How Much must I love programming to be a CS Major

adeyemo · 10-14-2012, 08:07 PM

Hello there, I am quite worried about my future. After spending two years in college its like I am confused on what to major in. I declared a CS major as a freshman but on completing all my CS courses so far, I don't really find programming fun(sometimes I do). I have taken many math courses and I have all A's ( algebra, trig cal I, II, linear algebra and discrete math). I am not the best at math but I'm pretty comfortable. For some reasons, I got the impression that if I'm comfortable at math then I can be a good CS student but this hasn't been the case. I dont enjoy programming like my mates do, I find it hard translating requirements into code, I grind through programming homeworks in a very tedious manner -its not just spontaneous and natural like it is for other students

I chose CS as a major primarily because my brothers are into it and I felt like what they do is really cool. The money also enticed me. I am wondering if I should still stick in with it. My plan is to get a bachelors degree that I can work and earn good money with before I go into what I feel is my passion (Health/medical care). I will most likely be getting some kind of professional degree in that area. I dont want to do something like biology or chemistry at undergrad level because of the poor prospects as I can always take prerequisites for whatever program I decide to go into for professional/grad school.

I would appreciate any kind of suggestions. Should I stick in with it or I should look for other things with good prospects that I can do. I know people will say i should go with my passion first but, IMO I think you have to survive first, then chase your passion. If not you might never atttain fufilled height in that passion (of course, not in all cases)

Thanks in advance

adeyemo · 10-14-2012, 08:09 PM

Just realized how long my initial post is. Sorry about that

GLOBALTRAVELER · 10-14-2012, 08:52 PM

First, let dispel something. There are many CS-related jobs that require very little programming. There are also many CS-related job that do not require intense programming. One area (actually my specialty) is databases. One my tasks may include database development which may include creating "stored procedures". The programming for stored procedures is much more procedural than the more object-oriented Java or C++. That helps me because even after 20 years in this industry, I still struggle with object-oriented concepts.

Another thing to remember is that as your progress in your career, you may be doing more design-only work and less actual coding.

As far as that "go for your passion vs. go for stable money", I always believed in doing a little of both. I don't see anything wrong with choosing something that you "kinda like" and that will keep the direct-deposits coming in. Look, this is the U.S. of A, and everything costs. Personally, I feel that anything that does not include golfing in the Dominican Republic while sipping on a rum-punch is WORK. If it is WORK, I need to get paid for it.

adeyemo · 10-14-2012, 11:42 PM

Thanks for your response. This is where an apsect of my concern arises.Struggling with OOP and OOD might not do such good to your g.p.a therefore, making it hard to find that first job. At least in a rigorous enough program, one would be dealing with those concepts through the required courses for the degre

jwxie · 10-15-2012, 02:04 AM

CS education is still half theoretical in general. To make it really fun, like the kind of engineering? You still need to go through all that theoretical part and programming training.

Quote:

My plan is to get a bachelors degree that I can work and earn good money with before I go into what I feel is my passion (Health/medical care).

How about try to work with the bio science / bio engineering department and see if they need a programmer? My friend is BME and he wrote a MATLAB program. He did that this summer with very very little of programming experience. He basically didn't care about all the concepts from programming. Whatever makes sense to him he just use that tool.

I also work in a research lab where I build web service, and meanwhile I am also responsible for provisioning production, development, and test servers. In other words, I am doing a lot of server management on top of what I do. It's fun. There's a little CS theory, but doing what operation engineering does on top of the regular software engineering is fun. The opportunity is unlimited. You have to find a place to get a bit of exposure.
OOP, OOD, whatever they are, they are useless at the end of the day. Try to do something for your school? Maybe a basic appointment system using Google App Script? That's fun.

terenc · 10-15-2012, 05:30 AM

I can't see why you can't pursue your passion (medical care) and also make money doing so. Sure, majoring in biology has poor career prospects (if you don't get into med school), but maybe major in chemical engineering (which has good job prospects) or biomedical engineering, both of which actually have to do with your passion and also allow you to make money.

It seems to me that you have very little to no passion for CS. The last thing you want to happen to you is a few years down the line to feel like you're "stuck" in a CS career if you don't get into med school / grad school for bio/chem.

adeyemo · 10-15-2012, 11:21 AM

Thanks for your responses guys.

terenc, I have actually considered biomedical Engineering, but the thing is that I have to work a little, after I get my bachelors degree to make some money. I have no choice(difficult financial issues) . A biomed degree is good but from my research, employers prefer masters over bachelors. Many entry level positions require a masters degree. So I think I might just be doing something bright but I may need more specialization. Same thing with biotechnology.

Now, I havent really taught about Chemical Engineering. ( Sincerely I think the hype of how hard it is just closed my mind to it) but I'm guessing for that I have to be very good at physics. DO I?

I am pretty good in chemistry but not so sure about physics.

techboid · 10-15-2012, 04:49 PM

You dont have to love programming per se but you have to like enough where you're willing to sit in the computer lab for sometimes 10 hours at time for several days figuring out a single problem.

terenc · 10-17-2012, 02:07 AM

What are your financial issues? Could you be more specific?

As regards the difficulty of ChemE, I don't have any personal experience, but I don't see how it is any harder than CS. You should do your own research into how much physics is in the curriculum.

adeyemo · 10-17-2012, 11:25 AM

terenc,

My parents are quite old and they need help and support (financialy). I do not want to accumulate school loans (this will happen if I put myself in a situation where I have to go to grad school in order to make money).

Actually I have done my research on Chemical Engineering. It does need a cosiderable amount of physics.

jwxie · 10-18-2012, 11:28 PM

With computer science degree, you need REAL work experience. I mean it. You need special skills. There are tens of thousands of new CS/CpE graduates every single year. Half of them have a hard time getting good jobs because they either know stuff that everyone knows, or they knew very little.

Get involved in a research. Apply to tutor students? Some schools hire undergraduate students to tutor students. That's a small fee. If you get involved in some labs, your professors can recommend you to other internship programs (mostly government). Then you start making money and earning work experience.

terenc · 10-20-2012, 06:20 AM

^What you said applies to every major, and not CS specifically. In fact, job prospects for CS majors are significantly better than any engineering major, at least for now.

For the OP, given your financial situation, is there a reason you cannot qualify for financial aid?

yagottabelieve · 10-21-2012, 11:26 PM

@adeyemo,

In terms of how well you're doing in the math classes, you're on the right road. Something to consider -- do you like the concepts of computer science, but dislike the tedium of programming? If so, you might consider reorienting your focus towards the more analytical and theoretical side of CS. Just keep in mind that if you want to do that sort of thing for a living, you may need to get a PhD, or at least a MS, and there is quite a lot of competition for academic/research jobs, even at companies.

triseradad · 10-22-2012, 06:36 PM

My passion was exactly the opposite of the OP: I immediately switched to a CS major after my first programming course because it was the most exciting thing I had ever done. And it seemed so easy compared to the other branches of engineering. Effortless. This stark contrast between my experience and yours makes me think you may be on the wrong path.

In my (30 years of CS) experience, I would say that if you don't get excited about programming, a CS major makes absolutely no sense. You will write far more code per week in your career as a CS graduate then you will in school. There are opportunities to branch out to other areas, as others have said, but not without first proving yourself in basic programming positions.

There is some logic to a dual approach, of following both a passion and an aptitude, such as an artist who is very good with numbers making a career in accounting in order to retire with a second career as an artist. But choosing a path with neither passion nor strong aptitude sounds like misdirection rather than a pragmatic plan.

Try taking some coursework in areas where you have passion, then it will probably be clear whether you are on the right or wrong path. Even if it takes an extra year in college to get on the right track, this is far better than forcing yourself along a tedious, as you say, path and realizing, after several years into your career, that it is making you miserable.

adeyemo · 10-25-2012, 11:43 AM

@jwxie

I know, everyone says that and I must confess, its quite intimidating. It is particularly emphasized to CS majors who are loooking to enter industry right after college that they must be exceptional even if you graduate with a 2.0. I really dont know how much employers want the new grads to know.

@terenc
I do qualify for financial aid and I have received significant support from it. However, I do not know whether I may get any aid in grad school. I appreciate the finacial aid but there is only so much I can get ( I am not demanding for more). But thats life, it isn't comfortable. I am not so worried(financially) about getting through college, I am worried(financially) about getting through grad school if I enter immediately after college

@trisserdad
For some reason in me, I believe I may be able to grind through it( not totally convinced). I think I am an above average student and even if I do not have so much interest and aptitude for programming, I may be able knock it out with some hardwork and diligence. Now, how it may affect my G.P.A would be another issue and I am also concerned about that. This is because, I may just end up having a bunch of C's and B-'s in my programming classes (and they are alot. its a CS major!). This might hurt my g.p.a and ruin my chances for grad school. What do you think?

Thanks for your comments guys. Sorry I didn t reply for a while