CIO OPINION
To get value from software development , we need to move beyond teaching old programming languages because the curriculum has not changed in years , to something more relevant to the demands of the digital world .
It boils down to what is going to get them there the fastest in the most efficient and most valuable ways possible . Is this going to happen when they complete their degree at university ? In all likelihood , it is not . Instead , a combination of class-based lectures and online skills development has become crucial . Completing projects that are designed for a real-world context becomes invaluable .
A software development academy in which a student learns practical , valuable skills with coding in an environment to best replicate a job while getting experience in working with a team then becomes the foundation of life , post-Matric .
Of course , having students finish school and get a job requires more than developer skills . It is a combination of soft and technical skills . For example , students need to learn how to work and collaborate within a team , know how to handle themselves in a meeting , and even understand how to dress for work . These are all things that fall by the wayside going the traditional route .
The way software development is taught must be reinvented for today ’ s digital world . p
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