&gt; I would argue that CS grads who do not spend some time learning practical skills on the side are idiots and completely misunderstand the industry they are trying to enter.<p>I agree, but then I realize I live in a bubble.<p>Here and in &#x2F;r&#x2F;cscareerquestions, everyone knows to do side projects. In my school, most people don&#x27;t. Neither do my friends in other schools. They may get one internship but that&#x27;s the only &quot;practical&quot; thing they do (usually good enough to get a job though). A lot of my friends are much busier than me and don&#x27;t have time to teach themselves stuff on top of school and life, at least not well enough to get a job.<p>Perhaps we need to stress a bit more practicality in CS curriculum?