Alan B. Pearce wrote:
......
>30 years later I applied for a position in the space science department of a
>research institute in the UK, without a degree apart from a polytech
>qualification, and beat various university graduates including at least one
>with a masters degree. I was asked various questions by the interview panel
>including things like drawing the basic circuit of an inverting op amp,
>which was no problem, and some questions on doing things like balanced line
>use, and identifying problems in transmission lines using TDR. None of these
>were a problem to me, but apparently were big problems to the graduates.
..........
>I had dealings with a young guy here where I am currently working who was
>doing a year's work in what is known in the UK as a gap year before doing
>the final year of his degree. This seems to be done to endeavour to get
>round the lack of experience problem. He did not have any idea about simple
>things like the necessity for bypass capacitors on power supply lines.


Alan, you are entirely correct with what you are saying, except you
are overlooking the problem the universities have to deal with.

They teach students math, physics, circuit theory, power, electronics,
field theory, systems theory, control theory, prob/statistics, logic,
digital systems, computers, programming etc, with the idea that they
are presenting a broad background. They cannot go into complete depth
in any one area the way trade school programs can.

You have to draw a compromise between depth and breadth, in a world
where technical info is growing exponentially. [plus of course, the
students would rather ski and party, anyways].

Therefore, students aren't necessarily going to know the answers to
specific questions in every area - [although you "would" hope they would
know more of them in their "major" areas than some of the guys you were
citing :)].

The theory is that a broad education will allow someone to more easily
solve a broad range of problems, and that on-the-job training will
give them the details in the specific area they end up in. Plus
they will more easily be able to move into other areas and other
problems than someone with a more narrow education.

This being said, there are always going to be 'A' students and 'C'
students, and this also has to be factored into all of the previous
discusisons of specific cases.

best regards,
- dan michaels
www.oricomtech.com
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