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Comment by jkyle | Hacker News Reader

> I've seen people with PhDs from top schools who couldn't code their way out of a paper bag

A computer science PhD, in my humble opinion, does not teach how to program anymore then having PhD of Architecture teaches you how to build a residential home. If it did, there'd be much more time spent learning about tooling and practicing programming instead of reading papers and generating novel research.

If I were hiring C.S. PhD's, I would not be judging them on the quality of their code or proficiency in any particular language.

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This is true, and the unfortunate effect of treating all software engineers as equal. However, if PhDs are not expected to write code, don't call them software engineers, call them "researchers".

>This is true, and the unfortunate effect of treating all software engineers as equal. However, if PhDs are not expected to write code, don't call them software engineers, call them "researchers".

Generally, they aren't called "engineers". They'd be computer scientists. But I say that as someone who lives in a place (Canada) where "engineer" is a protected term, of sorts. You can't just slap the title on anyone.

Fair, but not relevant—all the alternate titles (programmer, coder, computer "scientist" without the science... whatever) would also be just as ill-fitting.

Obligatory link to Larry Page's question about Java while getting his PhD at Stanford:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8587697

I consider the ability to perform practical programming a skill of software/computer engineering...In the same way that someone can be brilliant in chemistry and yet have little clue how to perform the kind of chemical engineering needed to efficiently produce chemical reactions...being a great mathematician/computer scientist doesn't necessarily relate to building. It's not that they don't have the intellectual capacity to do it, it's just that building/engineering requires its own experience and field of knowledge.

He'd have never passed a Google interview. ^_^

> If I were hiring C.S. PhD's, I would not be judging them on the quality of their code or proficiency in any particular language.

No, it's not about this

It's about a CS PhD that can't program at all. Believe me, they exist

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