Are Useful Too" promotional campaign to justify their existence when my experience out on the job market right now is HOT DAMN THIS ONE CAN WRITE A SENTENCE

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@inthehands @stephstephking
During my 37 year career in software development, I found writing skills to be all but nonexistent outside the staff responsible for producing documentation, and even they were only marginally competent. From entry level software engineers to PhD senior analysts to top management, i encountered only a handful of individuals who wrote above a sloppy 10th grade level. Regular memos bordered on pidgin. IT personnel are only marginally literate.
Oct 20, 2024 at 3:28amWeb