Work/life follow-up
The person who called me earlier today to tell me the results of my work/life application also wondered if I was interested in signing up for the fall semester. I've been waiting thus far to see what the results of my application were before committing, but now that I knew, I gave her a call back.
Me: "Hi. I talked with you earlier about the results of my work/life application. I wanted to sign up for classes."
Her: "Oh, yes. What would you like to take?"
Me: "Java programming and Building internet applications I."
Her: "You can't take those classes. You haven't completed the prerequisite yet."
This is the same person who, earlier today, told me that the application for credit was accepted and that she only had to enter the results into the system. Now I can't sign up for those classes because the prerequisite isn't showing in the system as "satisfied."
We went back and forth a little since she should know that I more than qualify to take the classes. Finally, she said she would leave it up to the dean, who by the way isn't in the office at the moment.
/sigh
Labels: school
Work/life
My college allows students to submit an application for work/life experience. Basically, pick a class and send the faculty three pages on how you already learned the subject matter outside the classroom.
As a professional software engineer working on a computer information systems degree, I submitted an application for consideration in nine classes. I just heard the results today. Of the nine classes, I was approved for credit in six classes. Sounds like good news, right? Well, it is, but read on.
Of the six classes I got credit in, three were essentially "introduction" level classes - computer program design, object oriented programming, and relational databases. The other three were all about database programming. As a software engineer where I work now, I design and use databases a lot, and I was a database consultant from 1992 to 2000.
What's really remarkable is what I didn't get credit for: Java Programming I, and Building Internet Applications I & II. HUH?!?
So let me get this straight. I work for a dot com. Not just any dot com, but the dot com that YOUR SCHOOL RUNS ON, and yes, some of the system was written by me. For fun, I built a database-driven, interactive fantasy sports web site. To help out IFGS, I'm building their online registry. I've written computer programs professionally since 1986, and have written web-based code in HTML, XML, Java, C-sharp, PHP and VB since 1995. But you won't give me credit in Building Internet Applications?!?
I guess I still got lucky on the other classes, and my last couple semesters should be pretty damn easy.
Labels: school
