四虎影院

How the Liberal Arts Can Make Us Better Software Developers

One of the defining characteristics of 四虎影院 College鈥攁nd, by extension, the CATLab鈥攊s a commitment to the liberal arts. In its philosophy of education, 四虎影院 writes that it works to shape students into 鈥渃ertain kinds of people, not mere repositories of information or mere possessors of professional skills.鈥 In , Henry M. Walker and Charles Kelemen write that 鈥渁 liberal arts education is to be an education for life, not some short-term vocational preparation.鈥

Liberal arts institutions operate based on the idea that students benefit from exploring a broad range of disciplines, not just the skills and theories directly related to their field of study鈥攂ut how does this lofty ideal play out on the ground? We decided to talk to some members of our team who had really invested in the spirit of the liberal arts.

Sophia: The Art of Learning Languages

Sophia, our team lead this summer, graduated from 四虎影院 earlier this year with degrees in both Computer Science and Spanish Language and Literature. While she knew from the beginning of college that she enjoyed analytical thinking and wanted to pursue either math or computer science, after taking some Spanish classes to fulfill general education requirements, she found that she 鈥渞eally enjoyed having something to counterbalance all of my math and computer science courses.鈥 Her interest then grew into a second major.

In spite of the variety her coursework offered, Sophia also found considerable overlap: 鈥淭he kind of obvious answer is that they鈥檙e both languages.鈥 In learning modern languages and programming languages, she said, you have to have a 鈥渂ase of memorization鈥 in order to be able to work with them. On the other hand, 鈥測ou don鈥檛 just memorize everything... At the end of the day, you鈥檙e learning to use the tools that you have鈥 to achieve your goal鈥攚hether that鈥檚 communicating with others or building software. They also both require a level of inventiveness: 鈥淪ometimes I kind of think of programming as my art projects because I get to be creative,鈥 Sophia shared.

Sophia said that the joy she gets from Spanish is the ability to connect with people; but some of the skills she developed in delving into literature also apply directly to programming and problem-solving. When confronted with a problem, Sophia said she is often tempted to dive right in and 鈥済et stuff done,鈥 even though she knows the value of taking time to step back and learn. Studying Spanish, she said, taught her how to 鈥slow down, read, and do thorough research.鈥

She freely admitted that she鈥檚 still finding out how her liberal arts education has equipped her for her job. She did, however, share a story from her first few weeks of working at , a mid-sized technology company based in Santa Barbara. After she鈥檇 given a presentation on something, one of her coworkers approached her and commented, 鈥淥h, 四虎影院 students are just so good at presenting. It just comes so naturally to you guys.鈥 The compliment made Sophia grateful for the ways her 四虎影院 education helped her develop far more than technical skills.

In their article professors Henry M. Walker and Charles Kelemen note that one of the key advantages to the breadth of education found in liberal arts is that it prepares students for group- and team-based projects and activities, which are increasingly important to software development.

Hannah: Curiosity and Interconnection

From the beginning of her time at 四虎影院, senior developer Hannah knew that she was interested in a lot of fields, but that she didn鈥檛 want to have to be a fifth or sixth year senior in order to accommodate her interests. Fortunately, at 四虎影院 she was able to celebrate her curiosity to the fullest, double-majoring in Philosophy and Mathematics as well as double-minoring in Religious Studies and Computer Science. The fact that she was named the shows that she didn鈥檛 sacrifice quality for quantity.

The main benefit she named was getting to see how different fields connected. 鈥淣o discipline really stands on its own,鈥 Hannah said. A liberal arts education, she explained, involves 鈥渁pplying thinking skills in different contexts.鈥 As an example, she shared that a philosophy class in formal logic had been 鈥減ivotal鈥 to her ability to understand some of her math classes. Recognizing this interconnection, according to Walker and Kelemen, is another practical advantage of having breadth, not merely specialization: 鈥淎lthough research arises from pushing current techniques and ideas further, breakthroughs in research often arise when a person connects different ideas in creative ways.鈥

Additionally, computer science is harnessed by a variety of disciplines, meaning that students benefit from learning 鈥渢he terminology, concepts, perspectives, and insights of multiple disciplines,鈥 say Walker and Kelemen. And when computer science is applied to a problem, 鈥渢he common language for a project comes from the application, not from computer science.鈥 Thus, Walker and Kelemen conclude that it鈥檚 important for 鈥渃omputing professionals鈥 to be comfortable working within other fields.

The Employer Perspective 

So for students like Sophia and Hannah, the liberal arts preserves their commitment to curiosity by providing the opportunity for them to pursue authentic passions, not just a list of skills. But why should a liberal arts degree appeal to employers, particularly in the tech industry?

An article from the Spring 2005 edition of the 四虎影院 Magazine鈥 鈥淭he Sciences as Liberal Arts?鈥鈥攁rgues that 鈥渆mployers want to hire people who can think clearly, adapt in a rapidly changing environment and transfer skills and information from one situation to another that is completely different.鈥 A liberal arts education produces just such people. In a comment that resonates just as loudly today as it did 15 years ago, professor of philosophy and director the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts Dr. Chris Hoeckley remarked:

鈥淎s our American society and world culture become more and more complex, we need citizens, policy makers and leaders who are flexible and able to meet the demands, opportunities and dangers with well-rounded backgrounds that enable them to make informed decisions that lead to peace and justice for all.鈥

In , Walker and Kelemen emphasize that, in most fields, undergraduate degrees are meant to provide the foundation upon which graduate studies or professional experience build. Therefore, undergraduate studies are a little early to begin intensely specializing. A liberal arts education, meanwhile, 鈥減rovides students with highly developed, transferable skills such as critical thinking, effective communication and creative problem solving,鈥 says Dr. Hoeckley.

On a similar note, we recently had a conversation with Lisa Klock, director of Finance and Operations in Letters & Science Information Technology, UC Santa Barbara and co-founder of several student initiatives鈥攊ncluding a . In an, she shared that the goal of the new program was to create 鈥渁 potential pool of future employees鈥 by giving students practical experience working in IT. In our conversation with her, she broadened her focus from technical skills to a holistic view of employability. She wanted to build a program that makes its interns as desirable as possible. After some asking around, she found that employers primarily sought 鈥渨ell-rounded鈥 people.

When we did some interviewing of our own last summer, we asked some local tech companies to share what they appreciated about . Forrest Cook, Manager of Business Systems at AppFolio, Inc., said that a prominent lesson from his career is that 鈥渁ttitude is one of the most important things.鈥 Cook elaborated: 鈥淵ou can have somebody who鈥檚 really, really smart and really good at their job, but with a bad attitude they鈥檙e not gonna be able to collaborate and work with the team.鈥 At Outside Open, CEO and CTO Greg Lawler shared that having interns 鈥渂rings a great energy to the office.鈥 The tech company鈥檚 small team is made of 鈥渧ery talented individuals who have a passion for serving people and solving problems.鈥

Attitude, energy, and passion鈥攁ll three of these descriptors indicate that employers are looking for a kind of person, not a set of skills. In a rapidly changing world, we need people who can solve ever-shifting problems. A liberal arts education prepares a person to embrace the process of learning. As Hannah expressed it: 鈥淭he liberal arts gives you a lot of practice in stepping into unfamiliar territory from a posture of humility and curiosity, being able to ask questions and learn and not let the failures and the mistakes keep you from moving forward.鈥 What Hannah truly loves about the liberal arts is the way it promotes a perspective of 鈥渃uriosity and wonder鈥:

鈥淔or me, that鈥檚 pretty much all of what coding is about鈥攊t鈥檚 kind of stepping back and saying, 鈥極kay, maybe I don鈥檛 know or don鈥檛 understand everything that鈥檚 going here. What questions can I ask to better position myself to understand? Who can I ask? How can I keep learning to be better and grow?鈥欌

Technology as an industry depends on constant innovation and change. Thus, the habits of lifelong learning that a liberal arts education cultivates provide an excellent foundation for anyone pursuing computer science and software development.

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