Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!bbx!bbxeng!scott
From: scott@bbxeng.UUCP (Engineering)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Being a consultant
Message-ID: <166@bbxeng.UUCP>
Date: 10 Aug 89 21:37:32 GMT
References: <5595@ficc.uu.net> <6221@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Reply-To: scott@bbxeng.UUCP (Scott-Engineering)
Organization: Basis International
Lines: 53

I was a consultant in the computer center at my college for about
a year.  Boy, could I tell you some stories!  The truth of the matter
is that many of the students cannot, and will never, understand programming.
My lab hours involved primarily beginning FORTRAN classes and advanced
assembler classes.  Some FORTRAN students were *never* able to understand the
connection between a READ statement and a FORMAT statement - too abstract.

I usually tried to explain things to a student when I was asked for help
with an assignment.  I normally wouldn't just give the answer.  However,
some students were better off just getting the answer.  (Actually they
would be better off dropping their classes).

One of my favorite stories:

It was at the end of the semester.  All of the students were desparately
trying to complete all of their programming assignments.  It was sooooo
busy that I elected to run a closed shop that night (normally, students
ran their own jobs).  The card reader jams.  The hopper is *full* of
FORTRAN jobs which I must remove to clear the jam.  I grab the entire
stack in my hand and gently remove it from the hopper...and...oops!...
the cards go all over the floor.  FORTRAN students watch in horror as
I try to gather up the cards off the floor.  Fortunately, the cards
tended to stay in clumps and I was able to put the whole thing back
together - except *one* card.  I just couldn't figure out where that
one card belonged.  It said:
  
           I=I+1
 
Oh well, I figured somebody's loop wouldn't work and that would be
that.  Nobody complained!

Another time, the line printer had been acting up a lot.  I was constantly
having to lift up the cover and adjust the paper and ribbon (one of those
old IBM printers with a 14" wide ribbon).  Practically every time I had to
do this there was this *thick* COBOL deck sitting on the printer which I
would have to move elsewhere.  I finally asked the owner of the COBOL
program not to keep putting his deck on top of the printer because it
might be knocked to the floor by accident.  A little while later I heard
a student call to me, "The printer's jammin' again".  I rushed into the
room and threw open the printer cover and....COBOL cards went flying. 
I swear it was an accident but I really enjoyed it.

Do any of you lab-assistants and ex-lab-assistants out there have
have some good stories to share?  Maybe start a thread in some other
group?


-- 

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Scott Amspoker
Basis International
505-345-5232