This paper presents some results of a detailed empirical study of routine computer use in several organizations. We present a theoretical account of computing work and use it to explain a number of observed phenomena, such as: --How people knowingly use "false" data to obtain desired analytical results by tricking their systems. --How organizations come to rely upon complex, critical computer systems despite significant, recurrent, known errors and inaccurate data

New computer science graduates are inadequately prepared to apply their abstract knowledge, and they have rarely worked in the teams required in modern business. To remedy these shortcomings and alleviate the low motivation that often accompanies the first years of college, we proposed that a pilot group of entering freshmen should be formed into a four-year experimental team. Unlike traditional course-at-a-time approaches, this supplements the existing curriculum by integrating material across courses through team construction of software projects. Under the guidance of faculty and graduate student mentors, students work cooperatively on projects related not just to programming but to the entire lifecycle of software production, from market analysis to revision based on technical support. Initial projects are team-oriented and scaled to the capabilities of entering students while final projects span the product development cycle and involve several semesters of effort. Industrial repr...

The aims of the paper are to identify Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality attributes of computing professionals that are best suited to three major subtasks of computing --- system analysis, system design and programming and to confirm the validity of the attributes for computing professionals. The MBTI categorises individuals on four pairs of personality characteristics: extraversion/introversion, sensing/ intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perceiving, giving sixteen possible personality types. The existing literature indicates that just two of these sixteen personality types account for more than a third of computing professionals. Consideration of the tasks of computing professionals today suggests that a much broader range of personality types is required. Preferred types are suggested for each of the major subtasks of system analysis, system design and programming. A study of 38 computing professionals tends to confirm that computing professionals with a preference for one of the subtasks do have characteristics suggested for that subtask. The implications of these findings for the recruitment and retention of students are discussed.