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What do you do in computer science each day? What college do you recommend me to go?
#computer-science #college #I’m a 10th grade student.
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Dexter’s Answer
Hi Yuquan,
You solve problems everyday.
For me, "fun" days are days when I get to solve computer problems. Like, how to optimize something so it's written as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) as possible and yet runs as efficient as it can, utilizing the minimal resources that it needs and no more.
The more "interesting" days are when you have to solve people problems. Convincing people that the solution should be X instead of Y. Doing code reviews of other team members in a way that's respectful and where the person being reviewed won't take it as a personal attack. Convincing my manager that we should work on performance of the app instead of new features.
As for colleges, it doesn't really matter, IMHO. If you go to the top ranked colleges, you'll make connections that might matter more , but those colleges cost so much, I'm not sure if it's worth it. I think the best bang for the buck is going to a community college for the first two years, then transferring to a 4 year university to finish the last two years. The degree is the same, but you paid peanuts for the first two years.
I wish you the best, Yuquan!
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Dexter
You solve problems everyday.
For me, "fun" days are days when I get to solve computer problems. Like, how to optimize something so it's written as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) as possible and yet runs as efficient as it can, utilizing the minimal resources that it needs and no more.
The more "interesting" days are when you have to solve people problems. Convincing people that the solution should be X instead of Y. Doing code reviews of other team members in a way that's respectful and where the person being reviewed won't take it as a personal attack. Convincing my manager that we should work on performance of the app instead of new features.
As for colleges, it doesn't really matter, IMHO. If you go to the top ranked colleges, you'll make connections that might matter more , but those colleges cost so much, I'm not sure if it's worth it. I think the best bang for the buck is going to a community college for the first two years, then transferring to a 4 year university to finish the last two years. The degree is the same, but you paid peanuts for the first two years.
I wish you the best, Yuquan!
--
Dexter
Updated
Sharon’s Answer
I agree with Dexter - you solve problems every day!
If you like a quest, if you like the feeling of having solved a touch challenge, if you enjoy not doing the same thing over and over, then it is a great field. I started as a programmer after college and made it a point to rotate into different roles to gain experience. For example, I worked in a development team which gave me the opportunity to learn how to design and code solutions based on the requirements for new features, functionality or even applications. Then I did what is called maintenance. This is when you fix code that is broken and needs to be fixed in order for the application or business to run. Everyone likes the glory of development because you get to create the design and code. I personally preferred the maintenance because it is much hard to fix code then to create from scratch (most of the time). From there, you can learn how to define requirements or how to test code. You can come a liaison to the business people who give the requirements and "translate" what the want to the technology people to build it. You can learn to lead the project or teams of people who provide the services that fix broken code. You can learn about the machines that run the systems and support those. You can get involved with artificial intelligence and automation to create state of the art solutions. There is cyber security where you can be an ethical hacker. There is quantum computing which is still in the early phases of determining what it can do. There is research and development where you can tinker on BIG ideas. You can lead hundreds of professional who do any combination of these activities.
Your days will not be boring. You get to drive your path. If you get bored, there are plenty of options.
As far as which college to pick? I have been in the business for about 30 years. People have all different types of backgrounds - some not even went to college. Pick on that you can afford, do well and strive to continuously learn. It is a great career. All the best!
If you like a quest, if you like the feeling of having solved a touch challenge, if you enjoy not doing the same thing over and over, then it is a great field. I started as a programmer after college and made it a point to rotate into different roles to gain experience. For example, I worked in a development team which gave me the opportunity to learn how to design and code solutions based on the requirements for new features, functionality or even applications. Then I did what is called maintenance. This is when you fix code that is broken and needs to be fixed in order for the application or business to run. Everyone likes the glory of development because you get to create the design and code. I personally preferred the maintenance because it is much hard to fix code then to create from scratch (most of the time). From there, you can learn how to define requirements or how to test code. You can come a liaison to the business people who give the requirements and "translate" what the want to the technology people to build it. You can learn to lead the project or teams of people who provide the services that fix broken code. You can learn about the machines that run the systems and support those. You can get involved with artificial intelligence and automation to create state of the art solutions. There is cyber security where you can be an ethical hacker. There is quantum computing which is still in the early phases of determining what it can do. There is research and development where you can tinker on BIG ideas. You can lead hundreds of professional who do any combination of these activities.
Your days will not be boring. You get to drive your path. If you get bored, there are plenty of options.
As far as which college to pick? I have been in the business for about 30 years. People have all different types of backgrounds - some not even went to college. Pick on that you can afford, do well and strive to continuously learn. It is a great career. All the best!
Updated
Megan’s Answer
I would like to mention the idea of a coding bootcamp as an alternative option to college or in addition to college if for example you decide to study something different than computer science. There are so many different bootcamps, the one I went to is called Hack Reactor. There are also bootcamps in which you don't have to pay until you get a job afterwards. The bootcamp I went to was 3 months and afterwards it helped get a job relatively quickly!
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