Theoretical vs Practical Knowledge [was: Re: Opportunity for Usability Evaluation]

[Gwendolynn ferch Elydyr]

On Tue, 11 Dec 2001, J C Lawrence wrote:
> So you too can write job req's that demand book larning' for
> positions that require practical, pragmatic trench experience.

I'm going to wander afield from where this thread started.

IMHO, it's very important to have a mix of theoretical and practical
knowledge. This isn't a suggestion that you must have a degree - but it's
a strong suggestion that you must have some form of theoretical background.

The major failing of a person who only has pragmatic experience is that
they only know what they've encountered. My classic example for this is
the wonderful SAGE-II/III that I had working for me, who managed to
tar up and remove lib, because he was completely unaware of it's purpose!
(not really a surprise there - it's not knowledge that the average hands
on sysadmin would need to know).

A bit of book larning' would have nipped that problem cleanly in the bud.

cheers!
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"A cat spends her life conflicted between a deep, passionate and profound
desire for fish and an equally deep, passionate and profound desire to
avoid getting wet.  This is the defining metaphor of my life right now."