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What is one of the most difficult things to figure out when trying to complete a bachelors in Computer engineering?
I am very interested in computer engineering and want to know what other people who have a degree in that have to say #computer-software
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Corbin’s Answer
I'm definitely sure this isn't the most difficult problem in computer engineering, but a nice first problem to tackle when just starting out is simply learning how a computer boots up. From the moment you push the power button on your PC until the moment when you are able to log in, what is the computer doing? Figuring out the answer to this question will give you so much background about the context of computing and how computation is limited by the hardware that we use.
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Stuart’s Answer
How much to study about the system hardware. Typically most students see computer engineering as only software. However, depending on what areas you want to explore, it's also important to understand the hardware that the software is running on. For many this can be difficult and boring, but you may be surprised by what you learn.
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Brian’s Answer
While I was in college, I found having to take courses about aspects of the profession that didn't interest me. I found that my school and others that my friends went to had a problem of keeping pieces that applied in the past and maybe no longer made sense to be in the program now, surely due to the speed at which these technologies are evolving. These courses that felt like they applied less to what I wanted to do often caused me to question my profession choice, as I assumed I was learning these things for a reason and I couldn't stand them. Luckily, I was wrong and once I had earned my degree I found a job I discovered which things I had learned that actually mattered.
That being said, with the benefit of hindsight, THAT is what was actually the hardest part about earning the degree. Remembering that just earning the piece of paper isn't actually the end goal and trying to determine which pieces of what I learned would actually be helpful in my professional career were things I do not feel like I did well. Sadly, the vast majority of what I learned at college was not very helpful and a few nuggets were indispensable, and I couldn't determine which was which. My suggestion would be learning as much as you can about day to day life in the position you'd like to see yourself in, see what knowledge people actually in that position right now value and focusing your efforts on those things. You need to do everything to earn that piece of paper, but you'll be way better equipped if you know what will actually be helpful and which pieces you can just meet the minimum requirements for.
That being said, with the benefit of hindsight, THAT is what was actually the hardest part about earning the degree. Remembering that just earning the piece of paper isn't actually the end goal and trying to determine which pieces of what I learned would actually be helpful in my professional career were things I do not feel like I did well. Sadly, the vast majority of what I learned at college was not very helpful and a few nuggets were indispensable, and I couldn't determine which was which. My suggestion would be learning as much as you can about day to day life in the position you'd like to see yourself in, see what knowledge people actually in that position right now value and focusing your efforts on those things. You need to do everything to earn that piece of paper, but you'll be way better equipped if you know what will actually be helpful and which pieces you can just meet the minimum requirements for.