The REAL World

*Today I bring you a post that is sadly enough a work of nonfiction. Enjoy!

I have discovered something that should be common knowledge since my departure from an institution of higher learning. All of the things learned there are, in fact, useful in the REAL world. I say REAL in almost the same vein in which it is communicated in movies like the Matrix because while in college most students, I for one, live in a fantasy world. This world is the one where you go to class everyday, or at least show up for class everyday, with the mindset that once you leave it the material covered will stay there until you are forced to regurgitate it on command when a test is thrust before you. Unfortunately, when you enter the REAL world you start seeing disturbingly familiar images from that other realm. You start seeing references to that material you so callously memorized the night before the test. Dare I say, you hear others speak of it.

I graduated recently from a four year university with a degree in Computer Science. This, of course, is supposed to prepare me to become a programmer. I trudged and drudged my way through the work, picking up bits and pieces as I went, and graduated with what I considered to be a good grade point average. During my senior year, as is recommended by the faculty, I began the interview process. I was hired just before graduation by a software company as a, ahem, Software Developer. Having written countless ridiculous academic programs I signed the contract with a huge "I know I can do this I've been writing programs for four years" grin. My first day of work, however, slapped that big huge grin right off my face.

On my first day I sauntered in with my big grin shining, and I met with the Director of Research and Development. During this meeting I was told which team I would be assigned to. Yes, you read that correctly. TEAM. All those fatuous group assignments and activities that are supposed to "prepare you for a team environment" are actually well planned. All work in the software industry (and most others) is done in teams, and everyone is expected to accomplish their tasks or the whole team fails. You don't have time to cover the work of a slacker. You don't have time to BE a slacker.

The next little nugget of information I received was that I was going to be using a completely new language. At that moment I had some horrifying flash backs to my 'programming languages' course where we studied the very dynamics of language itself. Sadly, all those generic classes that students moan and groan about actually do have a purpose. I remembered sitting in my classes with my big grin thinking "I don't know why we have to take this crap. We're never going to need it." When I heard of this new language my thought pattern immediately assured me that I couldn't possibly be expected to start work with a language I didn't fully understand. After all, this isn't school and you don't have to do homework right? Wrong. As soon as I got to my desk I learned the system of 'bug tickets' and discovered that I already had two assigned to me. They slapped a big fat book on my desk that bore the same title as the language I would now be using and said "Good luck." That's it. No stepping through countless lessons with helpful questions at the end to reinforce concepts. No training classes or practice bugs. Just a big fat book and work that has to be done, and done right. My stomach turned once more at the thought that study habits are not, in fact, meaningless activities that instructors make up just to harp about. You sometimes have to study in the REAL world too. Gasp!

So now I come to my desk everyday, my desk that is littered with designs and flowcharts that eerily resemble those of textbooks in school, and I pick up as much as I can from my teammates about the product I am working on. I keep my nose in the book on my new language, I take notes, and I study the methods of my teammates. In short, I am using all the skills I learned in college, and forcing myself to sharpen the ones I neglected. The moral of the story? For those readers still in school: pay attention, study hard, and prepare yourself. The REAL world is not quite as laid back as you may be expecting.