[wolfgke]

> How many civil engineers are building bridges on the side? Why has it become the "norm" that CS students pay tons of money to attend universities that leave them ill-equipped to find a job in the real world?

The problem is rather the expectation of the employers: No civil engineer is expected to build huge bridges in his free time.

[ryandrake]

True, and also it's inflated role expectations: I doubt junior candidate civil engineers straight out of college are expected to have multiple finished bridge projects in some kind of portfolio. Entry level jobs are supposed to be entry level: You filter for education fundamentals, hire for aptitude and potential, and then they learn the industry tools and jargon on the job.