Not sure about everyone, but I enjoyed the previous thread. It would be amazing if we're able to compile a list of Q&A to basic education when going to the technology field for reference.
I myself have a couple of questions on choosing a major.
Is CS a meme? Can it really get you anywhere in the future being on how saturated the world is with this degree?
Is a major in mathematics and a minor in CS a good way to go?
I've got some questions too.
How do I compete with the smart kids from MIT? with Pajeet? and with Chang?
Do I have to take calculus and other theoretical math?
Also, how much work is there? Will I have time for anime?
ok mr mythbuster
why the fuck did you shill this meme to me so hard if you were going to fuck me anyways?
>>54492936
>How do you compete
With experience
>Do I have to take calculus and other theoretical math
It's should be required to take calculus and probably linear algebra, This is what separates computer scientists to programmers.
>How much work
Probably a lot if you want to compete
>Will I have time for anime
I'm afraid not, maybe you can squeeze some in.
>>54492856
>Is CS a meme?
Yes and no. I went to (and dropped out of) a CS program that was in the top 50 of the world. I helped with a program that was designed to scale up the CS classes to handle all the students who wanted to get in. CS at my school went from the backup major that EE and biomedical engineering hopefuls went for if they didn't make it in, to the most competetive major, all over the course of a few years.
Of course most of these students were just going along with the hype, and didn't really care about computer science.
And that's the issue. People who don't enjoy programming at least a little bit will find it hard to get good enough to find a job in it. Because CS != programming, so programming is only a small part of what you're taught in most CS majors.
>Can it really get you anywhere in the future being on how saturated the world is with this degree?
As I mentioned, CS is something that is really hard to work with if you don't enjoy it. That said, people who don't enjoy it can still muddle through a degree no problem.
If you muddle through a CS degree just for money, you're fucked. If you actually enjoy it, you'll probably be fine.
>Is a major in mathematics and a minor in CS a good way to go?
If you are motivated enough to git gud at programming on your own time, then it's a fine way to go.
>>54493336
>>Is a major in mathematics and a minor in CS a good way to go?
>If you are motivated enough to git gud at programming on your own time, then it's a fine way to go.
Would it be better to go the other way around? With Mathematics as a minor and CS as a major?
>>54492936
>How do I compete with the smart kids from MIT?
The right mindset to get a 4.0 average in a challenging major, and the right mindset to become really good at programming are completely different for most people. I've seen students so focused on just getting the projects completed on time at any cost, they dont think it's worth the time investment to learn how to actually program well. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
Not all are like this, but enough are that you don't have that much competition.
>with Pajeet? and with Chang?
By giving a shit about your work and not half assing it just to get it in quickly. See what I said about the mindset to get a 4.0 average.
>Do I have to take calculus and other theoretical math?
If it interests you. There's enough work that doesn't need that stuff that you'll be fine, but if you like it, then it does open several doors.
>Also, how much work is there? Will I have time for anime?
depends, obviously. But the real secret is to get good at time management early on. I always have time for anime because I work efficiently and make time for it.
>>54493401
Honestly, just go with whichever has the classes you enjoy more as the main. Remember, you're building the skills that you'll probably end up using for most of the rest of your waking life. Might as well make sure you specialize in whatever you like more because you'll probably be stuck with it one way or another.
>>54492856
What about a double major in mathematics and CS?
>>54493545
Go for it, and if you decide you don't like one as much, drop it to a minor.
What's the best way for a undergraduate to prepare him/herself to stand out in the work field?
There are programmers and there are programmers with CS degrees who have at least some introduction to software engineering and/or computer design.
There's no licensing or industry-wide self-certifying group that strives for continuing education and professional standards and ethics.
There is nothing like the AMA that physicians have, there's no SME like mechanical engineers have, no AIAA for aeronautical engineers. The ACM (association for computing machinery) and IEEE (it has many computer chapters) have failed the software profession.
We have all sorts of vendor specific certification programs and a few that are more generic like SANS, but there's no standards of quality or independent review.
I think there was a golden age for programmers about fifty years ago, when every bank and insurance company and manufacturer needed to hire programmers because there was no off-the-shelf software to do what they wanted.
The software world is very different today. The sad truth about software and hardware salespeople is that they don't even know if they're telling the truth about the stuff they sell, and the programmers are most likely hard to reach because they're in Asia or Eastern Europe. It's sad having a MSCS and spending all day on the phone arguing with some vendor tech support about problems. My wife has the same frustration except she's a pediatrician and is arguing about medical treatments with uneducated clerks at insurance companies. At least she can take her medical degree and work pretty much anywhere in the state (or go to another state, pass the medical boards, and then work.) After five years my MSCS degree was more or less irrelevant to my career, what was more important were the people I met at school.
Engineer specialized in ICE (internal combustion engines). AMA
Yes this is techology you inbred code monkeys.
