Let’s imagine that I am not a professor of computer science. I am instead the operator of a fishing camp in northern Ontario.
You are not a student of computer science. You have left behind a life in the city for a week of vacation.
You have told me that you want to catch many big fish. You have paid thousands of dollars to spend some time with me at my camp. You have arrived on a float plane. That is the only way to get here. We are in the wilderness, surrounded by a deep forest, on the shore of a deep, clear, and cold lake. There are very few of us on this lake. The lake teems with game fish. You have landed in a place that offers abundant opportunity.
Over the years, I have seen three kinds of clients.
- Some of my clients choose to sleep late into the mornings. Those clients spend most of their time in the cabins. Gray weather discourages these clients. We do not have WiFi or cell service here in the North Woods. Some of my clients complain about how little there is to do.
- Other clients come out of their cabins on the sunny days but go only as far as the dock. They lie down on the dock, enjoy the warmth from the sun, and get a tan. Sometimes they sit on the edge of the dock and dangle their bare feet in the water. The little sunfish nibble at their toes.
- Finally, there are clients who rise at dawn each day. Together we get in the boat and drive to the far ends of the lake. We fish when the air is cold. We fish in the rain. We fish when mosquitos swarm around our heads. Our patience and determination is rewarded. We catch northern pike, lake trout, and walleye.
There are no guarantees of success here. And there are no shortcuts. You might pass many hours without getting a bite.
However, spend time in the boat, endure the wet weather, the cold weather, and the bugs and you have a very good chance of achieving your goals.
Will you choose the bed, the dock, or the boat?
How is a fishing camp like a course at our college?