Wanna be a hero? Go live in another planet.

It's a very sad scene in Malaysia. No, it's not about the state of our economy. And hell no, I'm not talking about the policies of our politician. Rather, it's about the state of computer education in universities and colleges in this country. What's the problem with it? Well, if you weren't living in the cave for god knows how long, you should know. There are so-called graduates of "Software Engineering" who cannot write a simple FizzBuzz or a simple C program that are robust to inputs entered deliberately to make it fail, or so-called graduates of "Computer Science" who couldn't write fast, efficient search algorithm using distance-based n-ary tries. Those are just a few examples I can conjured up on air.

There's a saying that goes, “give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime," and how true it really is.

To all my fellow friends, if you are reading this, let me just say one thing. I'm not born to help people. I'm no super hero. I've tried to, over the past few years - simultaneously handling several projects, many of them are not even of my own responsibilities. Sorry, but from today on, I've learned the most powerful (and down to earth) word ever - No. No, I can't help you do your final year project. No, I can't help you do your assignment. No, I can't help your do your tutorial. I won't even give you the answer if I have one. But I can guide you - if I have the time. Or if doing the work doesn't affect my own projects. And if I spent my own time trying and I just can't find any solution, I will say sorry and walked away. Yeah, just like that.

If, in a very special situation where I do help you do your final year project, if I do help you do your assignment, or I do help you do your tutorial, you can't accept it. Why? Because if i do that, I've spoiled you. I've destroyed your future. I've make you useless in the IT world. In the event that all of it never happen, it's no guarantee that I won't tell your supervisor, tell your lecturer, or tell your tutor, that all your work is mine and I shall get all the marks. But hey, it's my work, I should get all the marks, no?

I've became mean? No, the physics of the planet did - I can't fly in the sky like superman, sorry.