[ForHackernews]

It's not a criticism, really (there's nothing wrong with wanting a job) but parent comment was asking why an academic field is being balkanized into a variety of specialized trade school topics, and that's why: to try and produce graduates who are immediately employable in the technology du jour.

[bonoboTP]

Yes, on the other hand it's often the case that those chasing the jobs in the hyped sector can get caught in phony parts. They can be easier to sway and ultimately be milked more, than those who are on a more stable footing. It seems often to be the case that such specialized new programs get a cohort of students with this attitude, whey want results and have a "teach me" mindset with poor average grades across the studentship. This in turn makes the uni reduce the difficulty and in depthness of the program compared to the traditional CS program of the same university.