Computer Science!

[FinalShot]

Hey guys,
Its getting closer to me going to Uni, and I want to start considering options.

Anyway, Computer Science actually crossed my mind, I only have a brief idea on it.

Could anyone give their own personal experiences w/ it?
Also could someone provide info on:
What kind of jobs one can get after finishing.
Amount of $$ made.
How hard it is.
What is taken during it.

Cheers

 

[Ryan]

I don't think anyone here is - you're out of luck dude. What does this look like - a computer enthusiast site?!!?

 

[bigrash]

Computer Science? that is sooo 90s

 

[Saint Nick]

Topic Title: Computer Science!
Topic Summary: Anyone here do it?

lol are you kidding me? a TON of people here are majors of CS.

 

[Crono]

Computer Science is a forbidden topic here. You are banned.

 

[bigrash]

Originally posted by: jndietz

Topic Title: Computer Science!
Topic Summary: Anyone here do it?

lol are you kidding me? a TON of people here are majors of CS.

oh yeah? name one! i bet you can't

 

[LeiZaK]

Computers... meh

 

[Drakkon]

Go into math or physics....CS would just be a waste of $$$...being a CS major is like taking the MCSE exam...sure its great once you have it but after a couple years its suddenly outdated and you just have to go back to school

--Dropped out of CS for this very reason to become a math major where now make more than most of the CS majors i knew

 

[cjgallen]

Originally posted by: LeiZaK
Computers... meh

Super meh.

 

[Gibson486]

I would advise that you not take any major that has the word computer in it...

 

[purbeast0]

<-- graduated may 04 w/computer science degree.

it was a tough 5 years in college. the harder courses were actually the lower level courses because the programming assignments weren't even fun. the upper level courses are tough too, however it is stuff that is more enjoyable (OpenGL programming, image processing, software engineering).

I'm now just over a year at my first full time job programming for a CAD software company and I enjoy my job. The pay is decent, but I wish I had graduated like 4 years ago because I would be paid more, and houses costed much less back then .

if you don't like math or problem solving, do not get into CS. if you do get into CS, expect to spend countless nights up all night working on assignments, and DO NOT PROCRASTONATE ON PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS! i learned that the hard way, and thats part of the reason it took me 5 years to get a degree and not 4.

 

[Saint Nick]

Originally posted by: bigrash

Originally posted by: jndietz

Topic Title: Computer Science!
Topic Summary: Anyone here do it?

lol are you kidding me? a TON of people here are majors of CS.

oh yeah? name one! i bet you can't

okay you win.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Drakkon
Go into math or physics....CS would just be a waste of $$$...being a CS major is like taking the MCSE exam...sure its great once you have it but after a couple years its suddenly outdated and you just have to go back to school

--Dropped out of CS for this very reason to become a math major where now make more than most of the CS majors i knew

You really can't be serious. My sarcam meter must be bonked.

 

[nfamous]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
<-- graduated may 04 w/computer science degree.

it was a tough 5 years in college. the harder courses were actually the lower level courses because the programming assignments weren't even fun. the upper level courses are tough too, however it is stuff that is more enjoyable (OpenGL programming, image processing, software engineering).

I'm now just over a year at my first full time job programming for a CAD software company and I enjoy my job. The pay is decent, but I wish I had graduated like 4 years ago because I would be paid more, and houses costed much less back then .

if you don't like math or problem solving, do not get into CS. if you do get into CS, expect to spend countless nights up all night working on assignments, and DO NOT PROCRASTONATE ON PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS! i learned that the hard way, and thats part of the reason it took me 5 years to get a degree and not 4.

Yeah...do those assignments asap. Unlike papers, which can be crapped out in a few hours at 3 am....programs written that way have a tendancy to hurt your grades. I just finished up last may...it's taken me from then until now to get a programming job (starting next monday...finally!!). This week I'm finishing up a phone helpdesk job.

CS is alot of programming, and I took quite a few circuit classes too. Don't feel that because you like computers, c.s is the only way to go.
If you have no idea what you like, but like electronics/computers, then go in as a CS major your freshman year, and make sure you take an intro circuits class, and an intro business/management class. If you decide that you like circuits better than programming, then switch to electrical eng, or computer eng if you like both.

Expect alot of math & programming, and alot of other science classes (chemistry, physics, etc). Do your best to get an internship that will let you develop your skills. All of my interviewers wanted to know how I used what i knew, and having jobs that were helpdesk in nature did not help me. Start looking in november for the next summer, or better yet, find out if any local companies do any co-op/internships during the year. In my experience, interviewers wanted to know alot more about my work experience, when they knew i was a recent grad, than my classes.

I say take the business class because none of my classmates did, and the vast majority of them are clueless on how the real world works, and forget that companies make the programs to make money, not to let the programmers show off how geeky they are. I'm not knocking being creative, but i think it would give you a better position to one day lead a programming team or start your own company, etc. Remember you are working towards being a professional, not the guy in the back room that only comes out to get pizza.

Average CS grads make $45k a year, according to various things i've read.

Long post...

 

[ngvepforever2]

if you don't know anything about what a computer scientist does...do not major on it. You could try but the probabilities of you getting weed out your freshman year are great.

Regards

ng

 

[Saint Nick]

Originally posted by: nfamous

Originally posted by: purbeast0
<-- graduated may 04 w/computer science degree.

it was a tough 5 years in college. the harder courses were actually the lower level courses because the programming assignments weren't even fun. the upper level courses are tough too, however it is stuff that is more enjoyable (OpenGL programming, image processing, software engineering).

I'm now just over a year at my first full time job programming for a CAD software company and I enjoy my job. The pay is decent, but I wish I had graduated like 4 years ago because I would be paid more, and houses costed much less back then .

if you don't like math or problem solving, do not get into CS. if you do get into CS, expect to spend countless nights up all night working on assignments, and DO NOT PROCRASTONATE ON PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS! i learned that the hard way, and thats part of the reason it took me 5 years to get a degree and not 4.

Yeah...do those assignments asap. Unlike papers, which can be crapped out in a few hours at 3 am....programs written that way have a tendancy to hurt your grades. I just finished up last may...it's taken me from then until now to get a programming job (starting next monday...finally!!). This week I'm finishing up a phone helpdesk job.

CS is alot of programming, and I took quite a few circuit classes too. Don't feel that because you like computers, c.s is the only way to go.
If you have no idea what you like, but like electronics/computers, then go in as a CS major your freshman year, and make sure you take an intro circuits class, and an intro business/management class. If you decide that you like circuits better than programming, then switch to electrical eng, or computer eng if you like both.

Expect alot of math & programming, and alot of other science classes (chemistry, physics, etc). Do your best to get an internship that will let you develop your skills. All of my interviewers wanted to know how I used what i knew, and having jobs that were helpdesk in nature did not help me. Start looking in november for the next summer, or better yet, find out if any local companies do any co-op/internships during the year. In my experience, interviewers wanted to know alot more about my work experience, when they knew i was a recent grad, than my classes.

I say take the business class because none of my classmates did, and the vast majority of them are clueless on how the real world works, and forget that companies make the programs to make money, not to let the programmers show off how geeky they are. I'm not knocking being creative, but i think it would give you a better position to one day lead a programming team or start your own company, etc. Remember you are working towards being a professional, not the guy in the back room that only comes out to get pizza.

Average CS grads make $45k a year, according to various things i've read.

Long post...

that sucks. my high school chem teacher was a complete asshat. i learned nothing. i know nothing about chem. i hope they offer intro chem courses here. otherwise i am toast.

but well that whole post made me kind of re-think what i should be doing. right now i'm a computer engineering major :roll: i was going to switch to computer science, but it just seems like everyone and their mom is a CS major. especially here at UNO with the PK Institute and stuff. I just don't know what else to do I'm gonna stick this out, though. i feel like right now computers are the only thing i got going for me.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

BS in CS, will have my MS in May

its hard. if you do well you can make tons of money. there are lots of CS majors out there though, so you really have to set yourself apart with good grades and experience. its not about learning to program, hell in a good department that is essentially just a requisite for getting started. many programming projects were assigned where the professor just leaves the choice of language up to the student, since that is not the focus of the work.

expect plenty of math and logic/proofs. there are lots of topics within CS, and lots of jobs for all of them. dont do CS just because you like computers or video games. it really helps if you already are fluent in a language before you even get started.

edit - went to a good school, had 3.5+ gpa, got recruited out at graduation, started at 50+
the payoff is there if you work for it.

 

[qaa541]

Originally posted by: FinalShot
Hey guys,
Its getting closer to me going to Uni, and I want to start considering options.

Anyway, Computer Science actually crossed my mind, I only have a brief idea on it.

Could anyone give their own personal experiences w/ it?
Also could someone provide info on:
What kind of jobs one can get after finishing.
Amount of $$ made.
How hard it is.
What is taken during it.

Cheers

<--- Uc Irvine Information and Computer Science '05 Grad
I dont know how many gamers(people who play PC games and think they can make it in Computer Science) I saw going into computer science and then dropping out the second quarter at UCI. You really have to love computers and be prepared to learn the gory details (and yes they are gory) of how a computer works, how software is written (I hate software engineering!) and anything related to computers (which also means about 2x the math of a regular student).

At UC Irvine, the ICS department broke up computing into different specializations as well as the general degree. The general degree is very broad and it teaches you everything (starts with programming, software engineering (which is different than programming!!!), computer architecture(gate and higher level stuff). Then the specializations build upon the general degree by making you take about 4 extra classes. (6 if you double b/c 2 classes can overlap)

I did a double specialization track of:
1. Networking and Distributed Systems
2. Computer Systems (Architecture)

NDS was actually my second choice for my specialization because I was really more interested in computer architecture but it ended up being my favorite and also my career.

Computer Systems was my original choice and it was very enjoyable indeed. I built a working limited instruction-set MIPS processor in VHDL and also did software simulations of high speed computing (by tweaking processor pipelines and seeing how it affected running a code snippet)

There are other paths such as Software Engineering, Algorithm analysis(Only one guy I knew was doing this), artificial intelligence and computational statistics.

For all the people saying that Computer Science = MCSE or IT degree they are WRONG. It is nowhere close to IT or an MCSE. They have never done a complete CS program if they say that, or they have done it at ITT Tech or some other vocational college. CS at a university is a true SCIENCE.

As for career choices, alot of people I know became code monkeys because thats what they wanted to do. I wanted to avoid that at all costs so I went into networking. It was really cool to learn how networking really worked, and basically how the internet functions.

I got picked up at the Linksys division of Cisco Systems right after college and I love it! Much more exciting than my previous 3 years in IT. Lots of career mobility here and the benefits are great!!

If you really really like computers, and are actually INTERESTED in GORY DETAILS on how they work, then CS is a great choice!

 

[Saint Nick]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
BS in CS, will have my MS in May

its hard. if you do well you can make tons of money. there are lots of CS majors out there though, so you really have to set yourself apart with good grades and experience. its not about learning to program, hell in a good department that is essentially just a requisite for getting started. many programming projects were assigned where the professor just leaves the choice of language up to the student, since that is not the focus of the work.

expect plenty of math and logic/proofs. there are lots of topics within CS, and lots of jobs for all of them. dont do CS just because you like computers or video games. it really helps if you already are fluent in a language before you even get started.

arg if this is true then i suppose i should probably change my major to something else crap i don't know what to do now. this has me all worried.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Originally posted by: qaa541

Originally posted by: FinalShot
Hey guys,
Its getting closer to me going to Uni, and I want to start considering options.

Anyway, Computer Science actually crossed my mind, I only have a brief idea on it.

Could anyone give their own personal experiences w/ it?
Also could someone provide info on:
What kind of jobs one can get after finishing.
Amount of $$ made.
How hard it is.
What is taken during it.

Cheers

<--- Uc Irvine Information and Computer Science '05 Grad
I dont know how many gamers(people who play PC games and think they can make it in Computer Science) I saw going into computer science and then dropping out the second quarter at UCI. You really have to love computers and be prepared to learn the gory details (and yes they are gory) of how a computer works, how software is written (I hate software engineering!) and anything related to computers (which also means about 2x the math of a regular student).

At UC Irvine, the ICS department broke up computing into different specializations as well as the general degree. The general degree is very broad and it teaches you everything (starts with programming, software engineering (which is different than programming!!!), computer architecture(gate and higher level stuff). Then the specializations build upon the general degree by making you take about 4 extra classes. (6 if you double b/c 2 classes can overlap)

I did a double specialization track of:
1. Networking and Distributed Systems
2. Computer Systems (Architecture)

NDS was actually my second choice for my specialization because I was really more interested in computer architecture but it ended up being my favorite and also my career.

Computer Systems was my original choice and it was very enjoyable indeed. I built a working limited instruction-set MIPS processor in VHDL and also did software simulations of high speed computing (by tweaking processor pipelines and seeing how it affected running a code snippet)

There are other paths such as Software Engineering, Algorithm analysis(Only one guy I knew was doing this), artificial intelligence and computational statistics.

For all the people saying that Computer Science = MCSE or IT degree they are WRONG. It is nowhere close to IT or an MCSE. They have never done a complete CS program if they say that, or they have done it at ITT Tech or some other vocational college. CS at a university is a true SCIENCE.

As for career choices, alot of people I know became code monkeys because thats what they wanted to do. I wanted to avoid that at all costs so I went into networking. It was really cool to learn how networking really worked, and basically how the internet functions.

I got picked up at the Linksys division of Cisco Systems right after college and I love it! Much more exciting than my previous 3 years in IT. Lots of career mobility here and the benefits are great!!

If you really really like computers, and are actually INTERESTED in GORY DETAILS on how they work, then CS is a great choice!

this guy is right.
the people that are getting outsourced are the aforementioned MIS/IT/Certs people. CS is a science, and a formal one at that. It can get pretty abstract and technical, but if you really REALLY like computers, its quite rewarding

 

[mdchesne]

Originally posted by: FinalShot
Hey guys,
Its getting closer to me going to Uni, and I want to start considering options.

Anyway, Computer Science actually crossed my mind, I only have a brief idea on it.

Could anyone give their own personal experiences w/ it?
Also could someone provide info on:
What kind of jobs one can get after finishing.
Amount of $$ made.
How hard it is.
What is taken during it.

Cheers

1. personal experience is you need to know at least some programming even bofore you start on CS classes. otherwise you'll have a devil of a time keeping up
2. kinds of jobs include programming and writing programs for the higher-ups. Generally, don't expect to do any program designs of your own until you have 4years+ experience in your field (meanign internships and jobs, not coursework).
3.ammount of money ranges from 75000-100000 for high degree holders
4. it's a b1tch if you don't knwo your stuff
5. java, C++, some Cisco and maybe OS classes. EXPECT ALOT OF DISCRETE MATH! I mean those stupid math classes with if, nor, exclusiver or, sets, boolean sets, etc. stuff that has proofs upon proofs but no real way to explain it in examples

Best to combine CS with another major or else you'll be competeing with the Indians for tech jobs. lol

 

[Saint Nick]

what other major would you guys combine with Computer Engineering/Science so that I don't have to "compete with the Indians"

 

[mdchesne]

some kind of engineering. dunno. what were you planning to do after college? I know program and stuff due to CS choice, but any particular field? like telecommunications? (CE, EE)

 

[Saint Nick]

i honestly don't know what to do after college... presuming i make it out all right and alive, i'll have a degree that i won't know what to do with. i was thinking programming but i dunno man, i just don't wanna be stuck there for a long time. i heard programmers have to work long hours, sometimes just to make ends meet. that makes me kinda sick. i want to feel secure and i want to have a steady job and such like everyone else in the world. but yeah, i really don't know what to do. workgroup manager? lol.

 

[arcenite]

Another one going for my CS degree