Do It Yourself: Who Needs School?

I just read a post over at the Oracle AppsLab blog about the Do It Yourself (DIY) spirit in web development. It makes reference to the recent report that Computer Science enrollment is down. You can read up on this also over at the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Jake at Oracle argues that web development has become so easy to pick up on your own that you can just jump in and start building applications.

As a true DIYer in higher ed technology (I have a degree in English), I agree with him in part. I find that one of the most difficult parts about applying technology in higher ed is the human factor: that you actually have to convince (repetitively) people to support, use, and plan for technology. On the other hand, a strong foundational knowledge of technology applications is often advantageous. This past year I served as PM on a couple of big projects; they were successful and I did an OK job, but the experience convinced me that I had to go get some solid education. I ran into a number of snags that could have been avoided or minimized if I had had a better understanding of networking, infrastructure, web development, and any number of other topics. So, off to school I go.
What do you all think?

(Side note: I would be remiss as a MICAn if I did not mention DIY: Design It Yourself. Read it and enjoy; I am looking at a painting right now that my daughter painted at one of Ellen’s DIY events.)

Thanks for reading.
Ted Simpson
March Guest Blogger

Director, Technologist, Dragoman & Project Manager
Maryland Institute College of Art
tsimpson@mica.edu

2 comments March 9th, 2008