Help choosing subject at college

[sad_guy]

Hi i am going to college and if i take Computer Science, which i most probably will, i just wanna know which field should i specialize in?
There are seven fields of specialization available-

Cloud Computing
Mainframe Technology
Open Source and Open Standards
Oil and Gas informatics
Telecoms Informatics
Retail Automation
Business Analytics and Optimization
IT Infrastructure


Please don't tell me just one field, give me the order in which i should opt since i may not get the subject of my preference(low rank in entrance exam), so lets say i don't get cloud computing, then which one should i opt for after that, then which one at third place and so on..

Thanks

Edited to remove message to mod
Markbnj
Programming mod

 

[Train]

What are your goals? Don't just pick one, order them in the preference that they are important to you.

To enjoy my job.
To have job security.
To have an interesting and challenging job.
To be my own boss.
To make the most money possible.
To be able to get a work VISA to another country.
To be a 733+ hax0r

 

[sad_guy]

What are your goals? Don't just pick one, order them in the preference that they are important to you.

done :whiste:

1.To have an interesting and challenging job.
2.To make the most money possible.
3.To enjoy my job.
4.To be a 733+ h4x0r
5.To have job security.
6.To be my own boss.
7.To be able to get a work VISA to another country.

 

[DaveSimmons]

If possible I would try to find out the courses offered in each area, and read up a little on each subject to try to find which ones are interesting to you.

I think most of those subjects could be interesting if you worked hard enough to become good at them.

The two I'd rank lowest are:

Mainframe Technology - here in the US, this is being replaced by cloud computing

Open Source and Open Standards - without looking at the materials, this doesn't seem like a "real" development track subject. Does it teach you to add "GNU" to every product name? Or to snort derisively at any commercial for-profit software?

 

[piasabird]

Why not networking?
Database?
SQL?
Security (Heard its boring)
Hardware/Software server support (Help Desk Computer repair)
(Often this is entry level)


Beware of database design. I think this serves little or no purpose unless you plan on being a developer. Most places already have a database and only let really high level people work on the design side.

Project management
System Design

Computer science is a tough field to get a job in. Just dont become a programmer. Programmers are all born in India.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Cloud, oil&gas and telecom seem to be the best strengths.

Cloud because it is a hit button issue and just like Java was 10 years ago, company's are being sold, but do not understand how to effectively utilize tbe technology.

Oil/gas may not be fancy, but more and more technical skills are required to support newer technology being used by those industries.

However, make sure that they are able to deliver the knowledge that is going to be needed.

Telecoms is self explanatory

 

[Cogman]

Computer science is a tough field to get a job in. Just dont become a programmer. Programmers are all born in India.

I disagree. I had a pretty easy time getting an internship and job right out of college, I didn't have stellar grades to show off (3.2), but I had enough personal experience that it really didn't matter. (I had job offers from the likes of Microsoft, HP, and several smaller companies).

The companies that think they can get away with cheap indian developers are the very same companies you don't want to work with.


To answer the op, follow DaveSimmons advice. Nobody here knows what you want to do better than yourself. You might as well ask "What should I major in?"

 

[uclabachelor]

REQUEST TO MODERATORS: Please don't move this thread anywhere else. I know this question isn't directly directly related to programming but still i'm posting it here because i know the people who visit this section are going to be software engineers and only they can give me proper advice.

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Hi i am going to college and if i take Computer Science, which i most probably will, i just wanna know which field should i specialize in?
There are seven fields of specialization available-

Cloud Computing
Mainframe Technology
Open Source and Open Standards
Oil and Gas informatics
Telecoms Informatics
Retail Automation
Business Analytics and Optimization
IT Infrastructure


Please don't tell me just one field, give me the order in which i should opt since i may not get the subject of my preference(low rank in entrance exam), so lets say i don't get cloud computing, then which one should i opt for after that, then which one at third place and so on..

Thanks

Any reasons for going into a field doesn't apply if you're not passionate about that field. Pick the one that appeals to you the most and it will make your future a lot more pleasant. But if you insist, my order (pulled out of my ass) is:

3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 8, 7.

 

[Net]

can you post the courses for the fields?

i'll iterate what i heard from a famous engineer, "programming is a craft and should be treated like one." pick the courses that are most project based. if we can see the courses we can tell you which ones will be most beneficial to know. it doesn't really matter what they call it. what matters is the courses that are in it.

 

[Markbnj]

The question is fine for this forum. I've removed your moderator instructions because, well, you don't get to give the moderators instructions .

 

[Jaydip]

Which college you are opting for?

 

[sad_guy]

The companies that think they can get away with cheap indian developers are the very same companies you don't want to work with.

not sure what you're getting at.
Indian developers may do more work for less pay, but its not like their work is of a substandard quality.

To answer the op, follow DaveSimmons advice. Nobody here knows what you want to do better than yourself. You might as well ask "What should I major in?"

I want to become a computer engineer. Its not like i am asking whether i should go for Civil or chemical or Electronics engineering. I have already decided to go for Computer Science, i just wanna know which sector has maximum opportunities and chances to progress(in terms of both chance to work with reputed companies, as well as money)

 

[sad_guy]

can you post the courses for the fields?

Sure.

All these programs are in an academic collaboration with IBM
Cloud Computing
Mainframe Technology
Open Source and Open Standards
Oil and Gas informatics
Telecoms Informatics
Retail Automation
Business Analytics and Optimization
IT Infrastructure

I fully agree with the second part of your post. The course contents are really important, and since i will be doing my masters from some other college, it will really matter in what kind of companies hire me.

Please tell me, how much importance is given to stuff students learn on their own, with home-hacking and via the internet? Coz i plan to dedicate each and every second of mine to computer science.

Which college you are opting for?

College of Engineering Studies, University of Petroleum and Engineering Studies, Dehradun, UK, India

www.upes.ac.in

 

[sad_guy]

Why not networking?
Database?
SQL?
Security (Heard its boring)
Hardware/Software server support (Help Desk Computer repair)
(Often this is entry level)

these options aren't there

Can they be learned on my own, with help from the internet?

 

[Jaydip]

Sure.

All these programs are in an academic collaboration with IBM
Cloud Computing
Mainframe Technology
Open Source and Open Standards
Oil and Gas informatics
Telecoms Informatics
Retail Automation
Business Analytics and Optimization
IT Infrastructure

I fully agree with the second part of your post. The course contents are really important, and since i will be doing my masters from some other college, it will really matter in what kind of companies hire me.

Please tell me, how much importance is given to stuff students learn on their own, with home-hacking and via the internet? Coz i plan to dedicate each and every second of mine to computer science.




College of Engineering Studies, University of Petroleum and Engineering Studies, Dehradun, UK, India

www.upes.ac.in

If you starting B-Tech just learn the concepts.You won't have time to master the intricacies.Later if you opt for M-Tech you can do specialization.I am not discouraging you from building your knowledge but the crux of the matter is you will have very little time to specialize during your graduation.

 

[sad_guy]

you will have very little time to specialize during your graduation.

the college itself is making us specialize.

What i wanted to say is that i plan to dedicate each and every second of mine to improving my skills. I won't go home during semester breaks, i won't go to parties. once i finish my assignments and college work, i'll just fire up the internet and read up forums, wikis etc and try it on my own.

Now, please tell me what should i opt for?

 

[smackababy]

the college itself is making us specialize.

What i wanted to say is that i plan to dedicate each and every second of mine to improving my skills. I won't go home during semester breaks, i won't go to parties. once i finish my assignments and college work, i'll just fire up the internet and read up forums, wikis etc and try it on my own.

Now, please tell me what should i opt for?

Cloud computing is probably the biggest market, but remember, specializing in something shouldn't limit what you are learning. Learn everything you can. You don't want to limit yourself. Work on being a good programmer, and you can easily have most programming jobs.

 

[Cogman]

not sure what you're getting at.
Indian developers may do more work for less pay, but its not like their work is of a substandard quality.

Not my experience (nor the experience of my coworkers which came from outsourcing companies). The fact of the matter is, you get what you pay for.

Now, what I said may sound derogatory towards indian developers, that isn't my intent. I've known some pretty good developers that are from india. The problem is that the really good developers from india tend to move to the US where they can earn higher wages. When I say "indian developers" I don't mean developers that are indian, I mean developers that are in india... And even then, I mean "low priced developers in india"

I want to become a computer engineer. Its not like i am asking whether i should go for Civil or chemical or Electronics engineering. I have already decided to go for Computer Science, i just wanna know which sector has maximum opportunities and chances to progress(in terms of both chance to work with reputed companies, as well as money)

Computer engineer and Computer science are two different degrees that do different things. Computer engineering is more like Electrical engineering with a focus on computer component manufacturing (nVidia, AMD, Intel, etc) whereas Computer science focuses more on software and software related tech (Think microsoft, google, amazon).

Pretty much anything you decide to do in those fields can be profitable. So the question really is "What do you want to do?". Do you like networks and networking? Do you like number crunching? Do you like business logic and accounting? What do you like?

 

[sad_guy]

Computer engineer and Computer science are two different degrees that do different things. Computer engineering is more like Electrical engineering with a focus on computer component manufacturing (nVidia, AMD, Intel, etc) whereas Computer science focuses more on software and software related tech (Think microsoft, google, amazon).

Pretty much anything you decide to do in those fields can be profitable. So the question really is "What do you want to do?". Do you like networks and networking? Do you like number crunching? Do you like business logic and accounting? What do you like?

I am talking about the software side of things.

As for what i like, I like coding. Yeah i know that isn't very helpful but thats the best i can tell. I studied basic java for 2 years at school, and i really loved it. (i scored 98 out of 100 in Computer Science )

Apart from that i do HTML programming on my own using ebooks downloaded from the internet.

I am also pretty fascinated with complex pieces of software, like browser engines, OSes like linux and keep peeking through their code to figure out. I am sorry for giving such vague replies, but really i don't know any better. After all, i'm just a kid.

 

[Cogman]

I am also pretty fascinated with complex pieces of software, like browser engines, OSes like linux and keep peeking through their code to figure out. I am sorry for giving such vague replies, but really i don't know any better. After all, i'm just a kid.

Ok, I'm going to guess that you will enjoy mostly theory classes then. Check out the courses offered and then take classes like Compilers, Discrete math, Operatings systems, Theory of computation, etc. Avoid courses like "Intro to Java" or "SQL" or whatever. You don't want to learn how to use a programming language, you want to learn how to write large pieces of software.

You may find courses like "Software Engineering" interesting, but be warned that those courses focus more on the processes of writing large applications and less on the theory behind how to do stuff.

It doesn't matter which specialization you pick so long as the classes in that specialization are what you want.

Also, are you sure that you are looking at CS courses? The specializations you listed sound very IT/MISish to me.

 

[sad_guy]

Also, are you sure that you are looking at CS courses? The specializations you listed sound very IT/MISish to me.

Yes i feel the same. I linked the syllabus of each program and i'm wondering whether you can look at the courses and tell what would be better option for me.

 

[douglasb]

Honestly, looking at each curriculum, it looks like there is very little difference between them. I would choose whichever one interests you the most. If you like writing code, I would stay away from "IT Infrastructure" and pick any of the others.

 

[douglasb]

Yes i feel the same. I linked the syllabus of each program and i'm wondering whether you can look at the courses and tell what would be better option for me.

The specializations "sound" very much like IT/MIS, but quickly glancing at the courses, they seem to be mostly Computer Science.

If you are looking for "pure" Computer Science, then you want to look for courses like:

Problem Solving with 'C'
Data Structures using C
Introduction to Mathematical Logic (and really, as many Math classes as possible)
OOPS using C++
Computer Systems Architecture
Design & Analysis of Algorithms
Operating Systems
Object Oriented Analysis & Design
Software Engineering & Project Management
Theory of Automata & Computation (this class in particular if you are interested in software)

I would narrow down the list by throwing out any specialization that doesn't include all (or all but one or two) of the courses on the list above. See what's left, and choose what interests you.

 

[smackababy]

Realistically, what your "specialize" in won't mean much. You're going to end up nabbing an entry level coder job (which isn't bad at all) and learn more there. Your goal should be to soak up as much knowledge as you can in college and not worry so much about the specialization. Having a CS degree should be enough to get you a technical interview, and as a fresh out of college noob, they aren't expecting you to be an expert in anything, especially Oil and Gas Infomatics.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The desire for the school w/ regards to specialization is that being familiar with everything and capable of nothing will not help.

They want you to get a firm understanding in a given area.

Example:
10 course of Intro to * will not work - you are worthless except as an intern. It also indicates you do not know what you want to do.

10 courses of blocks of 3 that have Intro to *; Implementation of * , Support/ Analysis *
will allow you 3 areas to look at when you get out of school.