I want to major in computer science. What classes should I take?

Hi!

I'm going to guess from your question that you are in high school. If you aren't, I apologize, this first part will be redundant.

So, while in high school, take math. Calculus if you can, but if not it's not too big a problem. English, in particular the writing portions, will serve you well later, when you need to write documentation to explain what your code does or is going to do. If you are able to take an AP Computer Science class, whether in person or online, then it will likely be helpful. Even if the class itself isn't too good, the more exposure you get to programming the better. This also means that after school activities that include programming, or your own self-driven work both are great, if you have the time and resources.

In college, there will likely be suggested classes for a Computer Science student. Start building your plans around those recommendations, for sure. But in general, you will want to start with an Introduction to Programming, and then move on to classes that teach particular programming concepts, and classes that teach specialized areas of programming, according to your interests.

Some concepts to look for are: Object Oriented programming, functional programming, Algorithms, Data Structures, distributed programming, Software Engineering, human-computer interactions (HCI), and ethics in computers

Some specializations to try out, depending on which interest you, are: Graphics, assembly code, systems programming, embedded programming, cryptography, machine learning, operating systems, Web programming, mobile programming, and game programming

If you can, round yourself out with some writing courses, following up on the advice about English classes above, and math. Any humanities that interest you will likely broaden your horizons and end up being useful in unexpected ways as you program more, too.

Good luck! There are a lot of possible paths, so find the one that works for you.

Hi,

Information security professionals are in high demand, but entering the field can be tricky one. Career aspirants don’t necessarily have to be a tech expert to start pursuing a cyber security career. Getting appropriate certification is an absolute must for pursuing a cyber security career which prove that you have all the knowledge required to do your job well. A lot of prospective employers won’t even consider hiring you if you lack basic certification.

It is advised to focus on IT certifications, and get your hands on old machines and build up Linux installs, practice building networks, and do as much hands-on as you can. This is a great way to start on your path toward a cyber security career, no matter how much or little experience you have with computers.

Here is a certification path for general cyber security professionals:

Entry-Level

If you are recently graduated and looking for career in information security then you can enrolled in any of entry level certifications:

• ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
• GIAC Information Security Fundamentals Certification (GISF)
• CompTIA’s Security+ is an ideal starting point for your cyber security certification path.

Intermediate-Level

If you have already landed in entry level position such as in Security operation centre then you can go for these certifications.

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
• ISC2 Certified Authorization Professional (CAP)
• GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP)
• CWNP Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP)

Advance-Level

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is an independent information security certification granted by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as (ISC)². CISSP highly ranked certifications and considered as the top best-paid credentials in IT. In 2008, study came to the conclusion that IT professionals with CISSP tend to have salaries $21,000 higher than IT professionals without such certificates.

Alternatively, you can go for these highly valuable certification:

• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)

This is a great time to start a career in Information security

Information security professionals are among the most demanding in the technology sector. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity out there, but you have to work hard to get into this career.

Here are few tips which can help career aspirant to land in information security dream job.

• Get information security certifications.
• Go to information security conferences to build Your InfoSec Network
• Learn ‘Soft’ Skills

With recent havoc created by ‘Wannacry’ ransomware global attack, It’s a perfect time to get your start in the sector and set yourself up for lifelong success in a lucrative career.

Computer Science is a very broad area with many different applications with each having its own set of course requirements. The important thing for you to do is to determine which one of the applications is best suited to match with your personality traits and then talk to people who are doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can see what they do, how they got there, and what suggestions and advice that they might have for you.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Udacity offers an online course called Introduction to Programming Nanodegree. This course promises once completed you will know which direction you want to go: Front end, back end web development, data analytics, Security etc.