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Alexander DiMauro wrote: For those with a CS degree, what do you think are the most valuable things you learned in the CS degree that the rest of us are missing?
A head start on the theories. The best courses I've taken are compiler construction, programming languages, distributed systems and functional programming. These courses gave me a lot of ideas that I have used to solve problems over the years, often totally unrelated to the above topics.
Other than that, not much. When you get out of school, you're none the wiser than you were when you started. You just have some more tools in the toolbox to actually learn what's important. 
--
Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
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I have Bachelor Degree in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
Does it count in COMPUTER SCIENCE or Not in it?
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Sure it does 
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Yes it does. But when comes to the industry some times define in different ways too.
I appreciate your help all the time...
CodingLover
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It's a little comforting that most the people here (or at least most of the people who took the survey) actually write software. 
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Even "Hello World" is a software. Right?
cheers,
Super
------------------------------------------
Too much of good is bad,mix some evil in it
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But I have written softwares when I didn't have a computer science degree(Just with Diploma in Computer in my 18th age). Now I'm with my Bachelor degree & now studying Master degree (Both degrees in corresponding).
thatraja |Chennai|India|
Brainbench certifications
Down-votes are like kid's kisses don't reject it 
Do what you want quickly because the Doomsday on 2012
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I write software and I have a computer engineering degree. I had roomies who did the CS degree and they are very different.
Judy
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss.
Lazarus Long, "Time Enough For Love" by Robert A. Heinlein
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Actually in most of the Universities offers Computer Science & Engineering degree, isn't it? Because there is always kind of scientific basis to discover.
I appreciate your help all the time...
CodingLover
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CodingLover wrote: Computer Science & Engineering degree
It depends on the school but it's usually not one degree. The CS degree tends to be offered by the Arts & Science school in a university whereas the CompE is offered by the Engineering school. The basics are different. For example, my CompE course of study (with respect to required courses) was identical to the EE students for the first two years. After that it was all electives. I only had three courses over all 4 years that were the same as my CS roommate.
Judy
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss.
Lazarus Long, "Time Enough For Love" by Robert A. Heinlein
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Actually our Universities offers it.
I appreciate your help all the time...
CodingLover
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I have BSc in Industrial Eng and MSc in Civil Eng. Have been programming all my career. But no Computer Science degree. By the time I had my first programming course in uni (Fortran IV) I was already writing computer programs at home (Basic on Sinclair Spectrum).
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It would be overkill in my position, I think. I basically use VB and SQL Server in my job. I actually took a (never used) degree in History. Learned the basics of my current "trade" at now-defunct CLC (Computer Learning Center) and on-the-job.
- Life is a fountain
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If a CS degree would be overkill, then perhaps you're just being underutilized. 
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I got some degrees from physical sciences...I have been programming for over a decade. The passion seems to be a critical factor that makes you a good developer. Certain training in logical thinking makes your path smoother, no matter you were from Math, Physics or Biology.
Best,
Jun
modified on Monday, December 6, 2010 12:42 PM
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I can't believe nobody jumped on this one....
Do you have a computer science desgree?
on another note, I do have a dual degree in Biology and Chemistry with an emphasis in Biotechnology, and a graduate education in photo-physical and synthetic organic chemistry... 
I'd blame it on the Brain farts.. But let's be honest, it really is more like a Methane factory between my ears some days then it is anything else...
-----
"The conversations he was having with himself were becoming ominous."-.. On the radio...
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Sorry Leppie didn't see you down there... 
I'd blame it on the Brain farts.. But let's be honest, it really is more like a Methane factory between my ears some days then it is anything else...
-----
"The conversations he was having with himself were becoming ominous."-.. On the radio...
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I am a professional production programmer who writes computer software under constraints of both time and money for money paid by someone who will probably not use the software. Note that I draw a distinction between a professional production programmer and systems, research, hobbyist, or other types of programmer.
I am one of those people who hold academia in high regard, at least with respect to most subjects other than computer "science." I believe that what are being churned out are ill-equipped graduates who do not know the fundamentals of their chosen field. This criticism is levied toward computer software oriented subjects; I am not qualified to address computer hardware oriented subjects.
The small liberal arts college from which I graduated offered only four Bachelor of Science degrees: biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Perhaps to some that was extremely limiting. I felt that way until I asked my undergraduate mentor why we were not offering a degree in nuclear engineering. His response was simple - "We offer a basic, in depth, science curricula. If you want more specialized material, wait until graduate school." Of course, he was right. I found that my studies in physics allowed me to program the solution to almost any problem. And, when I was unable to understand the underlying mathematics, or chemistry, or biology, there were resources that I could tap.
My personal experience has convinced me that the current offerings of most US undergraduate programs miss the point. If a student requires an advanced education in computer science, let that training wait until graduate school. Otherwise, have the student obtain a basic education in accounting, biology, chemistry, economics, English, finance, fine arts, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, psychology, or sociology. For then, the student is educated in fields upon which computer programming can be applied. I have never heard the requirement, in the production environment, to solve a problem in computer science. Rather, throughout my career, I have encountered the need to program solutions to problems in accounting, biology, chemistry, economics, English, finance, fine arts, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, psychology, and/or sociology.
I am not saying that the study of computer science is not important. I am only saying that it is premature to teach it at the undergraduate level.
I am reminded of a young man who worked as an intern at the same laboratory where I was a contractor. My client asked me to provide the intern with a project to be accomplished during the summer. I asked the intern if he wanted a trivial problem that would have no real lasting value or a highly complex problem that had been troubling me for some time. He chose the later and performed brilliantly. I do not use "brilliantly" very often, but to this young man it certainly applied.
During the summer, he came to me to ask my opinion. He had been accepted to well known and highly regarded university and wanted to know what he should choose as a major. He had indicated that he wanted to major in computer science. Because he was so bright, I suggested that he major in physics or math. If he wanted to take some computer science courses, he should take them as electives. At the end of the summer, he left for school.
The following summer, he returned on another internship. Again, he wanted a difficult challenge. Again, the problem was highly complex. Again, he performed brilliantly. About half way through the summer, he came to me and asked why I hadn't talked about his university choices. I told him that his decisions were his and although I was interested, I figured that he would tell me when he was ready. He told me that he had followed my advice. He was taking a double major, physics and mathematics, and taking a minor in computer science. What floored me more was that he was returning as a junior, skipping his sophomore year. He went on to a successful career.
What has happened to today's students? I think they are looking for the easy way to big dollars. I'm sorry but that does not exist, nor has it ever existed. What is worse is that many of our colleges and universities in the US have become businesses, responding to the whims and desires of potential students. They are now more interested in money and are less interested in education. I communicated with an influential professor (who will remain unnamed) who claimed that mathematics need not be taught in a computer science curriculum. Considering the views of E. W. Dijkstra, this professor has totally missed the point of a science education. Without mathematics, how can anyone determine order statistics? How can anyone program anything other than the more trivial problems facing the real world?
What is the result of the money oriented colleges and universities? A group of poorly educated graduates who cannot program without a large investment mentoring them in accounting, biology, chemistry, economics, English, finance, fine arts, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, psychology, and sociology.
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gggustafson wrote: What has happened to today's students?
gggustafson wrote: I think they are looking for the easy way to big dollars.
gggustafson wrote: They are now more interested in money and are less interested in education.
typical "what's wrong with kids these days" attitude.
also, if you walk around most high schools in the US you will see a huge plethora of brochures and flyers promoting the difference in income levels of people with varying levels of degrees. we motivate students to continue on to college for money and jobs.
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I guess what I said could be interpreted as a "what's wrong with kids these days" attitude. But it's not. It's far worse.
I do not cast any blame upon today's students. But I do think that they are being motivated, in large part, by money. Misguided motivation at that. When a student is lured into a computer science (especially) program, that student is wholly unaware of what is facing him after five to ten years in the workforce. Programming, except for the very talented, is a dead-end career. Ask any programmer over 35 how their career path is going. If they are honest, they will tell you "uncertain." Why? They now cost too much. The very same incentive that brought the student into a programming career is now driving him out. Unless programmers move into management (something they are not well trained for), they may loose their jobs as their income increases. Or the programmer may be forced to take a cut in salary to protect his job. None of this reaches our students.
And the talent that we loose is affecting our national security. If all programming was web oriented, I would not have much of a concern. But weapons systems, telecommunications systems, air traffic control systems, electric power grid control systems, and so forth are not web pages. They are highly complex systems of software, firmware, and hardware that go well beyond the current computer science curricula. And as such, require a different orientation than that offered by our colleges and universities.
I don't view everything as a national security issue. But failing to prepare the next generation to protect our nation is a failure to insure national security. I want our nation to remain a "first world" nation. And I see us slipping. Too many practitioners of the programming craft are just that - technicians. I would personally rather see more expert automobile mechanics than more ill-equipped computer science graduates.
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gggustafson wrote: I guess what I said could be interpreted as a "what's wrong with kids these days" attitude. But it's not.
"What has happened to today's students? I think they are looking for the easy way to big dollars."
gggustafson wrote: I do not cast any blame upon today's students.
because today's students are the product of the generation before them.
and programmers can make upward of $400k a year.
1). Aleynikov had reportedly told colleagues he was about to take a job with another firm for three times his current $400,000 annual pay.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/07/whats_the_deal_with_that_goldm.html[^]
modified on Monday, December 6, 2010 1:58 PM
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What is wrong with "looking for the easy way to big dollars?" I am not personally motivated by money. It is ancillary and a means to an end. Not an end. Today's students are not worldly enough to recognize a sales pitch. I will tell you that I've made more money in my career than most. But that's not what should be important. And it is not to me.
Have you ever discussed your salary with colleagues? If you have, and believe what they said, then perhaps a little more skepticism is in order. I don't trust people who claim to have made large amounts of money, and who talk about it. I for sure do not trust a criminal such as Aleynikov. He may in fact have made the amount that he claims, but in prison, he will be very limited in where he can spend it.
So when some college or university suggests that, with a degree, you will earn one to two million dollars more than someone who doesn't go to college, they are overstating a point. I know a number of college graduates who are tending bar, or cleaning fish tanks, or other less glamorous jobs. Maybe they are not earning as much as they could, but most are happy with their position in life. When I graduated from college, my father expected me to become a teacher, a lawyer, or a bar tender. He never expected a short military career followed by a long (and continuing) programming career. But as long as did as well as I could, he was pleased. I only wish my father could counsel today's students.
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gggustafson wrote: Today's students are not worldly enough to recognize a sales pitch.
the majority of students at ANY time are/were never worldly enought to recognize a sales pitch.
gggustafson wrote: What is wrong with "looking for the easy way to big dollars?"
did not say anything was wrong. you did.
gggustafson wrote: What has happened to today's students? I think they are looking for the easy way to big dollars. I'm sorry but that does not exist, nor has it ever existed. What is worse is that many of our colleges and universities in the US have become businesses, responding to the whims and desires of potential students. They are now more interested in money and are less interested in education.
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Are you lonely? I have nothing further to say to you, specifically. I have a feeling that you are trolling and will report my feelings to the appropriate site authorities.
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I'm too young (and Australian) to answer your question specifically, but given I've just posted on a thread about computer science degrees, I'll have a go.
I have worked with engineering/cs graduates from Australian universities before (and still), with varying commercial experience from 0 - 3 years, and it doesn't seem to correlate to competence or dedication, the real skills. I have good friends who performed very well in school (OP 1 students, that's Queensland's top 3 percentiles, if I remember correctly) who have gone on to do mechatronic engineering (and a smattering of other very specific fields of engineering I hadn't heard of until the University reps came to our highschool).
In my opinion, I think these guys have taken these subjects because that's what their scores led them to, and not for the actual interest and enjoyment necessary to drive a successful career, which is a shame (although creating robots does sound cool to a 17 year old geek ).
I have worked in commercial software development for 3 years now since the end of my high school education, with no interest whatsoever in tertiary education. When these guys take their software subjects (close to 50% of the course material) I am bombarded with phone calls asking for assistance. This usually takes the form of "fix this for me, I don't care, I just want to pass".
If you don't care, why are you doing the course? Furthermore, it may be just me, but although "mechatronic engineer" sounds like a distinguished title, I have never seen a job asking for such a degree, nor any job remotely related to the field. I love programming and, more generally, problem solving, enough to teach myself to the point where I secured full time work straight out of high school without a degree or experience.
IMO, I think you are right about students being "sold" their degrees, but a University is a business too, right? From older people I've spoken to, colleagues, family, friends, I have heard the same thing many times: "University makes people good at knowing what they need to know to pass [and nothing more]". Which, as anyone worth their salt would know, just doesn't cut it in the real world - especially the world of software.
In the end, I'd hazard a guess that this has always been the case - what of sons and daughters who took up the family business because it's all they knew? Is that really much different to this - being "sold" into a career path? At that age (and I'm not much older now, really) I could barely decide what to eat for breakfast let alone what career I wanted.
I think you just have to take the leap of faith, but if you don't enjoy it, bail.
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