Business and Tech Knowledge BOTH Needed!

[Thom Gillespie]

On Fri, 15 Nov 1996 curr at mnsinc.com wrote:

> Alex, I agee with your points below.  Some months ago, somebody on the 
> PACS-L list, the IU professor?, said librarians need to know more about 
> graphical stuff, and my reply was similar to what you say below: how much 
> could one person know, since there is so much to know, what about teams and 
> using people who are very good in their specialties focusing on producing 
> in that specialty? Nobody took up these and related questions, 
> unfortunately. 

Hi Cliff. I'm the IU guy. I did say what you said but I also said it had 
to be done in a team structure. You are right no _one_ person can do it 
all. My new MIME program www.indiana.edu/~slizzard/dmd/immersion.html is 
designed so students have to work cooperatively for almost a year with a 
special mentorship and internship program. I've been doing digital 
storytelling and computer game design for almost 3 years, if it is 
multimedia it has to be team design.

That said, I think Temple hit it on the head: no one gives a damn about a
degree. Two things count: skills and experience. If you get them in school
they are suspect. If you get them in the real world, they are real. Yes, I
am a teacher at IU, I'm involved in grades and courses, and degrees, but I
think the game has changed because the technology has changed and no one
here gets it. Remember the old teacher saying? Those who can do, and those
who can't teach, and those who can't teach administrate. I think I
mentioned the NYT Info/Sys Technology page from last Sunday. 60 display
ads and only 2 wanted a Masters in anything. I'd also make another 
prediction that the best programs will have the highest percentage of 
adjuncts simply because the adjuncts will have more current technology 
skills simply because they have to. Tenured faculty have no impetus to 
keep up.

It used to be that you earned a living, now you learn a living. If you 
are a fast learner which means changer you earn a good living. Otherwise 
you better have a good union.

I think this is a great time to be in this field if you love people, love 
technology, and love learning.

Thoughts?

--Thom