Year: 2010

I’ve been getting continuous calls from local colleges/universities(private and otherwise) students asking me to “help” with their web development assignments daily! Imagine that?!?!

Previously I had done a few and I don’t want to take any anymore now. One thing is because it’s not worth it and it will do no good for them, they don’t bother to learn, they just want to be spoon fed which is a serious problem with students nowadays. That’s why nowadays you get many youngsters(as if I’m so old ;p) and also many young adults asked you things that are already stated in the documents or blog posts and so on. They don’t bother to read or find out even though the things are right there in front of them!

Let me share some of my experiences with “helping” them, it’s not an easy task. They told me that it’s very simple to do but when I asked for further details, they had no clue at all! If it’s so simple, then they should know how to do. They shouldn’t be coming to me!

It’s not only about building the website for them, I’m sure all the assignments required documentations. So it will mean, I have to do their documentations for them indirectly even though they told me that I didn’t have to. They didn’t even understand the components and the mechanisms of the thing, how are they going to do the documentation based on my work?!?

Not only that, they asked me to do, fine! I did it based on their question requirements. Then, they showed their lecturers or they didn’t (just used the lecturer’s name to indirectly tell me they didn’t really like the work I did. I purposely did it their standard rather than the pro standard to help cover their ass). They came back to me saying that the lecturer asked to change this, change that, blah blah blah… You get the drift? Then, I had to redo again. Really not worth the time and money. Some more I had to waste time meet them face to face to explain the assignment to them so that they won’t be caught cheating. Imagine, submitting the assignment, do presentation and when the lecturers ask questions, they got no clue on what to say.

Then, there’s even one really bad one. The dad asked me to tutor the daughter, fine… I went and tutored her. Then the next day, she called me and told me that she would pay me to do the assignment because she really didn’t get it and told me not to tell her dad. Fine… I was so sick and tired with her calling me day and night even with the simplest thing(which she knew how but lazy to do one by one, I found out after I went tru’ the work) and her due date was in few days time, I agreed. Thought that it will end there, who knows…

After many many moons, almost one year later, she called me up again, asking me to DO another assignment of hers. After inquiry about it, I found out that it’s not something I know how… I had returned that knowledge to my lecturer already hahaha… I told her I didn’t know how to do, she kept begging and saying it’s very simple assignment. I kept telling her I couldn’t help, I really got no idea, didn’t even remember the basics. Even asked me to introduce other friends of mine that could help. I just told her they were all very busy, no time at all. I got no idea what happened next, whether she managed to hand up the assignment or not, it’s none of my business.

Another reason for me to decline was also there is no point to “help”, it will do her no good. She should look for her lecturer and tell him/her about her problems, I’m sure the lecturer will be able to help her, have discussion with her classmates, and do her own research. If I did it for her, it would mean she’s learning nothing. What is the point?!?!

Then few days ago, called me again! This time I had to declined with various excuses. Same thing, asked me for my other friends that could help, again I told her the same thing. Then, she tried again to make me agree by telling me she didn’t have the software. Of course I told her I got no such software. The truth is I really don’t have. I just asked her to see her lecturer face to face, get help from her lecturer and ended the conversation.

I know such assignment or project “help” is very common among many students nowadays not only in Malaysia but everywhere else. What good is there to “help” them? Graduate without even knowing what they were learning and then come out to the working world demand for high salary because of the piece of paper they got.

Such “help” is really in demand nowadays especially for non-IT students. Sorry to say that but that’s the fact. They are not interested and got no clue at all about these IT stuffs(the very basics) but they have to study it because it’s required in their course. To them, these knowledge got no use and not related to them, they didn’t even bother to learn more about it. The fact is that all these knowledge actually prepare them for the world out there.

For example, you’re taking business course, you need to learn how to use Excel, Access, Power Point, Frontpage, VB and so on, some of these are required in the business world nowadays especially if you are working at a corporate firm and depending on which department you work with, also to prepare you not to be cheated or taken advantage by some IT experts(sad to say, there are). Don’t you even dare to tell me that you don’t have to know all these if you’re studying non-IT course. It’s BS!

Then again, I don’t think we can do anything… We can only do that much, the rest is still up to themselves.