Anybody in Computer Science?

[BigClemsonFan]

Just like the topic says, is there anyone on this board that has a degree in Computer Science and works in that field? If so, can you explain what you do, what you like, what you don't like, etc.?

I'm planning on changing careers (again) and pursuing a second bachelor's in computer science. I just want to know if the work is what I think it would be like.

Thanks.

 

[MAKG]

Well, I work in computer science and software engineering, but my degree is in physics. I used to work in a university computer science department (scientific visualization and high-performance numerics).

I have a MAJOR beef in that quite a few modern computer science programs (not all, though) don't teach a couple of very important topics like how to engineer a calculation, how to interpolate, even some basic algorithms and data structures, and in some programs, the boring stuff about how to write specs and test plans (that's half of what you do in the field).

One of the other software engineering folks over here (who works on air traffic management) complained to me once that he couldn't find software engineers that could solve a quadratic equation. I was flabbergasted....

 

[4Banger]

I have a 4 year Degree and right now work a Help desk line. I will be starting a new job in 2 weeks as a Network admin/ Windows Administration. Start off knowing what you want when you get out. I went in a programing program and now use it a very little. When selecting classes use your head. Don't just take the ones that sound cool or because they are easy. Make sure you take some sort of database class and a Algorithms class. If you want to be a programmer make sure you know how a computer works before you start. I know of a lot of programmers where i am that couldn't tell you what RAM is and what it does.

 

[Mark_88]

I completed a Computer Science (computer information systems at DeVry) program (just shy of degree) and discovered I hated programming...I worked in a tech support environment for eight years after I graduated but that got boring so I went into just dealing with irate customers (Customer Relations)...

When I graduated in 95 all the major computer companies were doing serious layoffs so I would have been competing for positions with people who had ten to twenty years experience in the field...it was not too promising then...not sure what the field is like now but I know people are still getting hired by big firms so depending on what you're shooting for...

If you're good at programming it pays well...I was very good at it...COBOL...but that was about as difficult as spreading peanut butter...

 

[MAKG]

COBOL was hot in the late 90s because of fears of the Y2K bug. It's a niche again, like it was in the 80s.

I like dealing with numerics and real time systems. Both can be a challenge. But most of the jobs are in databases and really bad Java interfaces. I'd rather watch paint dry.

Mark_88, you were in the wrong field. '95 was the very early dotcom boom. Jerry Yang (Yahoo) had been going for a few years, and Google was about to get started. It was all "B2B" and working ridiculous hours at the time, but it was absolutely not true that no one was hiring software engineers. There was a 3% unemployment rate in Silicon Valley at the time. Basically full employment. Stupid work, but it was there.

Programming is not an appropriate goal for a college degree. Engineering is. The difference is night and day. Designing a system from the ground up (including hardware and software) is quite interesting. Coding someone else's specifications in isolation is boring as heck.

 

[BigClemsonFan]

I definitely do not want to do programming. I like the idea of building a system from the ground up. What I'm looking for is a job that gives me a balance of using my hands (not just typing on the keyboard, but actually working on stuff) and still mentally challenging (or stimulating). I guess I get bored easily.

 

[Mark_88]

MakG: Oh, you're right...there were jobs for programmers...and engineers...but a fresh grad with a S/A designation and no experience wouldn't get me far...there were also several Universities in Canada churning out young kids with nearly a lifetime of programming under their belts (some of those kids are simply amazing) to compete with...I wouldn't say I gave up...just decided I'd rather do the S/A end of it...but that would have ment starting my own business and building from the ground up...it wasn't what I wanted to do even if I had the resources...

BigClemsonFan: that was more my game too...built a few home computers and had fun doing it...but wasn't much of a salesman at the time so I didn't really put much into it...then the large resellers started selling systems for less than it cost to build them yourself...so I don't bother with that much anymore either...unless someone really asks me nicely...otherwise I just tinker with this and that...as long as my computer works I really don't care...