Question to CS Degree holders

Miles Robson · 2012-01-27T04:48:15

Updated schedule. Maybe I'm goin' too hard http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/431273_3002703197245_1552306693_2769705_522562047_n.jpg

shadowisadog

3,219

January 15, 2012 05:06 PM

Supplemental questions that may or may not be added to the topic:

How does school that teaches you CS force you to study by yourself? What should I do, if my school doesn't force me to do anything, more like "giving you a laid-back option of learning" and "unable to encourage students to learn"?

I'm in my third year of CS, and I still don't feel like my school is forcing me to do something, other than staying above the passing grade thresholds.

If you feel that you are being under challenged, then it is up to you to push yourself more. Do not strive to merely pass, strive to excel. If you are still under challenged you can always take on a job, enroll in more classes/elective credits, participate in other organizations, or tackle outside projects.

School is not there to force you to do anything. All they are required to do is to provide some metric to evaluate your performance and give you a grade that tells people that you have some basic competence in the subject.

I like to think of it like this: In what other time in your life will you have an opportunity to do nothing else but expand your knowledge? Even if you do not end up using your degree directly, knowledge is one thing that can not be taken away (ok barring a traumatic brain injury of course).

So I agree with BCullis that you need to adjust your attitude.

frob

46,227

January 15, 2012 05:53 PM

Example from my own history:

In a class on assembly language, one of our first assignments was to write a looping program to draw a Christmas tree.

All that was required was a set of alternating glyphs in as a big triangle, then a solid block of different glyphs as a small square for a trunk. Not too hard, yet a bunch of students didn't get it right and got poor grades.

I wanted to learn more. I wanted to do more. I investigated what bits to set to turn on color, and asked what else I could do to make my program more awesome. My tree was green, with a white star on top, and throughout the tree were either random other glyphs in colors (such as the universal money sign that looks like a pointy ball), and occasional blinking white dots with green backgrounds.

I did not do all that to try to show off. I did it mostly because it seemed like fun. And secondarily because it was something I wanted to learn. Obviously I ended up getting A's in the course, but it was mostly because I love the field and seek my own challenges.

Sticking to the bare minimum is enough to pass, but is that really what you want out of life? Life will certainly pass, it is up to you to do something with it.

MilesRobson

310

Author

January 16, 2012 03:58 AM

I mean, I feel I like I'm pushing myself if I'm studyin' on my own time, with no one prodding myself.

http://www.khanacademy.org is a neat resource xD

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swiftcoder

18,997

January 16, 2012 06:33 AM

If you're in college pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science and aren't studying algorithms and data structures your freshman year, you're in a horrible program.

You could equally well be in an average-to-middling program.

The majority of incoming freshman who declare a CS major, have no useful background in programming (many have no background at all), and scant knowledge of mathematics. First year is often spent teaching basic programming proficiency, and catching up on maths/physics and general university requirements (English, writing...). Advanced students may be allowed to skip straight to second year courses, but that's by no means a given

Tristam MacDonald. Ex-BigTech Software Engineer. Future farmer. [https://trist.am]

frob

46,227

January 16, 2012 01:40 PM

I mean, I feel I like I'm pushing myself if I'm studyin' on my own time, with no one prodding myself.

Welcome to adulthood.

The only truly compelling forces in your life are your own. You can let those be the drives you have; to eat, sleep, and otherwise care for physical needs. Few people find that life satisfying. You can choose to make commitments to others and follow through with them. You can choose to set goals and push yourself to reach them. You can choose to develop your skills and talents.

It is your own job to prod yourself forward. Friends and family might help with the effort, but it is only you with the ability to act on it.

MilesRobson

310

Author

January 16, 2012 03:57 PM

[quote name='Confirm4Crit' timestamp='1326686330' post='4903119']
I mean, I feel I like I'm pushing myself if I'm studyin' on my own time, with no one prodding myself.

Welcome to adulthood.

The only truly compelling forces in your life are your own. You can let those be the drives you have; to eat, sleep, and otherwise care for physical needs. Few people find that life satisfying. You can choose to make commitments to others and follow through with them. You can choose to set goals and push yourself to reach them. You can choose to develop your skills and talents.

It is your own job to prod yourself forward. Friends and family might help with the effort, but it is only you with the ability to act on it.
[/quote]

YAY, I'm an adult! xD. But I defiantly understand what ya mean.

[quote name='Telastyn' timestamp='1326564181' post='4902698'] If you're in college pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science and aren't studying algorithms and data structures your freshman year, you're in a horrible program.

You could equally well be in an average-to-middling program.

The majority of incoming freshman who declare a CS major, have no useful background in programming (many have no background at all), and scant knowledge of mathematics. First year is often spent teaching basic programming proficiency, and catching up on maths/physics and general university requirements (English, writing...). Advanced students may be allowed to skip straight to second year courses, but that's by no means a given

[/quote]
Humor me. If I did get the chance to hand pick a stronger program, where should I go? Any suggestions?

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Telastyn

3,778

January 16, 2012 04:14 PM

[quote name='Telastyn' timestamp='1326564181' post='4902698'] If you're in college pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science and aren't studying algorithms and data structures your freshman year, you're in a horrible program.

You could equally well be in an average-to-middling program.

The majority of incoming freshman who declare a CS major, have no useful background in programming (many have no background at all), and scant knowledge of mathematics. First year is often spent teaching basic programming proficiency, and catching up on maths/physics and general university requirements (English, writing...). Advanced students may be allowed to skip straight to second year courses, but that's by no means a given

[/quote]

That's kinda sad. I haven't been out of college that long...

Even without programming background, students were expected to take the data structures and algorithms course freshman year where I went (though I wasn't in the CS program). Picking up a programming language & basics was considered something you got alongside the theory.

Hell, even my non-CS program required programming with the reasoning that any intelligent person could work out how to do the basic problems (make a series of 4 LEDs blink in order for example).

-- Tangent Developer Journal - Delegates - Part 2

MilesRobson

310

Author

January 16, 2012 04:48 PM

http://www.broward.edu/images/ProgramSheets/2195.pdf is the most intense thing I see at my community college, but I'll look for more later.

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swiftcoder

18,997

January 17, 2012 02:24 AM

Humor me. If I did get the chance to hand pick a stronger program, where should I go? Any suggestions?

Stanford, MIT, Chapel Hill NC, UC Berkley? And that's just a few from the cream of the crop... There are literally hundreds of universities with strong CS programs.

Tristam MacDonald. Ex-BigTech Software Engineer. Future farmer. [https://trist.am]

frob

46,227

January 17, 2012 06:27 AM

There's the difference in that last link.

It is not a Computer Science program.

It is a "Computer Programming & Analysis" (trade degree) program.

If your goal is to get the associates degree and then transfer to a bigger school for the computer science degree (which is the standard entry ticket) then the academic program will be fine. It is weaker than those who studied CS to begin with, but it should not be a fatal blow to your education.

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