Re: Question about Relational Algebra?

I don't *entirely* disagree with you. I do agree that skills without experience are pretty useless (that is why you can't just get an OCP from a boot camp class and expect a high powered high paid job immediately). However I do think that skills can be taught (and that many skills actually depend on actual knowledge).

I have two examples of this one off topic and one on topic.

Off Topic. The pilot example you give.

Of course playing flight simulators will not make you a good pilot, flying will do that. But I'd be more than a little upset if the pilot on my sister in laws jet across the ocean this weekend was learning by doing and was on flight number one in a transatlantic jet! There is a place for the flight simulator here.

On Topic. ASP development.

All the asp developers here know that they should use bind variables. I waste no time telling them that. They don't however use them. They say they are experienced in asp development and know how to do string substitution. So they keep doing it. They develop quicker that way as well. (just not quicker apps!). One of them however does take my point. why because he understands the impact of literals on query parsing.

So in summary, of course no-one sensible says that academic knowledge is better than experience. I merely maintain it is just as daft to say that experience is better than academic knowledge. The two are complementary and required in different mixes for different tasks.

--
Niall Litchfield
Oracle DBA
Audit Commission UK
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"Billy Verreynne" <vslabs_at_onwe.co.za> wrote in message
news:3c8461e0.318892194_at_news.saix.net...


> "Niall Litchfield" <n-litchfield_at_audit-commission.gov.uk> wrote:

>

> >Depends on the task. I for one am hoping that the architect who designed

my


> >house and the engineers that constructed it had both practical and

academic


> >knowledge, the former being dependent upon the latter.

>

> Yes, but we are talking about a skill. No amount of playing flight

> simulators can make you a good pilot. No amount of watching Jackie

> Chan movies and imitating his moves will make you a good martial

> artist.

>

> A skill can not be taught. It is acquired through practice and more

> practice. Solving problems, is a skill.

>

> Or to put it in Morphues' words - there is a difference in knowing the

> road and walking the road. ;-)

>

> --

> Billy

>

>