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Search Tech-Forums - link takes you to our Forum's search page. Note: The following is only a text archive! To view the actual forum discussion, please visit our website at http://www.tech-forums.net Pages:1 Computer Science?(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)Posted by: WorldIndustries I really, [b]really[/b] want a job that has to do with computers in some sort, it's one of my high points in interest other than music. Is a degree in Computer Science any good? When I finish high school, I'm thinking about applying for it at MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland, supposedly best university in the province). What kind of job could I get with a degree in this? Is there anything I'm better off applying for than this? [url]http://web.cs.mun.ca/[/url] Link above is the Computer Science branch website for MUN. Essentially, I want something that is in-depth with hardware AND software, and also teaches a lot about networking. Posted by: WorldIndustries I've been doing some research, and there's another [i]simple[/i] option of going to College Of The North Atlantic, and taking a Computer Support Specialist course... [url]http://www.cna.nl.ca/programscourses/program-details.asp?cProgCode=436[/url] CONA Comp Sup. Specialist link above. Posted by: WorldIndustries Wow... Getting really interested in this... There's also an IT certified college in St. John's called "CompuCollege"... Courses that interest me there are: - 2D/3D animation - Multimedia: Graphic Design & Development - Computer Service Technician - Information Systems Administrator - Information Systems Specialist [url]http://www.compucollegeatlantic.ca/Overview_stjohns.asp[/url] Posted by: peterhuang913 nobody else will see this unless they press "NEW POST" on the front page. Else its really hard for someone like me to see this post. Sad how the system works... Posted by: WorldIndustries What do you mean? :confused: Posted by: peterhuang913 no one looks in the EDU section... Posted by: WorldIndustries Oh, I wasn't aware... Should I post this in off topic? I'm really eager for an opinion. Posted by: Snake-Eyes I'm close to being in the same boat as you. I am looking at double-majoring Master in Computer Science and master in Electrical Engineering (EE) with music as a big passion after computers. Mostly going after a programming job, personally. Lawrence Tech (ltu.edu) down near Detroit is apparently a good school for computer classes. I'm considering going there. It'll depend on the cost, which i have yet to find out. Posted by: M4A1 Hey, hope you're still subscribed to this forum. I'm currently a Comp Eng student (mix between EE / CS). [quote]"Is a degree in Computer Science any good?"][/quote] Depends. If you want to program, sure. If you want to do hardware design, probably not. Note that there IS programming in Comp Eng (with microprocessors, chips). It's a different type of programming (for example, FPGA programming -- [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPGA[/url]). If you want to get down into hardware design, perhaps a double degree in EE/CS or a single degree in Comp Eng or a degree in EE with a minor is CS would best fit you. Posted by: M4A1 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by WorldIndustries [/i] [B]I've been doing some research, and there's another [i]simple[/i] option of going to College Of The North Atlantic, and taking a Computer Support Specialist course... [url]http://www.cna.nl.ca/programscourses/program-details.asp?cProgCode=436[/url] CONA Comp Sup. Specialist link above. [/B][/QUOTE] Not too much advancement in being a Comp Support Specialist. Imagine the possibilities of a four year degree in CompSci/EE/Comp Eng. Also, [b]you'll get paid A LOT more.[/b]:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: Posted by: M4A1 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Snake-Eyes [/i] [B]I'm close to being in the same boat as you. I am looking at double-majoring Master in Computer Science and master in Electrical Engineering (EE) with music as a big passion after computers. Mostly going after a programming job, personally. Lawrence Tech (ltu.edu) down near Detroit is apparently a good school for computer classes. I'm considering going there. It'll depend on the cost, which i have yet to find out. [/B][/QUOTE] You're considering a masters already, and looking at your profile, you were born in 1990... looks like you have your head on straight :D :D :D Glad to hear you're considering a masters in EE/CS. By looking at your ambition, I know you're going to succeed. Though, one thing I should say is that you should try to get into a more reputable engineering school. If you're tight on budget, LTU might be the only option for you. Looks like LTU is accredited, which is good. But make sure you have regular employers visiting to recruit students. If not, you might have a hard time finding a job. Also, remember, I mean it doesn't matter as much where you get your BS (to some extent), but employers DEFINITELY look at where you get your masters degree, and what you do in your masters program. Research, publications, courses, etc... Posted by: Snake-Eyes That last point is one MAJOR reason why i'm not going with something like ITT Tech. :/ In the past few months, i've been tossing around some ideas as to what i want for a college education. So far, LTU and EE/CS looks like the best option. I've been considering either EE/CS or game design. I really like programming (i'm taking a Visual Basic class in high school right now, and i'm in the top 3 of the class.) and i've tinkered a little with Source's SDK and Hammer Editor, and realized i like making things like game levels also. The major problem for the game design route is that minus ITT Tech and Baker, there isn't really any college around here (that i know of) that offers GD as a course. Not even anything similar. I'd prefer not to go out of state because as of this moment, i have zero cash for college. Just to make sure everyone's on the same page, i'd love to go the EE/CS route, and i'd also love to go the GD route. I'm not sure which i like more, though. Do you have any suggestions? Posted by: M4A1 Here's an interesting article on game design: [url]http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/expert/steinberg_simsschool.mspx[/url] But looking at your question, it depends. I would say you would have plenty of options with EE/CS. EE is a broad field. When you see majors like Computer Engineering, you have more of a specialization. A computer engineer is an electrical engineer, only with a specialty. Seeing that you're in HS, you have probably NOT been exposed to digital logic design, electronic systems design, etc... but if you're curious as to what kind of material you might seen, just let me know, I can show you some of the work I've done so you can get a feeling for it. If you want to do EE/CS or GD, you need to be strong in math. Can't stress that enough. ------- Seing that you're strapped for cash, go to LTU for your bachelors. Make sure you have a STRONG GPA, lots of involvement with organizations such as IEEE, Computer Society (if you have one), etc..., and maybe try to get some research in there. If you do all of that, you might just be able to pull of a scholarship to a bigger engineering school, and won't have to pay for it that much. Posted by: Snake-Eyes This year was my year for breakthrough, but then i realized i screwed myself over in my freshman and sophomore years. Especially sophomore. At the end of the last school year, my sophomore year, i had a sad 2.5 GPA. Finals are coming up soon, but the last progress report showed that i had (for this year) about a 3.2, averaged with my sophomore year, comes to roughly 2.85, and that's probably a little high, unfortunately. My plan is to get a minimum of 3.0 once i'm out of high school, and it seems to be easily obtainable, provided i don't slack off any more. I realize i'm giving my high school grade life story, but it provides background, yeah? Regarding math, it comes very easy to me. I got screwed by my HS when it comes to math, though. Freshman, i was supposed to be in geometry, but they kept me in Algebra 1. Sophomore, geometry, should have been in algebra 2. This year, didn't take math. Next year i plan on taking algebra 2, but i should been going into pre-calc. I hate my HS. Just a quick question, what degrees, exactly, do you have? I'm assuming something along the lines of EE/CS, seeing as how you know so much about it. Posted by: M4A1 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Snake-Eyes [/i] [B]This year was my year for breakthrough, but then i realized i screwed myself over in my freshman and sophomore years. Especially sophomore. At the end of the last school year, my sophomore year, i had a sad 2.5 GPA. Finals are coming up soon, but the last progress report showed that i had (for this year) about a 3.2, averaged with my sophomore year, comes to roughly 2.85, and that's probably a little high, unfortunately. My plan is to get a minimum of 3.0 once i'm out of high school, and it seems to be easily obtainable, provided i don't slack off any more. I realize i'm giving my high school grade life story, but it provides background, yeah? Regarding math, it comes very easy to me. I got screwed by my HS when it comes to math, though. Freshman, i was supposed to be in geometry, but they kept me in Algebra 1. Sophomore, geometry, should have been in algebra 2. This year, didn't take math. Next year i plan on taking algebra 2, but i should been going into pre-calc. I hate my HS. Just a quick question, what degrees, exactly, do you have? I'm assuming something along the lines of EE/CS, seeing as how you know so much about it. [/B][/QUOTE] Ah yeah, I see. HS is lame. To answer your question, I don't have any degrees yet. I'm a sophomore computer engineering student (working towards BS). All this info is through experience, to be honest -- such as going to job fairs, talking with employers, taking the classes, etc. One more piece of advice: make sure you're truly dedicated because you will spend long hours on homework/studying. You'll be jealous of your history/english major friends because they have the option of sleeping before 11PM/12AM. You, on the other hand, will sleep much later (but this is more prevalent in your sophomore year... I've heard it only gets worse after it) :( As far as math goes, don't worry that you wont' be able to take calculus. I did not take calculus in HS, and I got A's in Calc I/II/III and Differential Equations. It's not necessary, though it does look somewhat good on your college apps. Posted by: M4A1 Oh and also, when you get a Masters, you don't really "double-major". If you're doing your BS, it is an option, but Masters, you're in one discipline. That's how most Masters programs work. You'll have an "[b]area of specialty[/b]" aka "[b]concentration[/b]". Posted by: WorldIndustries I applied for Computer Support Specialist at CONA. Apparently, you can get decent jobs without having to move outside of Atlantic Canada, and if I ever want to, I can take further courses to raise my qualifications if I ever have to... I'm currently talking to someone who took this course, lived at my town. He's now working in PEI, making decent money. Posted by: WorldIndustries Another thing, I'm reading into this certification stuff... I could probably breeze through A+ within a month of studying, it doesn't look that hard. Is it much of an advantage to have it? Posted by: M4A1 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by WorldIndustries [/i] [B]Another thing, I'm reading into this certification stuff... I could probably breeze through A+ within a month of studying, it doesn't look that hard. Is it much of an advantage to have it? [/B][/QUOTE] Only if you want to do basic PC repair at a company... Posted by: WorldIndustries So it's useless? I figured it'd look good on a resume... What about other certifications like MSCE? Posted by: M4A1 If you actually want to work with IT, anything other than an A+ would be suitable. Try for some of Cisco's certs. [url]http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_ home.html[/url] Posted by: WorldIndustries Well, I'm only in high school yet. A+ would probably land me an entry-level job while I'm in college, so I still might take it... I'll look into those Cisco certs too (BTW, your link's broken) Posted by: M4A1 Oh, I see. Do you want to do IT or engineeringn afterwards? vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2003, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited. PPC Management vB Easy Archive Final - Created by Xenon |