[softwarebeware]

You're talking about this right?

> I think CS curricula should have a class that focuses specifically on these issues, on the matter of how do you actually write software?

Are you really opposed to "a class" on writing software being included in CS curricula? CS courses have plenty of writing software.

[jerf]

"We're going to ask you to write code for four years. Professional coding may not be the point of this curriculum but coding is still the primary way you're going to interact with it. And don't you dare take even a week to sharpen the saw out of those those four years, because that's not the point of this curriculum! Saw with that dull saw! Saw harder! Because sawing is not the point of this school, so we're not going to teach you, so just saw harder!"

How is this a sensible position? It's not even "vocational training" being called for here, it's basic fundamentals for anyone who is going to code. I can tell you from experience that data scientists could stand to be oriented on the basics of this stuff too, and it would pay off in less time than just the course that taught it, let alone the full curriculum, let alone a career.

This is agreement with you, btw. Of course the very basics of management of programming should be taught. Of course the stuff in the blog post should be taught formally in some introductory class. Who trains their football players by just having them play games over and over? Who teaches musicians by just having them play concert music? Who expects English students to improve by just writing journal articles continuously? Every field has some sort of basics to it that aren't the actual output of the field but will cause anyone who is weak in them to waste arbitrary amounts of time spinning uselessly on useless irrelevancies.