Category Archives: Uncategorized

CS Grads get Highest Rate of Job Offers

CS Grads Top List with Highest Rate of Job Offers

Computer Science graduates are at the top of the list in terms of applicants getting job offers.  This just further backs up the notion that getting a degree in Computer Science is a really good idea.  Per the article, “One computer science graduate may have 10 offers as opposed to one accounting graduate that’s getting five offers.”

Here in Houston, there appears to be lots of great jobs for CS grads.  I have been in contact with a few different people lately looking to hire Computer Science folks.  The jobs are good and pay is really nice.  You just have to prove you know your stuff, have a decent interview, and you should be good to go.

CS Rocks!

US Dominates World RoboCup 2011

US Dominates at the 2011 World RoboCup

This is way more interesting than robots can sense emotion.
Kicking a ball and running around on a soccer field is way cool.
Well, they do not actually run, but kinda stagger and limp around.
Either way, it is pretty neat to see robots attempt to play soccer.
In a few short years, they will actually be able to run and play for real – just watch and see!
Check out the video of Adult size final!

Emotion Detecting Robots

Project Creating Robots that can Detect Emotion

Just what I need!
All I want is a robot that will pick up after my kids – that is it.
I am no way in need of one that knows when I am happy or mad – I would like to keep that info to myself.
Let’s stick the basics here and get a Roomba that actually works in stores and leave the emotional stuff out of the equation.
Just my 2 cents – for the emotional robots, I am not mad in any way, but I am a bit agitated.  🙂

AP Summer Institute – Kentucky

AP Summer Institute #2 is history and it was a blast as well!
The workshop started on June 27 and ran for five days.
Western Kentucky University was an awesome host and I hope to be back in 2012!

We covered tons of material, including Scratch, Jeroo, GridWorld, and lots of Java. We discussed teaching with Codes and Ciphers, teaching List Processing using multiple environments, and using games to teach Object-Oriented Programming.

Attendees came all of the way from Tennessee, Alabama, Hawaii, Connecticut, Illinois, and Ohio. We had a submarine-pilot and an X-Factor finalist in our midst as well as a former standup comedian. It was an awesome crew of people and it was nice to get to know them all.  One guy was a little on the shifty side, but I will not mention any names as I do not want Jose to get his feelings hurt.

My next AP SI in back in Houston starting on July 18th and it is for experienced teachers.
My last AP SI will be in Arkansas starting on July 25th.
See all of my workshop dates and available materials.
Follow my travels across the US to my workshops via my son’s travel blog.

AP Summer Institutes Underway

My AP Summer Institutes are under way.
The June 6-9 workshop in Houston, Texas was a blast.
We covered tons of material, including Scratch, Jeroo, Alice, GridWorld, and lots of Java.
The food and conversations were great!
It was fun to meet people from all over and make some new friends.

My next AP SI in in Kentucky running from June 27 – July 1.
See all of my workshop dates.
Follow my travels across the US to my workshops via my son’s travel blog.

CS Grads Have Many Options

CS Grads Have Many Job Offers

Once again another awesome post about how great it is to be graduating with a CS degree.  Lots of jobs exist if you are graduating with a CS degree.

The following is a great quote from the article – “If you’re a computer science degree holder, this is probably the best year to negotiate hard and maximize that first starting salary”.

I have numerous former students that are pursuing degrees in Computer Science with many of them receiving  job offers well before they graduate.  Some of the offers are basically asking them to quit school and go to work now.

Jumping from Engineering to English

Prospective engineering students switching majors

This is an interesting article and it does point out some of the reasons students bail out on Computer Science and Engineering.  It seems that CS and Engineering courses are not taught to the degree of other courses.  There are teachers in the classes, but the approach to teaching CS and Engineering courses is often less about teaching and explaining topics / concepts and more akin to throwing kids to the wolves to see which ones make it.  One can hope this trend will not continue.

2011 CS Contest Season Ends

What are Computer Science Contests?

Computer Science contests are huge in Texas.  Basically, you have a contest every two weeks if you live in Houston or the surrounding area.  In the fall, the contest season starts in early October with the 7 Lakes Kick-off Classic which starts the whole contest circuit.  The season wraps up each year in May with the UIL State Academic Meet Computer Science Contest.  This state contest is the culmination of all of the local contests.

Each contest typically has a programming component and a written test component.  The programming component consists of a packet of problems that each team must attempt to solve.  A standard packet will have 12 problems.  A more expanded packet may have 18.  Each local contest has the option to create their own packet and set the number of problems.  The UIL Computer Science Contest, a statewide contest in Texas, has 12 problems so that is the number most local contests go with.  The written component consists of a 40 question multiple-choice test.  Test questions focus on logic, algorithms, data-structures, and language features.  All tests used in Texas use Java as the testing language.

Why take teams to contests?

Contests force students into a real team environment with the added pressure of finite time.  Most programming contests only last two hours and only allow teams to use one computer.  Teams must learn how to share a single computer and work together in a timed environment to solve problems.  Students learn valuable teamwork and problem-solving skills in these settings each and every time they compete.

Another benefit is that many large software companies use similar problems for interviewing purposes as those often seen in contest packets.  A common programming problem often involves determining if an exit from a maze exists.   A former student of mine was asked to explain solving this exact problem when interviewing for a Google position.

Winning is contagious!  Get a few students to go compete and actually win and your enrollment will spike upwards.  All students want to be a part of a winner.

How do I get involved?

If you are in Texas, check my contest dates page.  Several Texas contests are already posted.  If you are in another state, find out who hosts contests or host your own.   Check out my site for information on hosting your own contest.

Looking forward to next year

The contest season here in Texas just wrapped up.  It was a ton of fun and I look forward to what next year holds.  Good luck!

We’re going to hire like its 1999

Tech hiring frenzy very similar to that of 1999

Prince or the artist formerly known as something like that wrote a song about 1999 back in the day.  The song was not as hot as the current boom in tech jobs, but it was catchy at the time.  It is unfortunately stuck in my head for the rest of the day and most likely stuck in your head as well if you just read this.  iTunes has the song if you must.
Tech companies are looking for talented people and the jobs seem to be numerous.  I have heard from a few University colleagues that have said that their CS enrollment is up.  The two tend to go hand in hand.