cr88192
8/24/2015 2:49:00 PM
On 8/23/2015 10:27 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
> In article <mrclte$bud$1@news.albasani.net>, cr88192@hotmail.com says...
>>
>> On 8/20/2015 5:17 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
>>> I was talking to a recent computer science graduate today. He had never
>>> seen C, never seen Fortran, had no notion of a shell script or batch
>>> file, had never heard of ActiveX or .net or gcc.
>>>
>>> So what does somebody spend four years doing in a modern university
>>> computer science program?
>>>
>>
>>
>> when I went for a CS major, it was mostly things like C# and SQL.
>> one class did C++, but the teacher seemed to not really know so well how
>> the language worked (he never used delete, seemed to think setting
>> object pointers to NULL deleted the referenced objects, ...).
>>
>> the rest was mostly "general ed" classes, like English/Literature and
>> Calculus and so on...
>>
>>
>> never did get a degree, running into the problem that I actually suck
>> too much at math to really make it through a CS program (issue I suspect
>> is I am too much of a concrete thinker, and get lost in math that goes
>> beyond what I can easily visualize). we were also in the process of a
>> move (parents had already moved, and I would move to the new location as
>> soon as classes ended), so there was no chance to retake the class, and
>> most of the credits wouldn't transfer to another college anyways.
>>
>> but, yeah, does render it pointless having been one class away from a
>> degree, more years of ones' life rendered completely pointless, since no
>> degree = no job.
>>
>> and parents wanting to move every few years and send me to colleges for
>> not long enough to actually get a degree in anything didn't help matters.
>>
>> and, as far as everyone is concerned, no degree, no job, no money, no
>> house, ... = useless.
>>
>>
>> now taking a simpler tech-school program in industrial maintenance.
>> there is at least a lower change of this getting screwed up.
>>
>> one gets to realize that industrial people mostly use PLCs and similar,
>> which are mostly controlled with pointy-clicky graphical interfaces
>> (Ladder Logic and LabVIEW). have got to mess around with a lot of stuff
>> (440VAC and hydraulics and pneumatics and similar) and drive around a
>> forklift, so it is something...
>>
>>
>> apparently in this area, messing around with C and microcontrollers is
>> essentially black-magic in this sense... (one can code up stuff on a
>> microcontroller, and use some transistors and similar, and spin up an
>> improvised 3 phase motor, without needing to spend $500 on a VFD or
>> similar...).
>>
>> nevermind if spinning up a 208V or 440V motor would require buying some
>> comparably expensive IGBT or SiC MOSFET (silicon carbide) transistors.
>>
>>
>> and, will I ever get a job or have a life or actually be worth anything
>> as a person? who knows...
>
> A year ago I thought my life was over. 61, no recent programming
> experience, outdated degree and not CS. Got hired for over 60K. We had
> another position for which we got something like 5 applicants. And
> another that's open now.
>
> Get some experience, somehow, and I think you'll be surprised at the
> doors that open, degree or no degree. The fact is that people who can
> actually produce code are scarce these days.
>
yeah, could be.
where I am living, there are not a lot of programming jobs, and most of
these are web/business/financial stuff, which I personally don't want to
go anywhere near. likewise, don't want to relocate right now either.
I previously had more interest in games and compiler technology, and
also now have an interest in embedded programming and robotics. in my
case, this involves a bit of programming on microcontrollers mixed with
electronics.
did a fair bit with compiler and VM programming, as well as things like
real-time video-encoding, and some experimentation with rudimentary
computer-vision stuff, ...
currently back in classes for mechatronics, or what is essentially
industrial maintenance but with a fancier name (sort of like "Software
Engineer" vs "Programmger", there is "Mechatronic Technician" vs
"Maintenance guy").
I have noted that there is a difference between what they do in class,
vs what I do myself. in class, they use PLCs and VFDs, which are
basically modules that one hooks up some wires to (about like hooking up
a car stereo or similar, just controlling 3-phase motors).
a lot of what I am doing personally is more writing code and flashing it
onto chips using a JTAG programmer, and using a bunch of transistors and
similar to make it work.
also I don't have 440V 3-phase at my house, so generally make my own
3-phase but generally working at much lower voltages (don't have the
parts I would need to invert 440, would need to deal with essentially a
1280 volt DC rail to do so...). though, if really needed, could buy a
large VFD and use it as a 3-phase inverter.
but, on the positive side, what I am doing is a lot cheaper...
likewise, a person can't fry themselves with lower voltages.
say, touch 48 VAC wires, and they are mostly just mildly stingy, and one
can't even really feel 24 VAC.
also, most of the components I have effectively limit me to about 48 VAC
for single and dual phase, and 15-24 VAC for 3-phase. mostly it has to
do with how commons are handled (1Ph and 2Ph can have a floating common,
whereas 3Ph needs a stationary common, meaning needing about 2.8x as
much voltage on the DC rail for inverting 3Ph)
granted, a person can use step-up transformers, but I don't really have
any good ones on hand...
the crappy driver board I was using in the videos limits me to around 6
or 7 volts of 3Ph though...