Studying really computer science
Some questions about what to know to study and learn computer science at university. Maybe some seem to be a bit stupid, but I ensure you that they really are!
| 1. What are the main characteristics that one should have to study computer science at an university? (maybe this question is a summury of the others) 2. How good should you be at maths at least to pass the year? 3. How important is the communication between other people? 4. How hard should you study to pass the academic years? 5. Can you do something different, for example do sport, while studying informatics? 6. If you are not good at communicating with other people (public speaking) maybe you are terribly shy, can you do it anyway? What should you do to improve this? Are create tutorials for youtube a good exercise to improve this negative characteristic? 7. If you were a not so good student at the high school at maths, can you do it anyway? 8. How important is to know the basics of a programming language? 9. How much do you have already to know about computers organization and architecture? What do you have to know? 10. Can you still playing video games while studying at university? EDIT: 11. If you are over 20 years, can you do it anyway? 12. If you began to study a programming language by your own just from one year ago, can you do it? |
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1. An inquisitive and analytical mind with the ability to think creatively and "outside the box".
2. There is quite a lot of maths but it's not that complicated. You need to be decent but not as good as, say, a physics or pure maths student.
3. I don't know what you mean.
4. Depends. I'd been programming for a few years already when I started so I didn't really need to work that hard. Unfortunately because of my hubris, I ended up barely working at all and had to repeat a few modules. My advice would be to start all your work as soon as its set, but don't overwork yourself because you'll get burned out. Just do, say 30 minutes per assignment per day, and step it up whenever you need to.
5. Duh
6. Can I, or can you? Because I'm not terribly shy (any more). It takes a lot of effort but it's possible to overcome shyness. However, I still get nervous with public speaking for some reason. All you can do is just get on with it. It doesn't matter that much if you're nervous, even if you're visibly shaking. People will notice but they won't care. It's expected.
7. I think so. I was pretty mediocre at maths and one girl in my class has dyscalculia. She manages.
8. When you start? It's definitely a big help because I was able to do all the programming assignments in about five minutes, but it's not necessary because they teach you everything from the start. You're not expected to know it all already; that would make the course redundant.
9. Again, not much. You're there to learn.
10. See #5
Don't forget that different countries and universities work in different ways; YMMV.
2. There is quite a lot of maths but it's not that complicated. You need to be decent but not as good as, say, a physics or pure maths student.
3. I don't know what you mean.
4. Depends. I'd been programming for a few years already when I started so I didn't really need to work that hard. Unfortunately because of my hubris, I ended up barely working at all and had to repeat a few modules. My advice would be to start all your work as soon as its set, but don't overwork yourself because you'll get burned out. Just do, say 30 minutes per assignment per day, and step it up whenever you need to.
5. Duh
6. Can I, or can you? Because I'm not terribly shy (any more). It takes a lot of effort but it's possible to overcome shyness. However, I still get nervous with public speaking for some reason. All you can do is just get on with it. It doesn't matter that much if you're nervous, even if you're visibly shaking. People will notice but they won't care. It's expected.
7. I think so. I was pretty mediocre at maths and one girl in my class has dyscalculia. She manages.
8. When you start? It's definitely a big help because I was able to do all the programming assignments in about five minutes, but it's not necessary because they teach you everything from the start. You're not expected to know it all already; that would make the course redundant.
9. Again, not much. You're there to learn.
10. See #5
Don't forget that different countries and universities work in different ways; YMMV.
| How important is the communication between other people? |
Very. Long gone are the days of the computer guy sitting alone in the basement :) Communication skills are a necessity if you want to succeed.
| If you are not good at communicating with other people (public speaking) maybe you are terribly shy, can you do it anyway? What should you do to improve this? Are create tutorials for youtube a good exercise to improve this negative characteristic? |
To improve you have to practice. That means talk to people. Simple as that. Take your public speaking class seriously, and take a second one. From my experience, and what I've read, you will ALWAYS be nervous when speaking in front of a group of people. It's natural, and can be a good thing when you learn to control it. Your nervousness is usually not even visible. Just practice and you'll get better.
| If you were a not so good student at the high school at maths, can you do it anyway? |
I was an awful student in high school, and have done really well in university.
| How important is to know the basics of a programming language? |
For school? It definitely helps. For the real world? It seems to not even matter. For any entry level position at a respectable place, you'll go through a training program anyways. And then you'll work with technologies you've probably never touched before. This means you need to learn how to learn. You'll do a lot of it.
| Can you still playing video games while studying at university? |
Of course. Just manage your time well. You probably won't have time for 6+ hours a day, though.
| If you are over 20 years, can you do it anyway? |
Since when did 20 become old? Yes, you can do it.
| If you began to study a programming language by your own just from one year ago, can you do it? |
I've seen people who came in with years of programming experience, and people who came in with zero. In the end, there's not much difference. CS is more than just programming.
Mathematics is not needed at all to program (by mathematics, I mean calculus and up. Algebra is too trivial, in my opinion, to be counted as math).
Mathematics is mostly used later on when calculating efficiency of algorithms amongst other things.
To learn computer science, you will have to study hard, and by hard, I mean rigorously study for hours and hours. I somtimes program for a few days with no stopping. It's definitely somthing that requires practice and dedication.
You can't just need to have a degree, you have to WANT it.
Mathematics is mostly used later on when calculating efficiency of algorithms amongst other things.
To learn computer science, you will have to study hard, and by hard, I mean rigorously study for hours and hours. I somtimes program for a few days with no stopping. It's definitely somthing that requires practice and dedication.
You can't just need to have a degree, you have to WANT it.
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