Hi? An introduction

... Why would they brag about teaching the same damn thing for thirty years??? 0.o Technology is always changing too, in terms of how available it has become all the way down to how things can be coded. As a teacher, one has to be able to keep up with their field of study *facepalm* guh. I am so sorry you had to put with that.

Also, be jealous of my nerd discussions :P, they are wonderful discussions ranging from pop culture rhetoric to how to bind a chapbook and they are amazing.

 

I wish I knew. I really wish I knew. The curriculum put a lot of emphasis on math, electrical engineering, and low-level "basics" of computer science which haven't changed much, so... there's that. Like, writing out long exercises in binary. We spent one semester on 'stuff that hasn't been automated for the last forty years', and that was just because it was covering the most basic possible concepts. It was... not ideal. But hey, got a job now, and that's fun. :D

... You make me wish I'd been an English major, instead of picking the painfully practical route.

 

I don't think I'd do well in computers, mostly because i never had a head for math, but hey if you like what you're doing know, well then, time well spent ^ ^. Sometimes, practical is better, But I'll be honest man, English ain't all its cracked up to be either. It long hours of reading books and/or essays that are dry, too much research for only two - three page essays, a lot of discussions with assholes who never want to hear any opinions except their own (especially if you're doing writing workshops and they think their work is perfect as is, eesh), more presentations than you can count and some really crazy teachers (although, the crazy ones are the best... they are also the most long-winded of the teacher subspecies).

 

The kinds of math you need for computers are actually a pretty limited set, really. It's more the kind of head required.

 

Yeah, I think there are definitely downsides to all of the traditional majors. Unfortunately.

Agreed, outside of college coursework. (How linear algebra's going to help with coding, I have no idea, but it was mandatory.)

The big thing for programmers is that you have to really like puzzles, because you're going to be stuck staring at a problem for six hours, and the rush of 'yay I figured it out!' has to cancel six hours of frustration. It takes a certain kind of spergy crazy to enjoy. :)

 

My CS degree didn't require any of that math. We had classes on things like symbolic logic, but not general math. Agreed on the puzzles, though! I think that might in fact be the best test of whether you'll enjoy being a programmer of any variety.

 

Yeah, my school was annoyingly focused on low-level CS, we learned all kinds of things that I never want to do again. I spent a couple semesters drawing wiring diagrams by hand from the transistor level, too. :\

(This may or may not be typical; it's been typical of the high-faluting research universities in the US that I've heard about, but I think other colleges are more sensible.)

 

After reading all this, I think I am really glad I decided on English (also not traditional, creative writing is considered a new field... I think its because most english majors go on to be teachers :/ that's not my goal.)