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I'm thinking about opting for a Computer Science B.Sc Honours course instead of getting an Engineering degree in college.
The curriculum is here (pdf):
http://www.sxccal.edu/ug_compsc/BSc_CompScHons.pdf
I'd like to hear your opinion on it. (especially if you're in the academia).
What kind of engineering is your major? Is it possible for you to do an engineering major with a CS minor? That seems like it might be a "sweet spot", career wise (unless you just want to ditch engineering and go for programming "whatever").
You misunderstood the situation.. :)
I'm just about to enter college in a few months time, not already within and change streams.
I used the word 'instead' because Engineering courses seem to be the norm around here....and the other way is considered 'old fashioned' (possibly after the dot com boom ).
Lemme rephrase that then: what kind of engineering were you considering?Quote:
Originally Posted by manasij7479
Round these parts, I keep hearing on the news about how engineers and programmers are near the top of the heap WRT "in demand" occupations. I'd guess (but don't trust me) that a CS minor and an Engineering major will still give you a good shot at a "whatever" programming job, but a CS major will give you zero chance at an engineering job.
OTOH, I'm basing this on the fact that there (seem to be) a lot of people around who did hard science degrees while dabbling in programming, found it useful in the process, got good at it, and ended up, eg, programming for NASA. RMS's degree is in physics, etc. But 1) that may have been about a certain point in history, and 2) it may or may not be as true in applied science/engineering.
Worth checking out tho. Universities usually have guidance offices for stuff like this where there may be someone who can at least put you in touch with someone else who can provide some hard facts vis, "Yeah, there are opportunities of this sort...".
People who specialize early in the right thing tend to go far, methinks.
I was considering either Electronics or Computer Science.
But the fact that I'd have to study a mixture of every subject in Engineering for the first 1.5 years put me off.
I'd rather take my chances with 'standalone' Computer Science with Maths and Physics as auxiliary courses.
Good idea, even if not, I'd be able to contact a few alumni who went the same way.Quote:
Worth checking out tho
I was just reconsidering my hard vs. applied science thing -- again, conjectural, but dollars to donuts there are a lot of large engineering (electronic, civil, aerospace, mechanical) firms that employ a lot of in house programmers. And a lot of smaller firms that might appreciate it.Quote:
Originally Posted by manasij7479
From what I remember of university, it is not that big a deal to switch majors in the first few years, esp. if you focus your electives on your "alternate" choice. Ie, by choosing CS and doing low level engineering courses as electives, or choosing engineering and doing low level CS as electives, you'll be free to switch after a few semesters without having to make up more than a few courses. Ask about the possibilities there when you are considering schools.
Didn't you apply for IIT, BITS, NIT Durgapur, IIITs, etc. If your score is good, trust me, Just hop into any of these institutes. You will certainly meet lots of like minded people there. Local institutes like the one in Post #1 will make you cry. In the first year you will learn Turbo C++ and How to use Borland and 90's products . In the second year, you will learn some (very little)datastructures and Databases. In the third year you will be busy with your "project" , jobs and other really crappy subjects like Multimedia. After 3 years, you will consider doing a MCA which might lead you to a decent package as a Tester, or a database job ( night shifts (read American companies)and BPOs are looking forward for these students)
There's still time, Give all the exams. Unless you are doing Bsc Phy, or Math or Chem or any core subject, I wish you all the very best.
+1000, This is very true. Adding to the above, guy with less than average subject knowledge gets a job if he graduates from one of the top institutes than the better ones from lesser known institutes. This is very unfortunate, but that's how the system works. Choose your college more carefully, as careful as you are with the syllabus. It does make a LOT of difference in your career. All the best.Quote:
Originally Posted by neverless
Yes I did, but I don't have much hope of getting into IIT this year. (Even if I do, I won't get a good subject in a good place.)Quote:
Originally Posted by neverless
The NIT admission exam (AIEEE) will be easy though after a month of preparation time...so I'm holding onto that.
I heard from a nit graduate that the situation there is somewhat similar.Quote:
learn Turbo C++ and How to use Borland and 90's products.
Quote:
After 3 years, you will consider doing a MCA which might lead you to a decent package as a Tester, or a database job ( night shifts (read American companies)and BPOs are looking forward for these students).
True, but I'm not in a hurry to get a job just after graduation.Quote:
Originally Posted by stevesmithx
I could do a Masters here or even abroad if I can crack exams like GRE and GATE.
Moreover, getting into a less-known (non-engineering) school will get me much more free time to work on personal projects, which if succeed, will be greater than any job I could get the normal way.
So, my strategy is thus, to get into the college mentioned in post #1 (It is quite well known, btw) or an NIT.
If I do not like the situation, I'll put a lot of effort into getting into the best place the next year.
The real question is YOUR opinion of it. Ultimately, it comes down to what you want for possible careers. Your degree choice will open some doors and close others. The trick is to pick a path that leaves the doors you want most open, and closes doors you weren't interested in. Every major life decision is like this.Quote:
Originally Posted by manasij7479
Without knowing where your interests lie, it's impossible to say whether it's a great or terrible choice. Are you going to regret the path not taken, or be happy with the road you've chosen? Nobody else except you has any chance to know that answer.
I wasn't enquiring about career opportunities (I'm aware of what path leads where), just whether the linked course is upto modern standards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cat
The easiest way to do that would be to just look around at schools you figure set a standard, eg:Quote:
Originally Posted by manasij7479
Spring 2012 Course 6: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
EECS Course WEB Sites
Those both seem to have integrated "EECS" departments (I didn't look for that, I just googled "computer science syllabus" for MIT and Berkeley). Berkeley seems pretty interesting, surprise surprise, and the entry to "Soda Hall" looks like a big mushroom, lol.
Unfortunately most of us won't have those opportunities :(.
Anyway, I glanced at your syllabus and it looked run of the mill to me (ie, fine but not exciting), having looked at a bunch of those around here last fall -- you do some internet stuff, you do some database stuff, you do some OS stuff, you do some data structures stuff, etc.
Stuff I'd look for would be opportunities in the upper level courses (I'd guess most places have an allowance for a self-directed study for one or two semesters, where you go to a prof with a project idea, the prof hopefully approves it and serves as a mentor and you otherwise work alone -- that is a great thing), and SE courses.
I still haven't seen anywhere with a low level course on design patterns...go figure.
If at all possible, go sit in on a low level CS lecture a couple places; the most important factor is always the prof. A good prof can make something great of a blah course description, a crap prof can ruin just about anything.
Another thing to look at is the textbooks used for various courses that might interest you. How recent are they? Look them up online and try to compare them to other texts used in similar courses at other schools. I used to go to the bookstore and look at what we'd be reading before I picked a course. Beyond the 101 survey courses, the prof generally gets to pick the text(s).
I dunnno if the thing about turbo C is such a big deal, unless you are just doing a certificate in C programming.