Serious discussion: Oh God, what should I major in?

I am majoring in Computer Science, and I have to take 4 years of calculus... I barely eeked through Algebra III, much less anything as bizarre as calc....

So, what should I do? I have a free ride through college from grants and scholarships, and I don't want to waste this opportunity. I just don't think I can make it through calculus.

Is there any good fields that don't require such a strain on math, or am I doomed to flunk and flip burgers my whole life?

It doesn't matter what you pick.

You're going to end up working in a call center anyway.

Kujila, it sounds like you are just beginning your college days... give it a couple years and get through all those 100 and 200 level classes. You are too smart to flunk out yet! Another suggestion is to get with the college counselor and map out a plan that fits your needs. GL!!

You mean 4 years or 4 semisters? I never heard of 4 YEARS of Calc but going to Calc IV is common (then your problems will really begin with linear algerbra and differential equations.)

It seems to me that there is a difference between programming and pure computer science. Software types correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that a college program with less emphasis on math can lead to programming / project management careers where you are pounding out code and making stuff work. Computer Science on the other hand is a dicipline where you are calculating efficient algorithms and normally leads to careers at universities and publishing papers.

Perhaps there is a different program with greater empahsis on coding and management?

Thanks for the replies!

However, are there any computer type classes that require less math?

Something that I would still find creative and fun, hopefully do some programming in, and can make a hefty buck or two.

Well, what I am trying to aim for is a Computer Software Engineer. Like, client A needs a program for her office that allows her employees to enter customer info into a database which is available at all her business' locations.

Client B wants a program that will allow his employees to chat from across the globe, giving him the ability to tell supervisors in foreign countries what to do.

Stuff like that. I thought I needed a BS in CSE or CS to do that sort of thing.

Was I right or wrong?

On another forum, someone told me :



So ought I go for a BA then? Ack, I'm really in a bind!

Thanks for the help all.

This depends somewhat on the particular college or university you attend. I used to be an advisor at (insert name of a major state university in WA State with a very popular computer science and engineering program) and worked in several departments, including the Computer Science/Comp Engineering Dept. The CompSci students were working toward a BA degree and the CompEngr students toward a BS degree. The CompSci's were under the College of Arts and Sciences and the CompEngr's under the College of Engineering. Confusing, eh?

You really need to find a good advisor (staff or faculty) and/or career counselor at your school and have a talk. Also, have you actually been accepted into the CompSci/CompEngr department at your school? Many programs won't accept you formally as a student seeking a degree in that department until you've taken a certain number of 100 and 200 level courses and completed them with a minimum GPA. I've seen a number of undergraduates leaving departmental advising offices in tears because their grades weren't good enough to land them a spot in the program, and they had their hearts set on a CompSci or CompEngr degree. Another bit of advice I would give is to have a back-up academic plan.

Good luck.

See if your educational institution offers a bachelor of arts in computer science. Less math, more art and sociel studies. You may want to eventually pick up a passing familiarity with why certain things in calculus work. You'll really, really want that familiarity if you ever want to do graphics programming (which is a LOT of math). For a rough example of what I'm talking about, take a look at vectors and quaternions in LSL

Just to calm you, calculus is 95% algebra. It's just a bunch of algebraic trickery to handle smooth functions, things that approach limits, and infinite series. It's really not that bad. I consider calculus among the most mind-opening classes I've ever taken.

~Ulrika~

I managed to pass Calc with a B, and I hate math.

I thought it was going to be harder than it ended up being. Calc is really just the study of curves. I have a hard time with numbers myself, but if you can understand computers - I mean REALLY understand them - then you can handle calc.

In retrospect, I'm really glad I took it. It's helping quite a bit when it comes to physics algorithms for the program I'm working on, and I'm sure that as I continue on with 3D graphics, I'll find a lot of uses for what I learned.

As to software engineering: some schools offer a BS in Software Engineering, which is really more about programming, program design, and the process of software development, rather than computer design.

Science generally equals research, and engineering generally equals "making things".

At least that's what I've discovered.

Yes. The hardest of the bunch is Calc III, as it involves infinite series and multidimensional (volumetric) integrals. However, once you've made it that far, it's just another incremental step.

~Ulrika~

Wow, You only get DE in Calc IV? I got linear algebra and DE in Maths I, in first year B. Eng. In second year I got bloody quantum mechanics and special relativity and I'm still recovering, despite that being half a decade ago. All this just for Electrical & Electronic Engineering too, where I had expected the math to be less demanding than Computer Science.

Baking. Namely pies.

Heh, Calculus.... Isn't he that roman emperor?

See if your college offers a major in Management Information Systems (MIS) or equivalent. I actually majored this in college, for several reasons:

1) Because Engineering at UM sucked. Even the Dean told us that our life would suck with a pure engineeering background from them.

2) So I would have time for my personal projects, like the game I put out last year and the offline builder earlier this year. Those look great on my resume.

3) Because they honored all my credits from my time in dual enrollment in High School. Engi didn't.

4) It has a focus on databasing -- something I needed work on at the time



Either way, I'm not about to sell the program to you. Given I was just flown up to interview at Sunbelt Software this past Friday, I like to think it's worked well for me. However, milage varies.