Thread: can most c.s. majors program well?

  1. #1
    CIS and business major
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    Aug 2002
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    Question can most c.s. majors program well?

    I was just curious about this.

    I looked at course lists for a lot of colleges, and so many focus on calculus, physics, theory of programming etc, and only have a base of maybe 200-250 hours of real in depth programming courses. I find it hard to learn programming 3 hours a week, over the course of two years, and jumbled in with all those other types of classes.

    I know this question is very general, and will differ with everyone. But I was just curious if anyone had any insite.

  2. #2
    PC Fixer-Upper Waldo2k2's Avatar
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    I have two friends who just graduated college in that field, they know the language inside and out....but their programs suck. The interface (both dos and win) is horrible, and the logic is full of memory leaks (not that i'm a WHOLE lot better). When it comes down to it their lack of coding time leaves them with knowledge they can't put to use, they can't figure out how to do things....and when they do their code is so convoluted that it's impossible to find bugs. So, in response, yeah, lack of coding time will hurt anyone, not just cs majors. It's not like they couldn't take it upon themselves to program outside of class, it all depends on how dedicated they are.
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  3. #3
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    I don't know how it is in other countries, but here in the Netherlands, at my company, I see that a lot of people who studied computer science have little knowledge about engineering. They have a high theoretical level of computer science, but engineering is something very difference and I see them having a lot of problems with it. After a while they understand how to do engineering and some of them are real good, they combine their engineering skills with their theoretical knowledge very well, but not all of them are able to do that. Those coming from engineering disciplines usually have less theoretical knowledge, but are more and better trained in engineering.

    But I don't think it is a bad situation, both groups complement eachother.

  4. #4
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    They attempt to introduce you to a lot of different areas such as programming in different languages, visual modeling, using servers, and networking. There are also a few classes that focus on concepts, and also classes in humanities and business administration. You get a broad education, and not just in computers.

    I think that the programmers comming out of college are average at best. Not too many of them take programming seriously, they just want to get a job and pay their expenses. Programming for it's esthetic value is low on the list.

  5. #5
    Green Member Cshot's Avatar
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    Computer Science isn't all about programming. It's supposed to be general and expose you to a lot of fields. You can then specialize afterwards and decide which route you want to take including programming, software management, systems engineering, specific research, etc...

    Not all engineers are created equal however. Some may require significant time outside of class hours to learn programming while others only need regular class hours to become proficient.

    I agree with Shiro, some people are just better in certain area and most projects do require groups of people with different disciplines.
    Try not.
    Do or do not.
    There is no try.

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