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Any Computer Science Majors/Grads?

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BagOTricks
Posts: 815 - Karma: 3,351
Thinking about going into computer science next year. I just wanted to hear from anyone that has done the same. Is it really math based? Is it enjoyable, or just mind numbingly boring? Also, for those who have graduated/looking for jobs, what's the job market like?

I plan to work for myself, but need a fall back plan and a shaky job market isn't a very good plan B.

One more thing, if there's any computer engineers I'd appreciate any input from you as well. Thanks NS!
Dec 14 2013 11:55AM
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TooMuchSwag
Posts: 23 - Karma: 31
your mom goes to college
just ask her
Dec 14 2013 12:00PM
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Kitzrow
Posts: 574 - Karma: 94
I, too, decided I "might be interested in computer science" because its a "thriving, growing industry". Unfortunately, despite its obvious practicality, I couldn't follow through. If you don't like to code on your own time, just for shits and giggles, there's no way you can get good by just doing the homework alone. It's a skill that the people who are really good at it don't even see as work, and they do it on their free time, all the time. Also, maybe it's taught differently everywhere, but we used to have to lectures a week..like taking handwritten notes about coding, and then be thrust into some ridiculously complex, abstraction of the material once a week called a "lab". It just seemed backwards. Why not just teach the whole class in a computer lab so we can actually practice coding? But, I guess they're thinking is that if you're a computer science major, you probably to this shit on your freetime anyways, so you'll get the hang of it.

I guess, bottom line, it's fucking hard (to grasp conceptually. I'd equate it taking a foreign language for the first time), and you best be willing to invest a lot of time.

,,I did not graduate with a computer science degree
Dec 14 2013 12:12PM
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Kitzrow
Posts: 574 - Karma: 94
although there are a shit load of jobs. if you actually like coding, you might want to look into cyber security..At my brother's graduation, his program graduated along side the cyber security kids, and as they were going up, he was pointing out that almost every kid already had a 100K+ job
Dec 14 2013 12:15PM
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Stose
Posts: 7109 - Karma: 4,123
Currently a computer science major and linguistics minor because I plan on working on developing AI. Actually the computer science part is way less exciting than I thought. It's mind numbingly boring, but keep in mind you are basically regurgitating certain character patterns into a program for most the time. You should check out codeacademy.com and go through that for a little and see how you feel about it. It is a bunch of math though.
Dec 14 2013 12:29PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
depends on the school. if you are doing a true computer science degree, then yeah it is going to have lots of math and be very interesting. basically lots of stuff on theoretical computer science.

if you go into a shitty program it will be basically a degree where you learn how to program a bit but mostly fuck around and do nothing. If you want to be a programmer you should go into software engineering.

I know senior year computer science majors, and they don't know jack shit about computers. Like really basic stuff sometimes. They know how to program a little, but honestly I think it's mostly "cut and paste from google" type stuff I think.
Dec 14 2013 12:33PM
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A_Unicorn
Posts: 129 - Karma: 249
After taking a basic programming course in high school and having a lot of fun programming games and robots, I thought that computer science would be awesome. Now I am taking AP computer science as a senior, and it is NOT what I had in mind. So far all we have been doing is writing java programs to do alot of math related things, like find prime numbers and reverse arrays . I would definetly try taking a course to see if you are interested before you sign up. I remember hearing on a university visit that the computer science field has one of the highest transfer out rates of any major.
Dec 14 2013 2:34PM
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BikeMlatt69
Posts: 1947 - Karma: 60
Currently a Comp Sci Major. Yes there is a lot of math because Computer Science is essentially applied mathematics. So much math that I am required a math minor. It's fun, a lot of boring theory classes, make sure you do an internship because the industry is a lot different then what you will experience in class. Everyone needs a computer scientist these days, regardless of industry.
Dec 14 2013 2:43PM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
was this comment based on anything? Sure, you can google and find answers to your programming questions but in order for the answers to make sense at all, you have to understand the programming language you are using--which is the hard part anyway. I have never used google in any programming class I've ever taken, and very very rarely in any applications I've worked on outside of school.

To answer OP though, I am not a CS major.
Dec 14 2013 3:00PM
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BikeMlatt69
Posts: 1947 - Karma: 60
"Googling" is actually incredibly common for finding syntax and algorithms.
Dec 14 2013 3:17PM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
but like I said-- you have to understand the languages to begin with, otherwise whatever answer you find isn't going to make sense.
Dec 14 2013 3:28PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
IT major with CS minor here:

dont go into CS...that shit can be outsourced to bangladesh. and it is extremely difficult. but, there are a ton of oppourtunites...IF you are smart and work extremely hard.

the job market is great for IT. there are even oppourtunities in the ski industry
Dec 14 2013 3:34PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
Ok first of all I have very little experience with programming. This is all what I have heard from friends in computer science and software engineering.

A good computer science program is going to put a lot of emphasis on the absolute fundamentals. It's not about learning the syntax for whatever programming language. Basically when it comes down to it, CS does not really prepare you that well for the workplace after your degree, and it shouldn't.

It's like a physics degree vs a mechanical engineering degree. You learn a lot of the underlying physics that a mechanical engineer would just skim over. You build up a knowledge based more on first principles than god-given formulas from a book. But if a company wants someone to help design a machine, they are gonna want the engineer who has learned how to actually do practical shit.

The computer science programs that try to pump out programmers ready for the workplace are just second-rate from what I hear. You get guys like my friend, who don't know much about computer science, and can't program nearly as well as a software engineer. It's like the worse of both worlds.
Dec 14 2013 7:33PM
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BikeMlatt69
Posts: 1947 - Karma: 60
Computer Science and programming are analogous to a painter and his paint. There are Computer Science rules and principles. Computer Science is not programming, it is solving problems mathematically. If you understand basic principles, learning languages should be really easy.
Dec 14 2013 7:48PM
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reBlocke
Posts: 762 - Karma: 1,502
I've got a CS degree (from CU Boulder). Very little of it was about programming itself, which is not that hard. Beyond the intro classes, it's all about what to write, not how to write it.

Also, your job outlook coming out of undergrad is just about as good as it gets... there's a lot of different directions to go (startups, established companies, research/graduate work). As long as you enjoy working with code, I'd say go for it.
Dec 14 2013 11:17PM
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extravert
Posts: 1112 - Karma: 3,174
Do you have any experience programming? I did some cs in high school and hated it, but then in college liked it and got really good. As people have been saying, its the kind of thing that you need to be interested in to succeed. As for jobs, there are tons. everyone needs cs majors these days.
Dec 14 2013 11:27PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,123
yeah. this is what I mean. some schools do a good job at sticking to computer science. Other schools are just not as good.

At my school, there are CSC seniors (specializing in graphics) who don't know what it means to invert a matrix. They let the CSC majors essentially pick whatever options they want in third and fourth year, so most people pick the easy courses. Why take a course with a tough pen/paper final in the good course when you can just make an animation using Blender for another.

So you wind up with people graduating CSC without even knowing what computer science really even is. Trust me, I've seen it with a lot of my friends. The only ones who actually have jobs now either dropped out of university to makes apps, or got a degree in software engineering.

That being said, there are people who do combined majors in physics and computer science, or math and computer science, and they are doign really cool stuff. They all went the academic route though. Although I'm sure their skills are still more applicable to industry than the people who did pure CSC.
Dec 14 2013 11:31PM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
Ummm...what I replied to was the portion of chicken's post where he mentioned that of the people he knew they knew very little programming and that he thought what they did know about programming they probably just googled. That is what I was replying to.
Dec 15 2013 12:14AM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
what is with these responses? You made a statement about how the people you know who know how to program probably just google and copy/paste whatever it is they do know. That is what I was replying to.
Dec 15 2013 12:15AM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
ok, I see why you're responding the way that you are-- you are basically stating that a real CS program doesn't have much to do with learning the actual programming languages. This is just a communication issue because I was literally just replying to your last statement, and I think I took what you said the wrong way.
Dec 15 2013 12:20AM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
out of context.
Dec 15 2013 12:21AM
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Sno.
Posts: 12155 - Karma: 6,152
gotcha. That actually surprises me a little as I've always associated CS with strictly coding, without the business aspects of identifying solutions to business problems. I've always thought that hybrid positions like business analysts, systems analysts, etc. were the ones to identify the need (what to write) and then the IT programmers (CS majors) would be the ones to write whatever programs are needed to meet those business demands/changes (how to write it). That is how things are structured at my work.

To the above poster with the painter/paints analogy-- I believe we were saying the same thing, as I was just trying to say that it isn't a matter of just going to the store and buying paint when you need it (googling code), its a matter of knowing what to do with the paint once you have it (how to incorporate what you find). I was mainly talking from personal experience though-- before I knew C#, whenever I saw something in C# in a forum or something it was totally over my head. Once I learned the basics of the language, though, it all made sense. The foreign language analogy made at the top of this thread I think is a good one.

sorry for the 5-post. I think this is the 5th.
Dec 15 2013 2:09AM
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BagOTricks
Posts: 815 - Karma: 3,351
Not sure why this got necrod but just an update: I graduated with a CS degree after 4 years of college in 2018 and have worked for a fortune 100 company for the past year and a half. I found the courses in college to either be extremely fun and engaging, or boring (theory classes mostly). I can now work on my own video games, apps, and other software systems as a hobby and that is freaking awesome. The job market is red hot (at least before COVID) and I had no problems getting job offers. At the moment I'm working from my bed, and I plan to move out west next year to work remotely and ski some amazing mountains. I definitely made the right choice and would encourage anyone reading this to pursue a CS degree if they're thinking about it.

Also, I am in the early stages of planning a golf software system that I hope will turn into a full time job, but for the time being I am satisfied with what I do!

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:13:47am

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:15:03am
Aug 17 2020 8:08AM
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Idahoe
Posts: 1027 - Karma: 7,532
BagOTricksNot sure why this got necrod but just an update: I graduated with a CS degree after 4 years of college in 2018 and have worked for a fortune 100 company for the past year and a half. I found the courses in college to either be extremely fun and engaging, or boring (theory classes mostly). I can now work on my own video games, apps, and other software systems as a hobby and that is freaking awesome. The job market is red hot (at least before COVID) and I had no problems getting job offers. At the moment I'm working from my bed, and I plan to move out west next year to work remotely and ski some amazing mountains. I definitely made the right choice and would encourage anyone reading this to pursue a CS degree if they're thinking about it.

Also, I am in the early stages of planning a golf software system that I hope will turn into a full time job, but for the time being I am satisfied with what I do!

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:13:47am

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:15:03am


just got to college a week ago and I was leaning in the direction of CS, fuck it imma go full steam ahead. Thanks for the info g
Aug 27 2020 12:17PM
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BagOTricks
Posts: 815 - Karma: 3,351
Idahoejust got to college a week ago and I was leaning in the direction of CS, fuck it imma go full steam ahead. Thanks for the info g


Hell ya bro good luck! Definitely a solid choice and sets you up for a lifetime of opportunities. Computers aren't going anywhere, lemme know if you have any questions!
Aug 27 2020 4:26PM
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yungona
Posts: 2374 - Karma: -5,807
thinking about going into college for CS when i graduate currently taking AP CS. would you say its needed to go to college for a career in CS if you are a self-learner?
Aug 27 2020 5:30PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
yungonathinking about going into college for CS when i graduate currently taking AP CS. would you say its needed to go to college for a career in CS if you are a self-learner?


Not many degrees are worth the college price tag, but the world is desperately in need of Software Engineers and the gap is growing as new systems involving AI come online. If you are apprehensive about school, I'd seek out a job at a company that specializes in the field and see if you can get a job doing something there. It will be easy to find out if the degree is a must. An ideal scenario would be to find a company where you can both work and learn, then maybe get your school paid for if they want to accelerate your learning/get you a credential.

Short answer: No, it's not necessary to go to college to get a great job. Work ethic and self study may be able to get you where you want to go in a lot of fields (Civil Engineering was not one of those for me). I'd seek mentorship from someone who is winning in the field and make it clear you want to work hard to be an asset there. I'd hire someone like that in a heartbeat over a lazy person with a degree.
Aug 29 2020 12:58PM
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BagOTricks
Posts: 815 - Karma: 3,351
yungonathinking about going into college for CS when i graduate currently taking AP CS. would you say its needed to go to college for a career in CS if you are a self-learner?

Not necessary but will definitely help. If you do well in school and get a degree, it's basically a guaranteed job. That being said I know numerous co-workers that went through programming bootcamps and have a job like mine, but I believe they also have a bachelor's of some sort. I'm sure there are places out there that will take you on without a degree as long as you have a strong enough knowledge of coding/CS in general.
Aug 30 2020 12:55PM
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Getshifty
Posts: 344 - Karma: 2,118
BagOTricksNot sure why this got necrod but just an update: I graduated with a CS degree after 4 years of college in 2018 and have worked for a fortune 100 company for the past year and a half. I found the courses in college to either be extremely fun and engaging, or boring (theory classes mostly). I can now work on my own video games, apps, and other software systems as a hobby and that is freaking awesome. The job market is red hot (at least before COVID) and I had no problems getting job offers. At the moment I'm working from my bed, and I plan to move out west next year to work remotely and ski some amazing mountains. I definitely made the right choice and would encourage anyone reading this to pursue a CS degree if they're thinking about it.

Also, I am in the early stages of planning a golf software system that I hope will turn into a full time job, but for the time being I am satisfied with what I do!

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:13:47am

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:15:03am


Going into computer science as a freshman this fall, pretty stoked. Got lucky and was able to snag a job at the university of Oregon this summer as a “network and sensor developer” basically paid internship and I get to work as much or as little as I want. Actually coding can be really frustrating but gratifying when it works out.
Aug 30 2020 4:04PM
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5712 - Karma: 20,638
BagOTricksNot sure why this got necrod but just an update: I graduated with a CS degree after 4 years of college in 2018 and have worked for a fortune 100 company for the past year and a half. I found the courses in college to either be extremely fun and engaging, or boring (theory classes mostly). I can now work on my own video games, apps, and other software systems as a hobby and that is freaking awesome. The job market is red hot (at least before COVID) and I had no problems getting job offers. At the moment I'm working from my bed, and I plan to move out west next year to work remotely and ski some amazing mountains. I definitely made the right choice and would encourage anyone reading this to pursue a CS degree if they're thinking about it.

Also, I am in the early stages of planning a golf software system that I hope will turn into a full time job, but for the time being I am satisfied with what I do!

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:13:47am

**This post was edited on Aug 17th 2020 at 8:15:03am

This is the biggest follow up I’ve ever seen on NS. It’s remarkable you came back with an update and that it’s a 100% I did everything I said I would.




kudos.
Aug 31 2020 2:56PM
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BagOTricks
Posts: 815 - Karma: 3,351
CaptainObvious.This is the biggest follow up I’ve ever seen on NS. It’s remarkable you came back with an update and that it’s a 100% I did everything I said I would.




kudos.


Thanks man! Blessed it worked out so well.
Sep 20 2020 5:58PM
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yungona
Posts: 2374 - Karma: -5,807
BagOTricksNot necessary but will definitely help. If you do well in school and get a degree, it's basically a guaranteed job. That being said I know numerous co-workers that went through programming bootcamps and have a job like mine, but I believe they also have a bachelor's of some sort. I'm sure there are places out there that will take you on without a degree as long as you have a strong enough knowledge of coding/CS in general.


thanks for the advice brother. good luck in your career!
Sep 20 2020 8:49PM
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