Comp Sci Majors: What the heck do you do?

[PsychoAndy]

I was originally gonna put CS Majors, but I was afraid of an influx of awp n00bs in this thread.

So, uh, what do computer science majors do? is that basically being a programmer, or do you do other hardware related stuff? does it involve lots of calc and diffeq?

 

[atom]

Honestly, it could be all of the above, and it could be none of the above.

 

[agnitrate]

Most universities will require you to complete all of Calculus and perhaps diff eq as well. It's not a requirement for my CS degree, however. I really don't know specifically what CS people do.

Maybe I should find out before I graduate?

-silver

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: atom
Honestly, it could be all of the above, and it could be none of the above.

Except that lots of calc and diffeq isn't very likely for most programming jobs.

 

[agnitrate]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: atom
Honestly, it could be all of the above, and it could be none of the above.

Except that lots of calc and diffeq isn't very likely for most programming jobs.

Calc is used for 3d programming extensively.

-silver

 

[atom]

It might and might not. Games for example require physics. Physics=calculus.

 

[arcain]

At my school there was a lot of calculus and diffeq. But little of it was really necessary in the CS classes. There were a couple of basic "hardware" classes (CPU Architecture and Design, and hardware design labs). At my school it was mostly programming and programming theory.

If you wanted a more hardware oriented CS major, you could take a look at something like CS&E, Computer Science and Engineering.

 

[DocZaius]

Lots of programming, digital logic, algorithms, some software engineering.

 

[cmv]

So far lots of calc. I'm working on calc 1 right now and my plan is to keep on trucking. I'm probably going to earn an A! Wahoo...

Anyway, CS is usually more programming than hardware. Computer Engineering is more hardwarish. But it varies depending on the school, program, and what classes you choose to take to fulfill those required credits.

I would recommend a google search and a quick look at the major requirements on various school's websites. They'll have the qcomplete requirement listings...

Before anyone says CS is a bad major -- shove it. Some of us like CS even if the market is down. It's what I planned to take all along plus I'm good at it.

 

[gwlam12]

CS is a lot of programming. CE has more ECE courses.

 

[gwlam12]

my school has about five quarters of math.

then thers the logic courses u need to take.

 

[calpha]

YOU got two questions I guess....

at the college I went to, the Math classes were what helped to weed out a lot of students in the CS department. Granted, you don't need Calc III in hardly any programmming anymore.....but it was a part of hte rites of passage. Actually, an even harder class for most was Linear Algebra which I absolutely loved. BTW---you use Linear ALgebra in 3d programming every bit as much as any Calc, if not more.

As far as what you do.....it again depends on the school. The first job I had was a small company, and the owner wouln't hire any CSE Majors b/c he thought they didn't get enuf programming classes (well, he was a moron anyway, and was intimidated by real engineers). But by and large a majority of hte programmers I've ever worked w/ have been CS Majors or Minors.

 

[jaeger66]

AFAIC, current CS education philosphy is too much about weeding out and not enough about useful skills.

 

[cmv]

...not enough about useful skills.

I think that is confusing the purpose of college. Many people hold the opinion:
tech school == learning useful skills that you'll need to renew every 3-5 years (see the people with tons of certs and no degree)
college == almost no learning of useful skills and if it does occur, it is just something that happens on the side, and the whole point is to learn the theory and fundamentals behind the field so you don't need to be retrained every 3-5 years like the tech school people

I think there is a little bit of truth in this...

 

[xirtam]

Originally posted by: jaeger66
AFAIC, current CS education philosphy is too much about weeding out and not enough about useful skills.

Why limit that to CS education?

 

[yllus]

I don't know about others, but my university allows a number of various streams, like:

- Project Management
- Robotics
- Pure Theory
- Networks

What I'm in is the Project Management side. Basically it's an education on how to properly handle an entire coding project once a client tells you, "I want a computer system that does this, this and this for my business." Basically it's training to be a systems analyst writ large, since you'll likely be managing a multiple-person coding team, have a fairly huge span of work, need to intelligently pick a codebase, etc.

It's coding, which I love, but it's the human aspect of business too, which I love. And depending on your preference, you never really have to do the same thing twice. IMO the best and most promising career in computers today.

 

[yoda291]

we further solidify the universal law that we > j00

 

[Spamela]

Originally posted by: jaeger66
AFAIC, current CS education philosphy is too much about weeding out and not enough about useful skills.

but the studs who survive can learn the "useful skills" in no time.