[NTLUG:Discuss] Software future in Linux

[Brian]

Andrew--

Been down the same road.  I know of no SE/CS 4-year or graduate
program that focuses on open source software.  Working towards that
degree is dicey right now, and will probably remain so in the future.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend that route (yes, I've been down that
route, and currently teach in that area).

Distance education is booming.  There are only a few commercial
players in the field, and are pretty much out of the price range of
most school districts and many colleges.  Why not focus on education,
with an emphasis in educational software?  Texas A&M -- Commerce has
an excellent ETEC (educational technology) program that would allow
you to explore open source to your heart's content.  Check out
http://www.moodle.org for an example of one very successful open
source distance education delivery system that is making inroads into
many areas of education.

You can do better than by volunteering yourself for indentured
servitude, which is really what the IT industry is all about these
days.  The chances of landing a job with a company which would allow
you to explore open source technology aren't exactly awe-inspiring.

On a side note, I have set up a LAMP (Linux/Apachee/MySQL/PHP) program
at North Lake College, and am currently working on a state-sponsored
grant to begin offering an Open Source certificate program in the
fall.  Many people don't realize that most public agencies and
institutions of higher education in Texas are strongly encouraged by
the state to explore open source alternatives to proprietary softare
(it's called SRRPUB09, Google for it).   If you want more details on
the program at North Lake, give me a call at 972.273.3461.

  --Brian

On Thu, Jun 02, 2005 at 10:01:48AM -0500, Andrew Brown wrote:
> I have been working with Linux for about a year and have really got into
> the software aspects of computers. Looking for a rec'd from any software
> engineers or people in the know. I am looking to change into software
> engineering and need a piece of advice, college degree or just get some
> certifications and plug away to build abilities on my own? (current
> degree is not related to computers, very little class based learning,
> mostly self taught)
> 
> I see open source as a real future for companies as they move away from
> homogenized products into more specific software products that serve
> their particular needs and are more secure and reliable. I am not
> looking for the path of least resistance to enter the OS movement, just
> the wisest. My interest is in Linux implementations, Linux application
> development and possibly porting software into the Linux environment.
> 
> Thanks for any help! 
> 
> 
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