University of Oregon Computer and Information Science Department
2000 Commencement Address
By Erik Nilsson
Congratulations to you on this important day. Enjoy it. I know you will. Again, congratulations.

I am your commencement speaker. I must give you advice for what lies ahead. This is a happy task, because many good things lie ahead. To paraphrase the minor philosopher Ed McMahon, you probably have already won. This round in the game of life goes to you. Those of you who seek jobs either have them or should soon get them. Those of you who are pursuing advanced degrees will find departments eager to have you as students. Some of you will become voluptuously rich. Most of you won't, but most of you will be prosperous. Few if any of you will hereafter experience poverty.
Not that life is ever easy, of course. Life is always hard. And you still have to face the big questions:
  • Who am I?
  • Why am I here?
  • What are my responsibilities to others?
  • How much should I compromise my beliefs?
    • Those are hard questions. Surprisingly, as you get older, they get harder. Well, you have your whole lifetime for them, and I can't even scratch the surface today.

    		So instead I'll talk about computers. I mean to say something about computers as a profession. I'll say a little about programming as a craft, about how non-programmers will see you, and what you should expect of yourself. This is slanted towards the industrial computer person, because that's what I know. But those of you planning a career in academia will also have to face the responsibilities of a professional.
    Of course, if you are Shawn Fanning, you can ignore everything I'm about to say. You can, but I think you should still listen. Shawn has the cover of Newsweek, but he doesn't have an exit strategy. He's having a great ride, but it may still be a long ride. If the luckiest 19-year-old programmer in the world should consider what it means to be a computer professional, then we all should.
    The Business of Cutting Code
    While there have been changes, the education you received is not fundamentally different from the one I received here when most of y’all were in 2nd grade. So, I can tell you what your education will do for you. You received a strong formal background. You'll benefit from it. It will suggest ways to solve problems, and warn you away from unworkable approaches. But you won't make it with what you know now. You have more to learn.
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