What They Don’t Teach You…

It’s an incredibly interesting dual-life that exists in today’s “world” of IT. It’s the difference between what is taught in the classroom, and what actually is taught in the “real-world”. As an undergrad student myself, it’s something that I’m reminded of every day. Let’s face it, convergence is a relatively new thing. Ten years ago, we were just beginning to talk about integrating voice and video onto the IP network. Like all new technologies, it is difficult for institutions to adapt and introduce every bleeding-edge technology into their curriculum. But, ten years later, the idea of convergence should be more than a topic of discussion. There is a time and place for algorithms, and the teaching of basic programming skills. There is an even greater need for teaching the fundamentals of systems design, architecture, and the integration of business into IT. Almost every week, I read articles that illustrate the need for young IT talent. IT talent that can understand the true integration between organizational processes and technology, and be able to understand and communicate with the customer and end user. The days are gone of when the memorization of algorithms is vitally important, or the need to write new applications in COBOL, or even knowing the step-by-step algorithm involved in RDT 3.0. If we want to stimulate the minds of budding IT professionals, we should expose them to as much new and upcoming technology as possible. Instead of a textbook-format learning environment, shouldn’t we be putting the upcoming “stars of IT” in labs full of Linux servers, MySQL instances, SIP endpoints, and test-ERP environments? Shouldn’t we say to the budding professionals: “The customer needs their new PBX to be populated from an existing LDAP directory – how are you going to do it?” It’s the process that counts. It’s the discovery, the trial-and-error, and most importantly, the creativity and ingenuity that IT needs today. Twenty years down the road, I won’t remember the syntax of a COBOL INSPECT statement. I won’t remember how a bubble-sort gets implemented in C++. What I will remember, though, is how to successfully revive a corrupted MS SQL database, without backups, at 3:00 in the morning. Those are the learning experiences we will take with us!