question on majoring in CS

[joohang]

<< I will have to disagree. You have know about the hardware to write effective software. Everyone on the board complains about bloatware, but now we have people who think you dont have to know about the hardware. The less you know about the hardware the worse the code gets. >>



I agree. In any area of discipline, it is best to specialize in one particular area but maintain a relatively well-rounded knowledge of other related areas.

i.e. A European historian with limited knowledge of Asian history will not write effective history papers, unless he/she is dealing with very specific topics.

Similarly, a web developer who barely knows anything about server hardware, networking, etc, is very likely to create poorly designed apps.

 

[iamwiz82]

<< charrison - just because you had trouble with discrete math dosen't mean that he will. I had no trouble and neither did most of the other people in the class. >>



are you joking? The attrition rate at Kettering U. in that class is more than 50%!! its funny to see that ckass after drop day.

 

[Pretender]

It's not necesary to know hardware to pass a CS course, and especially as programming languages get easier and the focus moves to higher-level languages: Java, Perl, VB, the intelligence requirement to pass decreases, and thus, the less people voluntarily learning about hardware. That's my guess. It's not necesary to know about hardware or how computers work to get through CS, but to become a decent programmer, I'd say it is.

 

[potatoo]

major in Counter-Strike instead

 

[hans007]

most of the CS guys i know, dont know what all the icons in windows mean. Now, they all buy compaqs and HPs also. I am one of those rare CS guys who does know. That and i actually like ASM programming, which makes me a real wacko. Most people are into java (if you know C++ you can learn java in a month probably), basic (i was programming basic when i was 9 years old, so any retard can do that), and perl (every dumbass who programs perl thinks they are some perl god , but really its just another language that isn't as cool as C++).


Yes i am pro C++, its a great language. I haven't learned C yet but that looks pretty good too. CS guys aren't all wierd, just most of them. Thats why they never do well in interviews, but i intend to do well on those. I may not be john carmack, but i like programming, its fun and it uses your brain's logic ability, unlike a major such as econ . There aren't as many &quot;rules&quot; in CS which is the best part of it, its really a lot about creativity. Programmers are artists. Highly paid artists.

 

[The Wildcard]

Yes, with programming, it is also a love-hate relationship. For some of my friends, they like the challenge of a problem and also like the eventual success of coding a program. BUT the hate comes in when you are trying to debug your program which can be oh so very frustrating, lol.

I believe with programming, you need to have the right mind set. You can't memorize much in programming, so if your mind works that way, forget about it. Programming requires alot of abstract thinking in terms of flow charts and abstract/simplified code.

You need to think out the entire program first before you start coding. IT's quite hard to just go brute force, lol. That might work for your simple &quot;hello world&quot; program, but not for anything more, lol.

So I'd recommend two things:

1. Take an intro C++ programming class that is the first programming class that your college/school requires. If you not only think you can handle it but also seem to like it, then you have your answer.

But if you find yourself struggling and not getting the concepts, then move on to my second recommendation.

2. Take a look at your college/school's Computer Science program as a whole. Who are your advisors? How are the professors? How are they taught? Look at your own professor. Does he readily offer help or does he not care? Can you even tolerate or undestand his teaching style?

So if you can't understand your teacher and or get the feeling from older students that the department pretty much leaves everything up to the student, then you should seriously considering changing majors.