6 answers
Bryson
Student
Ohio, OH
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What are some option I may have for going to college for programming? What options do I have for degrees and different colleges I can go to?
I am a sophomore in high school, who is taking college courses for programming right now from a local college. I have been interested in coding since 8th grade and now I feel like that is what my future will be. #college-major #major #computer-science #college #programming #coding #program #computer #computers #microcomputerapplications #tech #technology #computer-software
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6 answers
Kerry White
Manager/Solution Architect
7
Answers
Oakland, Oregon
Updated
Kerry’s Answer
My wife got interested in becoming a programmer later in life, in fact she just graduated with her 4 year degree this past Feb 2021. She was able to take the skills she learned in school and find a remote job as a Jr Developer with a firm that looks to train new developers. There are a bunch of jobs out there, but what some consider to be a Jr Dev position can vary from place to place so don't be discouraged and keep at it. As mentioned previously you do not need a degree to be a programmer, but having a degree communicates a certain level of commitment and structure so its not bad but getting a degree isn't cheap (I can attest from seeing the student loan balance we are paying down).
What employers are looking for is a level of competency in one or more programing languages. They may be looking for someone who enjoys coding and learning new languages (quite frankly many are so similar that its just syntax shifts) as well. An eagerness to figure out the solution to your problem is what I've observed is the key to a successful programmer. If you have been self taught I would have an example of your work prepared to show during your interview process - as long as you can convey what you know, employers will for the most part ignore the lack of degree.
As for what options there are, there are several online courses (Purdue online has a decent course, which is where my wife went). If you are more comfortable in a classroom setting find a school that aligns with you values.
What employers are looking for is a level of competency in one or more programing languages. They may be looking for someone who enjoys coding and learning new languages (quite frankly many are so similar that its just syntax shifts) as well. An eagerness to figure out the solution to your problem is what I've observed is the key to a successful programmer. If you have been self taught I would have an example of your work prepared to show during your interview process - as long as you can convey what you know, employers will for the most part ignore the lack of degree.
As for what options there are, there are several online courses (Purdue online has a decent course, which is where my wife went). If you are more comfortable in a classroom setting find a school that aligns with you values.
Steven Hwang
Data & Applied Scientist
4
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Steven’s Answer
I would start researching schools that have a strong Computer Science program and not focus on the overall schools "ranking" or "status". Then look at the published curriculum and professors there to see if the curriculum and extra classes they offer align to what you are interested in learning. For example, Case Western in Ohio has a good computer science program and it may be of interest for you to look at if you want to remain in state.
From there, its good to always consider that college is a stepping stone for you to figure out what you want to do in life. For most people, this boils down to finding a job or career. So the location of the school is something to take into account also. Schools that are located near big "Tech" hubs can also be good to consider applying to as they will be areas companies that hire a ton of software developers will go to find candidates.
From there, its good to always consider that college is a stepping stone for you to figure out what you want to do in life. For most people, this boils down to finding a job or career. So the location of the school is something to take into account also. Schools that are located near big "Tech" hubs can also be good to consider applying to as they will be areas companies that hire a ton of software developers will go to find candidates.
Tony Pitale
Software Engineer
6
Answers
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Tony’s Answer
The best programmer I ever worked with had a BA in religious studies. College is great, for many reasons, but it is not the ultimate decider of your career. Software in particular is a mix of logical thinking, puzzle solving, language, communication, and so much more. In addition, the most challenging problems in building software professionally are often social. For example, how do we build the best solution for our customers, while keeping our costs low, the sales team happy, and our support people from being very, very angry at us?
I don't say this to steer you away from a CS degree or anything. If you're enjoying the subject, a degree provides an opportunity to learn deeply and at a foundational level. It may even unlock certain doors that require this type of degree. But, it's not the only way to get into the field professionally.
I don't say this to steer you away from a CS degree or anything. If you're enjoying the subject, a degree provides an opportunity to learn deeply and at a foundational level. It may even unlock certain doors that require this type of degree. But, it's not the only way to get into the field professionally.
David Lee
Actuary
52
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
David’s Answer
The college route has been well answered by Vivian. Here's another thought:
The market for proficient coders is so hot now, you may not even need a college degree. With coding, your skill can be demonstrated not just by grades in computer science courses, but with actual working projects--sometimes I read about kids that have so impressed a company with a "passion project" that they get hired out of high school! The demand for tech professionals (not strictly coders) is so strong that Google has created free certification programs to encourage people from other fields or without college degrees to break into the field (see https://grow.google/certificates/)
All that said, I don't want to discourage you from college, since it is the most tried-and-true way to secure your career future; I'm just thinking outside the box for people who think college is out of reach.
Check out Roblox development and modding for Minecraft for Java for a taste of code in a game setting--the software you need can be found for free (though Minecraft for Java costs money, and you'll need a decent computer).
The market for proficient coders is so hot now, you may not even need a college degree. With coding, your skill can be demonstrated not just by grades in computer science courses, but with actual working projects--sometimes I read about kids that have so impressed a company with a "passion project" that they get hired out of high school! The demand for tech professionals (not strictly coders) is so strong that Google has created free certification programs to encourage people from other fields or without college degrees to break into the field (see https://grow.google/certificates/)
All that said, I don't want to discourage you from college, since it is the most tried-and-true way to secure your career future; I'm just thinking outside the box for people who think college is out of reach.
Check out Roblox development and modding for Minecraft for Java for a taste of code in a game setting--the software you need can be found for free (though Minecraft for Java costs money, and you'll need a decent computer).
Thank you very much!!
Bryson
Timothy Pansino
Software / Computer Engineer
8
Answers
Beaverton, Oregon
Updated
Timothy’s Answer
A lot of good answers here about computer science, which is a great option for you. I'll offer you a different option that you may be interested in.
Computer Engineering - A very similar discipline to computer science that I studied in college, the focus is on how computers were/are created from the ground up. The coursework usually includes a bit of everything, I'll highlight what was important to me:
* basic electrical engineering
* low level programming (think C, assembly. includes algorithms)
* digital hardware (programming on microcontrollers, digital circuits)
* hardware design (which usually is done with functional programming, like verilog. A fascinatingly different take on programming but incredibly useful)
* computer architecture (my capstone course was to design and build a functioning multicore processor)
* other software fields that you might not think of, like operating systems, compilers, encryption, machine learning, etc.
Computer Engineering allows you to go into the exact same jobs as computer science majors, but has some great flexibility that allows you to work in other places like chip design (Intel, AMD, TI, Broadcom, a thousand other companies), and also gives you the opportunity to design and work with electronics. It has a large amount of overlap with computer science and is very similar but includes a lot of different and interesting problems to solve, and areas to study.
On a lighter note what got me into Computer Engineering was Minecraft's redstone circuitry. Great simple digital circuitry that's easy to understand and fun to get creative and create things. It inspired my choice and what I did in labs and design projects in college felt like a real world version of it.
Computer Engineering - A very similar discipline to computer science that I studied in college, the focus is on how computers were/are created from the ground up. The coursework usually includes a bit of everything, I'll highlight what was important to me:
* basic electrical engineering
* low level programming (think C, assembly. includes algorithms)
* digital hardware (programming on microcontrollers, digital circuits)
* hardware design (which usually is done with functional programming, like verilog. A fascinatingly different take on programming but incredibly useful)
* computer architecture (my capstone course was to design and build a functioning multicore processor)
* other software fields that you might not think of, like operating systems, compilers, encryption, machine learning, etc.
Computer Engineering allows you to go into the exact same jobs as computer science majors, but has some great flexibility that allows you to work in other places like chip design (Intel, AMD, TI, Broadcom, a thousand other companies), and also gives you the opportunity to design and work with electronics. It has a large amount of overlap with computer science and is very similar but includes a lot of different and interesting problems to solve, and areas to study.
On a lighter note what got me into Computer Engineering was Minecraft's redstone circuitry. Great simple digital circuitry that's easy to understand and fun to get creative and create things. It inspired my choice and what I did in labs and design projects in college felt like a real world version of it.
Vivan Mirchandani
5
Answers
Redmond, Washington
Updated
Vivan’s Answer
Most colleges and universities have Computer Science programs. You can look online at US News& World report for the rankings of the various different universities. I would advise you to go get a BS in Computer Science. There are also Polytechnics that offer programs that are more hands on in nature and teach database programming etc. but if you can I would priorities Computer Science in a School of Science at a university or college. You will need to pick whether you want to go to a big university or a small college, how far from home you want to go, whether you want to be a commuter student living at home or move to campus, how much you want to spend etc. Each of these will guide you towards a set of colleges/universities. I would advise you to see if you can take some computer programming classes in your high school. Some of these will put you at an advantage when you apply to college. I would also encourage you to look online at computer courses available that will prepare you for the Computer Science AP exams from the College Board. There are two different AP exams start with a a Computer Science Principles that you should take first and then a Computer Science A that you should take next. https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/course-index-page. If your high school does not have any classes to help you prepare for these do an online search and there is a way to attend free online courses that will help you learn the concepts and help you prepare including Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/ap-computer-science-principles. Try to get all this done before your Senior year when you apply to colleges. Good luck!