# Computer science



## shadowguy (Jun 17, 2008)

I have no idea anymore if it's for me. I like computers, internet, etc, but programming all day in a cubicle? I can't imagine being truly happy doing that. Does anyone here have a career in computer science? Do you enjoy it? I'd love to do something creative, but I always get discouraged learning to draw and don't think I could do it. There has to be something enjoyable in computer science, right?


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## NervousInDublin (Feb 19, 2010)

i'm a developer and I can say I find it very rewarding. I saved my old company, back when I felt well enough to work, I'd say about 25,000 man hours a year with some of the stuff I wrote. Software can help people. Think of all the elearning apps

At the moment I'm doing a lot of research and prototype building of things which help people with accessibilty issues interact with the web and other things like phones. I'm trying to write software that automatically reads out a text message when its received, so blind people can at least received text messages, I'm sure its been done for iphone though. but this is the sort of stuff that is rewarding, it's not all banging away at a screen in a cubicle.

coldmorning mentions working from home, and this is the case with me, only a little though.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Working from home means no cubicle. I have one - it's no big deal unless the walls are short. That gave me SA.


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## jane (Jan 30, 2006)

I'm just a student, but I've sat in a cube and programmed all day. There is a bizarre feeling of triumph (over what, I don't know) when your program finally works the way it should. 
(It kind of feels like :idea + :boogie)

Most offices, in whatever field you work in, will have you sit at a desk in front of a computer all day long. It's not overly terrible, I guess.


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## boots88 (Jun 22, 2010)

hey just wondering what skills and or prior knowledge someone should have before going into a career or starting post secondary for computer science?


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## TheCanadian1 (Sep 14, 2009)

Math... and that's about it. I'm just heading into Computer Science myself this fall.

I do have some basic Science classes to take, but they're only 100 level and pretty much highschool stuff. Also an economics and a little business.

I would say Math is most important...


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## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

shadowguy said:


> I have no idea anymore if it's for me. I like computers, internet, etc, but programming all day in a cubicle? I can't imagine being truly happy doing that. Does anyone here have a career in computer science? Do you enjoy it? I'd love to do something creative, but I always get discouraged learning to draw and don't think I could do it. There has to be something enjoyable in computer science, right?


I wouldn't exactly call my job a career in computer science, as I'm just a lowly computer tech, but I mostly enjoy it. Programming can be a creative exercise if you enjoy it. I just do programming as a hobby, I'd love to have a job doing it though.


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## rickey (Jun 22, 2010)

if you like math and the sciences, maybe you should talk to your advisor about computer engineering. It's certainly more exiciting than being just being a programmer. You still have to know programming but at least there will be a more hands-on approach, and you'll be making more money. And you have to physics too but it's your call.


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## bobthebuilder (Jun 17, 2009)

whats teh difference between computer science, comp engineering and IT?


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## lde22 (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm thinking about majoring in CS or Computer Information Systems or something similar but I don't know if I'm smart enough or if I will really enjoy it.


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## JMX (Feb 26, 2008)

Technically I am not a computer science major (ex computer science major, actually), but rather an interdisciplinary science major with a concentration in computer science. They're similar, though with a true computer science major you're taking more computer-related courses. I can give you my two cents though, since I've recently graduated and on the hopeless job hunt.

Jobs pertaining to computer science aren't necessarily secluded to working in a cubicle. In fact, I'm sure there are a lot of computer-related jobs where you're rarely working in a cubicle. One of the recent job interviews I took, which was computer-related, was to work with programmers in Japan to solve various coding issues. Of course, I'm not actually going to work in Japan, but rather exchange emails or phone conversations to tackle various problems. I think this job doesn't exactly make you sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day typing, but rather do a lot of problem-solving with people.


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## AlwaysOnTheOutside (Jan 11, 2010)

A CS degree is really valuable even if you don't end up going into CS. It is one of the "smart" majors so employers will be willing to hire you even for something unrelated like finance. The downside is the perception you aren't very sociable so you will have to overcome that.


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

In combination with my programming degree I'm going to take the few extra classes required for a web design degree. Then I can do individual or part time work dealing with websites and there are a few opportunities for individual coding jobs if you know a few programming languages. I think that will be enough of a contribution considering I'm married and my husband is getting his masters in CS while already making $40,000-$50,000 a year. He'll probably have several raises by the time he completes his extra schooling. It was mainly learning about his job though that turned me off concentrating on a cs degree and getting a full time programming job.


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