Linux.com

I do a computing course at Oxford University, UK. A university hardly known for its production of unemployable degree-holders. When we do procedural programming, the "industry standard" language is C. Everyone who isn't doing object-orientated programming uses C. But we use Oberon. Heard of that? Thought not. But we use it because we are taught how to program and the theory of procedural programming, not how to write C programs. There are good reasons for using Oberon (stronger typing etc prevents you developing a lot of bad habits), and the way the course is taught means the skills are easily transferable to _any_ procedural language. And the same for OOP etc. So when Java goes out of vogue, and C# comes in vogue, our education isn't worthless.

I realise that this is graphical software, which is a different field, but the point of academic (as opposed to vocational) studies is to teach you about a general subject, not how to use a particular tool. When you go to an employer with a degree in graphic design, they can reasonably expect you to be proficient at graphic design, regardless of the software.

And if you use the fourth year to learn Photoshop et al, you can go to a potential employer and say "I'm proficient in graphic design using a variety of tools, _including_ (but not limited to) the industry standard. And as a result, I'm adaptable to new tools and methods." And adaptability is a great bonus...

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