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I like managing computers making sure they run and everything is working, should I take computer science?

E

eshtog

Diamond Member
I am going to major in computer science do you think this will be right for me?

what kind of jobs could fit me?

also I plan on going to trinity western university in canada even though I live in Portland, Oregon
will I have any disadvantages going to a canadian college instead of a USA one?
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
I am going to major in computer science do you think this will be right for me?

what kind of jobs could fit me?

also I plan on going to trinity western university in canada even though I live in Portland, Oregon
will I have any disadvantages going to a canadian college instead of a USA one?
Click to expand...
In Canada, universities aren't colleges.
 
CS has nothing to do with managing computers. Honestly. I like managing computers too, and dispise CS. But maybe you'll like it.
 
Sounds like you should do MIS or Electronic Media & Culture or something. CS is all about math and programming...
 
CS is more software programming, not managing computers... What you want is IT, which can be learned at community colleges...



 
Get a business degree. Then go for an MBA. Then you can manage as many computers as your heart desires. Avoid CS.
 
What you want to do is NOT Comp. Sci. I've seen way too many people go into comp sci without knowing what it actually is. They become business majors.
 
As everyone else said, CS != managing or maintaining computers, it's writing software.

IT is what you want, just be very sure to get internships in college since the entry-level IT job market is lousy.
 
so you guys are saying computer science is only for programming? I dont want to be a programmer what else could I do with a CS degree?
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
so you guys are saying computer science is only for programming? I dont want to be a programmer what else could I do with a CS degree?
Click to expand...

Information Security, for one. But if you want to do network admin type stuff, MIS is a much better fit.
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
so you guys are saying computer science is only for programming? I dont want to be a programmer what else could I do with a CS degree?
Click to expand...

You could program.

Oh, wait...you can also be a programmer, a programmer, or.....a programmer.

In CSCI all they teach you is high level math, programming, more programming, and maybe a touch of EE.

Computer Engineering is more hardware, less programming, but unless you have a specific IT major, you're not going to get the networking/unix admin education that you need. Do a lot of self study, that's my advice.
 
Computer Engineering is more hardware, less programming, but unless you have a specific IT major, you're not going to get the networking/unix admin education that you need. Do a lot of self study, that's my advice.
Click to expand...
But note that it is designing hardware not installing RAM and graphics cards into PCs. And there is still a lot of embedded programming.
 
sorry about all the question, what if I took a major in business what kind of work would I be doing and how much will I get paid?
 
All I can recommend is that if you want to studying anything remotely dealing with Computers / Math / Engineering, come on up to the University of Waterloo, just a little further down the highway from Western.

--Mark

<---- Studying Computer Engineering @ Waterloo
 
Originally posted by: Tharyn
All I can recommend is that if you want to studying anything remotely dealing with Computers / Math / Engineering, come on up to the University of Waterloo, just a little further down the highway from Western.

--Mark

<---- Studying Computer Engineering @ Waterloo
Click to expand...

Yeah but the requirements for Waterloo and MUCH higher than Western 😉

What you wanna do does not require a university degree... just do some self-study and take a couple of those MCSE etc exams, and you're there... And becuz of this, don't expect to be paid too much afterwards since you are easily replaceable, esp in this economy...
 
Computer Science is a great major. They are right as far as creating software. Computer science teaches you about the fundamentals of computers, not OS's. In computer science, you will learn basic digital design fundamentals for hardware, machine language (like the matrix!), a lot of math (calculus, algebra, linear algebra, discrete math structures), data structures and algorithms, etc. The flip side to learning all this is that you are on the computer when you are not studying for math, physics, or whatever else you are taking at the time. As a result, you become very knowledgeable about computers. Some people laugh at me when they ask me how you do this or that in Windows XP, and I say "I don't know". A computer scientist can say they don't know, but a Network Administrator or whatever could not say that and still keep his job! To sum it all up, computer science will not fully educate you on what you would like the most, and that is knowing the end user interface of computers.
 
You should get your degree in Information Sciences or some other kind of pseudo-technical field. It's not really CS, but you don't really need to be a CS to manage 'puters.
 
As many have said already,

Managing_computers != Computer_Science;
Computer_Science = Lots_of_stuff_like_this_but_meaningful;
Matrix != MachineLanguage;
assembly = MachineLanguage;

 
Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
is it possible for me to become a IT with CS degree? also I can minor in in Information Systems
Click to expand...

yes you can be in the IT field with a CS degree (though not the other way around)... but most people with CS degrees take IT jobs as a last resort, because they'd rather be developing.
 
CS is pretty much programming. One of my roommates was a CS major, as well as several friends. While knowing about computers certianly won't hurt, it is possible to do fine in CS and be computer-retarded. Like most of these people said, if you want to do computer/network management kind of stuff, CIS or MIS or IT type fields (whatever they call it where you are) are what you want. Not only is CS not what you seem to be looking for, CS majors are a dime a dozen anymore (no idea if MIS/CIS/IT is any different).

so you guys are saying computer science is only for programming? I dont want to be a programmer what else could I do with a CS degree?
Click to expand...

Why are you so dead-set on being a CS major? There are majors that can be better applied to what you want to do, if you don't want to program, don't be a CS major. As was already suggested, get an MBA, some IT training, maybe some certs and see where that takes you. Look for jobs online that sound like what you want, then find the education and training reqirements for them. That should give you a better picture of what education you can pursue.
 
Originally posted by: amnesiac
Originally posted by: ShotgunEd
so you guys are saying computer science is only for programming? I dont want to be a programmer what else could I do with a CS degree?
Click to expand...

You could program.

Oh, wait...you can also be a programmer, a programmer, or.....a programmer.

In CSCI all they teach you is high level math, programming, more programming, and maybe a touch of EE.
Click to expand...

that depends on your school... my school doesn't have nearly the emphasis on programming as it sounds like yours does. here, we only have 3 req. programming courses. 2 of them are ones that are prereqs for entrance to the program and basically weed out people that suck at programming. the third is an intro to non-c-style languages like lisp, prolog, ml, etc. the rest of the classes are on anywhere from digital design to theory to algorithms, etc. there's some programming in a lot of those other courses, but they are more of a means to an end.

i wouldn't say you are limited to being a programmer, though that's definitely the most common route taken. you can go to grad school, after which you could presumably get a research position either in a corporate lab or academia. you could be a program manager... go to law school and become an IP lawyer... most of it really depends on you. if there's one thing i've learned in college, it's that most of the limitations your major has on your career path are in your head.
 
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