[Edu-sig] A case against GUIs in intro CS :-)

[Arthur]

> Behalf Of Toby Donaldson
> To: Chuck Allison; Jeffrey Elkner
> I more commonly hear students complain that CS doesn't do a good job of
> preparing them for a career in software engineering. That it is too
> focused
> on esoteric theory, and that too many (university) faculty hold their
> noses
> when writing programs.

Question.

I don't remember SQL and database ever coming up here.

It is the only the combination of skills I developed in learning Python and
in learning SQL and database design that has allowed me to become useful in
the real world - in the making $ sense of the word.

Luckily I find database stuff interesting enough, and SQL powerful enough in
the context of database, that I have been able to throw myself into the
effort to get my arms around these technologies.

And they seem to be very core skills for making one's way in the world as a
developer.

Where does it fit into the CS curriculum?

Art