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tencies are reinforced. He concluded that education needs to support the development ofdifferential skills (namely interpersonal skills and personal attributes) through the creationof learning situations which stress these.Lethbridge (2000) also examined the industry perception: his aim was to gain a practitionerranking of the usefulness of specific topics compiled from the curricula of (emerging)SCE (Software and Computer Engineering) and CS, the influence of these on respondents’career and how much they had learned formally compared to what was required as a professional.Lethbridge grouped Engineering graduates (electrical, computer and other) andCS/SE (including IS graduates). Unremarkably, respondents learnt more mathematical andcore computing specific (content) knowledge, and less generic and SE knowledge (see Table2.5).Table 2.5: Lethbridge rankings: most and least learnt formallyRankTopicMost Learnt1 Specific Programming Languages2 Differential and Integral Calculus3 Linear Algebra and Matrices4 Probability and Statistics5 Data Structures6 Physics7 Differential Equations8 Set Theory9 Design of Algorithms10 Operating SystemsLeast Learnt66 Data Acquisition67 Maintenance, Re engineering and Reverse Engineering68 Marketing69 VLSI70 Robotics71 Software Cost Estimation72 Configuration & Release Management73 Entrepreneurship74 Process Standards (eg CMM / ISO 9000)75 NegotiationThis table (in its complete state) is notable in that the topics Technical Writing, and Analysisand Design Methods rank as having the 5th and 6th most pronounced bi-polar distribution(Lethbridge, 1999, p 14), an indication of differing educational focus. Although he foundfew surprises in the data: software topics are clearly learned far more by the CS/SE graduates,while the Engineers learn more about traditional Engineering topics, it is interestingto note that Engineers have more background in entrepreneurship and also ethics and professionalismthan Computer Scientists. The most pronounced bi-polar distribution regardingwhat respondents knew most at the time of the study focussed on both soft and RE skills26