U.S. Military Cyber Chief Calls For Cyber Force

[waffle911]

[citation][nom]dgingeri[/nom]Can you guess I just failed my 5th try at english comp 2? Not because I couldn't handle the subject, but because I had yet another stupid, power hungry, hateful teacher.[/citation]
This is something I've heard quite a bit of among students who prefer science- and math-related fields of study, many of which upon closer inspection are not as good at writing as they think they are. It's a rare talent in these fields, but it is also very important. In order to properly convey ideas, theories and discoveries, one must possess adequate mastery over the art of writing.
I've had English teachers like the one you described, and even they can be quelled with a sufficient display of compositional competency.

Also, I vote for Anonymous to have a hand in any sort of "covert" operations the cyber-police might have in mind. yeah, I realize that would be counter-productive for keeping things secret, but they are nonetheless quite capable.

 

[dgingeri]

[citation][nom]waffle911[/nom]This is something I've heard quite a bit of among students who prefer science- and math-related fields of study, many of which upon closer inspection are not as good at writing as they think they are. It's a rare talent in these fields, but it is also very important. In order to properly convey ideas, theories and discoveries, one must possess adequate mastery over the art of writing.I've had English teachers like the one you described, and even they can be quelled with a sufficient display of compositional competency.Also, I vote for Anonymous to have a hand in any sort of "covert" operations the cyber-police might have in mind. yeah, I realize that would be counter-productive for keeping things secret, but they are nonetheless quite capable.[/citation]

I'm fine with writing. I can't write a novel or anything like that, but I have written laptop care and computer security/maintenance guides before.

The big thing is that I can't write academic papers. I don't do well with all the formatting crap required for APA format. My last 2 papers in that english comp 2 class have 15/50 points marked off specifically for not having my references formatted correctly and not having them cited in inline with the comment. (Whatever that means!) I absolutely hate this woman. My previous 2 papers I got marked off 30/50 points (yes, 60% of my grade) for not having references. I didn't even know I needed to cite someone else to reinforce my own opinion.

I don't need to know how to write this crap anyway. I'm not going to be writing any academic papers or articles for journals. There just isn't a call for that in computer support. The most I write on a regular basis is a description on what I need to check for when requesting loaner equipment from manufacturing (telling people I need to check to make sure we have power, space, and networking for the 3 racks of loaner servers they requested yesterday, and that's why I don't have the loaner equipment set up yet today) and to tell them what the names of the servers are and what IPs go with them. Oh, and I write a lot on forum responses.

Even if I were to go with computer network security (as I wanted to with a degree, which I will now never get) I won't need to write any stupid academic papers or journal articles. I'll be checking over server security, plugging holes, and gathering evidence against the guy who just hacked us. That's all. little writing involved.

Yet, I still have to go through this stupid, completely useless class to write academic papers.

Maybe I'll write a book on how the current educational system is completely out of touch with reality.

 

[Guest]

dginger, you know you'll have to write reports on the times you "gather evidence against the guy who just hacked" you. It can't just be screenshots with fragmented sentences stating "hacker ip address". You'll need to communicate intelligently to other managers inside of your business which means writing a document and citing sources. Maybe not in MLA or APA format, but if leaders are going to make decisions based on your recommendations, you better have some evidence to back you up.

 

[dgingeri]

[citation][nom]jl1561[/nom]dginger, you know you'll have to write reports on the times you "gather evidence against the guy who just hacked" you. It can't just be screenshots with fragmented sentences stating "hacker ip address". You'll need to communicate intelligently to other managers inside of your business which means writing a document and citing sources. Maybe not in MLA or APA format, but if leaders are going to make decisions based on your recommendations, you better have some evidence to back you up.[/citation]

I really hope you got from my writing above that I do know how to put words together with proper grammar and spelling so they make sense. I do know how to break things apart into proper paragraphs so it is easier to read. (I do that far better than the English Comp teachers who wrote the last few syllabuses I've read for the classes.) That's early High School English class.

I also know more than most English teachers on how to make my point direct and straightforward. I don't dally around "wallowing in complexity" so my point gets lost in a bunch of extra useless words. I almost never get a "TL;DR" response from my managers.

I'm certainly not an idiot. You have 2 examples of my writing above, and many more on the forums around here.

As for "citing sources", I have not seen any examples of anyone citing anyone else other than to quote and include a previous email. citing academic sources is just something that is not necessary in anything other than research science or academia. Most people in this world don't do either. Sure, the APA format would be useful for those people, who are likely less than 5% of the population. Why would it be needed by the other 95% of the population?

 

[B-Unit]

The major problem is that undergraduate (that I know of, maybe all) college programs are no longer about actually teaching you anything. They are about proving you can play by someone else's rules for 4 years, making you ready to be another soulless corporate drone.

 

[ChromeTusk]

Every high school graduate in America should have to take and pass Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry. If you can't pass those three courses at some point throughout high school then you don't graduate.

I agree that we need to raise the standards in school; however, I am not confident in EVERY student passing ALL three of those subjects. High school students should pass some form of calculus or statistics (not necessarily AP level, but still ready for college “101” level). They should also pass biology, chemistry, or physics (not necessarily AP level, but still ready for college “101” level).

We are educating American children based on the least common denominator. The stupidest kid in the class decides the curriculum and the pace of the course when it should be the exact opposite.

This is not really the case, but it is VERY difficult to teach classes where 1/3 to 1/2 of the students hold back the class because they learn at a different rate. It is just as bad when smarter students do not have access to classes they are ready to take. Unfortunately, funding and scheduling makes this difficult for schools to address. I think we should start introducing college style registration to high schools, but it still will not fix all the problems.

I'm fine with writing. … The big thing is that I can't write academic papers. I don't do well with all the formatting crap required for APA format. … I didn't even know I needed to cite someone else to reinforce my own opinion.
Even if I were to go with computer network security ... I won't need to write any stupid academic papers or journal articles. I'll be checking over server security, plugging holes, and gathering evidence against the guy who just hacked us. That's all. little writing involved.
Yet, I still have to go through this stupid, completely useless class to write academic papers.

Your English professors should have shown you access to sites and resources that would help improve your skills to pass the class. As for citing your sources, it shows intelligence when you can tell someone where you found your information. The formatting is just a bit more formal in a paper.
One final note: perhaps you enrolled in the wrong type of English class. Try to find one based more on “professional” writing, but still satisfies the graduation requirements.