Computer Science (CS)
Hello everybody. I am in hope for some advice today regarding the course, Computer Science or CS. As i am hopefully going to university (hopefully Oxford) and doing that course and i wanted to see if you had any comments regarding the subject or any useful information. Thanks.
LOL, too many hopeful remarks :/
LOL, too many hopeful remarks :/
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What do you mean by course? Computer Science is a field of study. A University level program will consist of dozens of courses on different concepts that fall under the umbrella of computer science. What questions in particular do you have?
Oxford... have you check this page?
http://web.comlab.ox.ac.uk/admissions/ugrad/Computer_Science_at_Oxford
http://web.comlab.ox.ac.uk/admissions/ugrad/Computer_Science_at_Oxford
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I don't know if PracticingProgrammer is an Englishman, if he were, I'd be extra careful when trying correct an Englishman's English... ...I grew up in the States myself, but there are actually a multitude of English variants throughout the world, so it pays to remain open-minded.
course
noun ( CLASSES ) /kɔːs//kɔːrs/
Definition
[C] a set of classes or a plan of study on a particular subject, usually resulting in an examination or qualification
Tim did a three-year course in linguistics at Newcastle.
They're going away on a training course next week.
I'd like to UK do/US take a writing course when I retire.
(Definition of course noun (CLASSES) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
| What do you mean by course? Computer Science is a field of study. |
I don't know if PracticingProgrammer is an Englishman, if he were, I'd be extra careful when trying correct an Englishman's English... ...I grew up in the States myself, but there are actually a multitude of English variants throughout the world, so it pays to remain open-minded.
course
noun ( CLASSES ) /kɔːs//kɔːrs/
Definition
[C] a set of classes or a plan of study on a particular subject, usually resulting in an examination or qualification
Tim did a three-year course in linguistics at Newcastle.
They're going away on a training course next week.
I'd like to UK do/US take a writing course when I retire.
(Definition of course noun (CLASSES) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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closed account (z05DSL3A)
| Wikipedia wrote: |
|---|
| In U.S. and Canadian education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors (teachers or professors), has a fixed roster of students, and gives each student a grade and academic credit ... In the United Kingdom and Australia, however, the term "course" refers to the entire programme of studies required to complete a university degree, and the word "unit" would be used to refer to an academic course in the North American sense. |
Very funny. Yes i am a Englishman and course means a number of lessons that make up a complete degree, so CS.
well i don't want to argue about language, but thanks for all your comment.
well i don't want to argue about language, but thanks for all your comment.
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Well I don't know where you live it's different, but universities in the UK have courses called computer science, computer science and maths, computer science and philosophy. They consist of different things, but all include the theory of computer programming so it's opens the opportunity to learn multiple programming languages quickly and more efficiency. I am hoping to go on to doing computer science and maths as i am very good at maths, not to brag. Thank you all for your distribute of language differences.
but, what i was asking is if anyone took it as a lesson (I am trying not to use course now!) at university or collage. Just to give me any comments of how affective it is? What you learn? Did it help in careers? And just general stuff like that.....
Well I don't know where you live it's different, but universities in the UK have courses called computer science, computer science and maths, computer science and philosophy. They consist of different things, but all include the theory of computer programming so it's opens the opportunity to learn multiple programming languages quickly and more efficiency. I am hoping to go on to doing computer science and maths as i am very good at maths, not to brag. Thank you all for your distribute of language differences.
but, what i was asking is if anyone took it as a lesson (I am trying not to use course now!) at university or collage. Just to give me any comments of how affective it is? What you learn? Did it help in careers? And just general stuff like that.....
imho, programming as a craft is 80-90% practice and 10-20% theory
but it has been said that the programming efficiency of an expert vs someone mediocre is something like an order of a magnitude of difference - how you get that efficiency varies from person to person
a much greater factor is often answered by "how much passion do you have for programming?"
in my case, my "courses" were in electrical engineering, but I did programming all in my spare time, which eventually turned into a career
today, I know infinitely more about various programming languages and paradigms than I know about op-amps and mosfets (though ironically, I highly envy self-taught EE's like Jeri Ellsworth - learning about her rekindled my interest in circuitry, but apparently, I don't have sufficient passion to spend the time to re-educate myself)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/technology/20joystick.html
imho, passion is key, whether or not you choose to major in CS or not
but it has been said that the programming efficiency of an expert vs someone mediocre is something like an order of a magnitude of difference - how you get that efficiency varies from person to person
a much greater factor is often answered by "how much passion do you have for programming?"
in my case, my "courses" were in electrical engineering, but I did programming all in my spare time, which eventually turned into a career
today, I know infinitely more about various programming languages and paradigms than I know about op-amps and mosfets (though ironically, I highly envy self-taught EE's like Jeri Ellsworth - learning about her rekindled my interest in circuitry, but apparently, I don't have sufficient passion to spend the time to re-educate myself)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/technology/20joystick.html
imho, passion is key, whether or not you choose to major in CS or not
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I concur with kfmfe04. Passion is really the key to success in this field, not simply education. My education is in Computer Science and I did enjoy my studies immensely, or should I say still enjoy. As a computer scientist/programmer there is always something to learn, which is why it's important to be passionate about the field or you'll end up in a dead end job. I did some consulting with a fortune 500 a few years back where the scope of my work was to:
1. Remove legacy peoplesoft and oracle ebusiness suite with a more modern Java solution.
2. Remove JBoss and replace with SharePoint technologies.
3. Develop a uniform file transmission program to support both flat file and xml file feeds between global financial institutions.
4. And lastly, develop change management/source control add ons to their newly purchased COTS app.
5. Develop intelligent business rules for their CRM suite.
There is a reason I'm mentioning the scope. I was the only consultant brought on to accomplish these tasks over two years with the assistance of their 8 man dev team, most of which had Computer Science education. The problem was that for the past 10 years the only programming they did at all was pl/sql, which I don't feel counts. I was asked to train some of them... My contract required knowledge of Current ERP systems and underlying proprietary technologies, Intranet platforms in Java and .Net, scripting, database technologies, web services, SDLC concepts and supporting tools, and all the goodies in between (no c++) on these projects :(.
The point I'm making is that these individuals had no passion, or lost their passion for computer science which resulted in a dead end job with zero marketable skill set. You can't assume that once you get your education that's it. It helps at first, but it's up to you to be passionate about your career and push on learning as much as you can.
Hope these ramblings help...
1. Remove legacy peoplesoft and oracle ebusiness suite with a more modern Java solution.
2. Remove JBoss and replace with SharePoint technologies.
3. Develop a uniform file transmission program to support both flat file and xml file feeds between global financial institutions.
4. And lastly, develop change management/source control add ons to their newly purchased COTS app.
5. Develop intelligent business rules for their CRM suite.
There is a reason I'm mentioning the scope. I was the only consultant brought on to accomplish these tasks over two years with the assistance of their 8 man dev team, most of which had Computer Science education. The problem was that for the past 10 years the only programming they did at all was pl/sql, which I don't feel counts. I was asked to train some of them... My contract required knowledge of Current ERP systems and underlying proprietary technologies, Intranet platforms in Java and .Net, scripting, database technologies, web services, SDLC concepts and supporting tools, and all the goodies in between (no c++) on these projects :(.
The point I'm making is that these individuals had no passion, or lost their passion for computer science which resulted in a dead end job with zero marketable skill set. You can't assume that once you get your education that's it. It helps at first, but it's up to you to be passionate about your career and push on learning as much as you can.
Hope these ramblings help...
Thank you all. I am very passionate about programming. To the point i have almost giving up acceptance to any other career, but i have learnt in my own time. I find it addicting. :)
And i want to get the qualifications for this career and all the experience. Thank you for telling me about your story's they have moved me and have made me re-think what i want to do, i guess i was rushing into things. but i think it shows how passionate i am about this....
But i mean i am a kind of person who always up-dates my knowledge and i love to read. (it's how i learnt the basics). Many people have said that it's the kind of job you have to up-date your knowledge, which i would as technology advances. QUICKLY!
Thanks again everyone.....
And i want to get the qualifications for this career and all the experience. Thank you for telling me about your story's they have moved me and have made me re-think what i want to do, i guess i was rushing into things. but i think it shows how passionate i am about this....
But i mean i am a kind of person who always up-dates my knowledge and i love to read. (it's how i learnt the basics). Many people have said that it's the kind of job you have to up-date your knowledge, which i would as technology advances. QUICKLY!
Thanks again everyone.....
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