Laugh if you will |
Laugh if you will |
Sep 22 2009, 06:05 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
Ive been trashing my head over what I should go to school for since culinary and nursing didn't work out too well for me and I'm considering doing something in computers since ive had a fascination with learning how computer viruses work and how they are created and basically computer security in general.
so uh... what courses should I take and any tips on schools and other general things i should know about before becoming a computer major? |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 06:11 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Well, first of all, what do you mean by "computer major"? Do you mean:
Answering that question will likely lead to others. |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 06:31 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
Well, first of all, what do you mean by "computer major"? Do you mean:
Computer Engineering mainly but I would like to also dabble in Computer Science , Information Technology and possibly computer programming. Basically i like to learn a bit of everything possible in a subject. |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 08:20 PM
Post
#4
|
|
Senior Member Group: Official Designer Posts: 5,880 Joined: Nov 2007 Member No: 593,382 |
are you sure your up to it? programming seems easy when you are writing kiddy scripts but when you really get into a language it really is like learning a new language. but harder.
Side note: I find it funny how so many people have told me about a "family member" who has a degree in computers. haha. Then I say doing what in computers and they say, they just do computers... |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 08:25 PM
Post
#5
|
|
Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Computer Engineering mainly but I would like to also dabble in Computer Science , Information Technology and possibly computer programming. Basically i like to learn a bit of everything possible in a subject. A study of one will typically touch upon topics in the others. Think of them like a Venn diagram. I'd draw one for you but Venn diagrams of 6 elements are kind of a pain to draw. If you're interested in computer engineering, some other questions to think about are:
Here's the summary of the computer engineering program at my (old) school, as an example. (N.B. I took computer science, not computer engineering; computer engineering wasn't offered until the year after I graduated.) Here's the summary of the computer science major where I did (part of) undergrad. (W&M doesn't have computer engineering.) |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 08:47 PM
Post
#6
|
|
/人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
engineering hi5.
Actually I'm probably going to do info. tech. Just because there is slightly less math involved. Anyway, from what I see, Computer Science seems to be a more all-encompassing course, and would be more useful. Judging by what you said in the first post and what you said about viruses and computer security, information technology would be more interesting to you. |
|
|
Sep 22 2009, 10:14 PM
Post
#7
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
A study of one will typically touch upon topics in the others. Think of them like a Venn diagram. I'd draw one for you but Venn diagrams of 6 elements are kind of a pain to draw. If you're interested in computer engineering, some other questions to think about are:
Here's the summary of the computer engineering program at my (old) school, as an example. (N.B. I took computer science, not computer engineering; computer engineering wasn't offered until the year after I graduated.) Here's the summary of the computer science major where I did (part of) undergrad. (W&M doesn't have computer engineering.) Im open to 4 years of school (i like being in school to be honest) As for the math thing. I'm really really really freaking bad at math like i can manage basic algebra sort of....and thats about it. |
|
|
Sep 23 2009, 04:04 PM
Post
#8
|
|
Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Im open to 4 years of school (i like being in school to be honest) As for the math thing. I'm really really really freaking bad at math like i can manage basic algebra sort of....and thats about it. I don't want to crush anyone's dreams, because I think you can do anything if you put your mind to it; but if you study computer engineering, you either (a) have to be really adept at math, or (b) like it enough to put a lot of effort into learning it. Calculus, diff EQs, that sort of thing, are no picnic. I'm not that strong in math either, and it's probably what holds me back the most. |
|
|
Sep 24 2009, 08:49 AM
Post
#9
|
|
Senior Member Group: Official Member Posts: 1,574 Joined: Aug 2007 Member No: 555,438 |
Honestly, if you like security I would go into Information Technology. Security is your job as a network admin.
|
|
|
Sep 24 2009, 11:36 AM
Post
#10
|
|
Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
Honestly, if you like security I would go into Information Technology. Security is your job as a network admin. I thought your job was to tell people they can't do cool stuff on the network. "Hey, can we open up the Postgres port to the entire 128.113.215.129/25 block?" "No." |
|
|
Sep 24 2009, 03:40 PM
Post
#11
|
|
Senior Member Group: Official Member Posts: 1,574 Joined: Aug 2007 Member No: 555,438 |
|
|
|
Sep 24 2009, 04:17 PM
Post
#12
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
|
|
|
Sep 24 2009, 04:22 PM
Post
#13
|
|
/人◕‿‿◕人\ Group: Official Member Posts: 8,283 Joined: Dec 2007 Member No: 602,927 |
Math isn't near as big a deal in IT as it is in engineering or programming.
|
|
|
Sep 25 2009, 09:11 AM
Post
#14
|
|
Senior Member Group: Official Member Posts: 1,574 Joined: Aug 2007 Member No: 555,438 |
Thats what my one friend who does IT told me. Im considering it, hows the math in that if any? LOL I'm not going to lie to you. There's pleanty of math in any computer field. The entire foundation of computers is built around math. Don't think you're going to avoid math by jumping into one field over another, however you need to know less math in IT than you do in other feilds. It is mandatory that you have a clear understanding of IP addressing, binary, and some programming/scripting language to excel in IT. Unless you're going to become an IT manager. IT managers just make everyone else do the math. |
|
|
Sep 25 2009, 09:35 AM
Post
#15
|
|
Senior Member Group: Administrator Posts: 2,648 Joined: Apr 2008 Member No: 639,265 |
IT managers just make everyone else do the math. Only if they someone else to manager. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to take a systems programmer, change his title to Manager of Information Technology, and fire his only underling, he'd be an IT manager but still have to do all the math. Not that that happens in real life. |
|
|
Oct 2 2009, 11:44 AM
Post
#16
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
Im looking into Devry University.
Ive looked them up and saw alot of horror stories but those were all on yahoo answers so im sort of on the fence with anything from there. Good school or bad school? |
|
|
Oct 2 2009, 06:11 PM
Post
#17
|
|
kthxbai Group: Official Designer Posts: 2,832 Joined: Feb 2008 Member No: 621,203 |
lol @ yahoo answers.
full of trolls. |
|
|
Oct 2 2009, 11:21 PM
Post
#18
|
|
Live long and prosper. Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 5,525 Joined: Nov 2006 Member No: 478,024 |
LOL i know.
Its awful |
|
|