As I read the article I just thought to myself, "Well, most of computer science is coding and computer logic." (At least it was in 2000 when I last took a CS course). This is exactly the kind of stuff we're farming out to India. It's just a sign of that trend and the decreased importance of left-brained thinking that we're offering fewer CS courses. Kids can be interested and highly talented in computing without knowing computer code.
I said as much to a friend and she disagreed. She said her son was a programmer and they were finding that subcontracted coding led to miscommunications and lost time. Apparently he said the pendulum was swinging back to keeping coding in-house since it's more efficient to have your team under one roof.
I wonder which perspective is more accurate. I'm inclined to think that her son's argument was partially wishful thinking on his part. That said, A Whole New Mind was printed 2 years ago so it's possible trends in outsourcing to Asia have changed slightly. All the same, Pink's argument for the importance of right brained thinking seems to still be valid either way.
I was talking to a colleague not too long ago about the shortage of college graduates who pursue computer science (coding) careers. He said that there is still a real need for coders but many talented, computer-savvy millennials are seeking careers in entertainment/gaming instead of corporate America. Could it be that many of these coding jobs are outsourced to other countries not solely, because it is cheaper, but the market is being saturated with me-media driven young professionals who wish to use their L-directed thinking for R-directed purposes? One thing is evident with this generation of digital natives, edutainment and all things engaging and fun dominate how they learn, what they pursue in careers, and what they expect from the workplace. After I graduated from Baylor in 2001, I was hired by Accenture as an analyst in the resources industry with the understanding that I would be helping clients with the "touchy feely" side of business. To my chagrin, I spent three grueling weeks in St. Charles, IL learning HTML, Java, Perl Script, etc. For a liberal arts major who didn't no java from mocha latte - this was an absolute nightmare! Nothing about my client engagement readiness training was about helping people improve relationships or enhance training initiatives but rather coding! Now, as we move toward the Conceptual Age I could not be happier! What a difference a generation makes.
ReplyDeleteGood point. All the same, I'll bet that coding experience you got will come in handy someday.
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