Pursuing a Computer Science Career

[Funk_Wagnalls]

Hey guys, In high school rn.

 

If I want to pursue a career in Computer Graphics/Science; should I be in Calculus by senior year? I have heard rumors that universities prefer you take calc there rather than at your random ass HS.

 

Thanks in Advance.

[ThatOneRussian]

You should take calculus universities for Computer stuff dont really care what you do in school make a portfolio of what you can do what Languages you know etc. 

[Nonco]

Mathematics background will definitely help you with Comp Science but I dont know if its like a prerequisite. Maybe check with a few universities if you need to have done it?

[vanished]

My engineering program required that I had Calculus in high school already, even though their first year class was almost a complete overlap  :lol:

And come to think of it, the first year programming class was also a complete overlap of the 3 years of CS I did in high school

[rmac52]

unless you take ap calc a university doesn't care.  you will have to take calc anyway

[Deletive]

If your average won't drop because of Calc. then take it. If you think it'll drop your average then it wouldn't be worth it because a better Pre-Calc. mark is better then a sub-A Calc. mark. 

Atleast over here. 

[_ASSASSIN_]

What does calculus have to do with programming?

(unless you are doing differentials with what you are trying to do)

[Funk_Wagnalls]

What does calculus have to do with programming?

(unless you are doing differentials with what you are trying to do)

 

I just assumed that calc is a stepping stone into computer science and more complex math, correct?

[_ASSASSIN_]

I just assumed that calc is a stepping stone into computer science and more complex math, correct?

calculus for the most part is about finding tangent lines of equations and finding the area under the curves of equations using derivatives and integrals respectively. 

You do use these things for engineering and for physics, but no, you won't use this for computer science unless you are making a calculator that solves derivatives.

I'd say you should learn computer science in high school or through online resources before you dive into it your first year of university, and see if you like it before seeming lost if you don't. It seems you don't know too much about how it actually is.

[Weak1ings]

You may want to know that the difference between Computer Science and Computer Engineering is a few courses...  it might be worthwhile to pursue the Engineering as it goes a little further but does offer better pay in a similar field.

[hk29]

if your in the US then you need 1 yr of college level math and that is calc.  but the fact is there is alot of math involved in this major, calc 1,2,3, diff eq, linear alg, at the least.  if u can get college credit in high school then u can save money and time while in college and be able to squeeze in a fun easy class.

[TopDollar]

if your in the US then you need 1 yr of college level math and that is calc.  but the fact is there is alot of math involved in this major, calc 1,2,3, diff eq, linear alg, at the least.  if u can get college credit in high school then u can save money and time while in college and be able to squeeze in a fun easy class.

This is correct.

 

It's important to remember that a Bachelors degree Computer Science is a Science, not a technology degree. Same with Engineering degrees. With these degrees you get a lot more theory and math. For example in Computer Science you're learning things like automata theory, algorithms & data structures, and computer organization; not just how to code or manage servers. It ends up being a lot more beneficial in the long run both intellectually and financially.

 

Career opportunities for Computer Scientists are about on par with Engineering fields; sometimes better. Computer Engineering is more based on computer hardware and is more closely related to Electrical Engineering than it is close to Computer Science. CS is probably more related to Software Engineering, but CS is probably a more flexible degree. Starting salary for Computer Scientists is around 60k - 70k (again on par with engineering starting salaries).

 

Also, if you like network / cyber security and in the US, You'd probably pretty much be guaranteed a job working for any federal government organization  .

[Caleb SF]

Okay, so im going to be debby downer atm. I'd really think into other careers aswell. You can go for computer science and all, but as far as i know from my friends, its an over saturated market atm. Out of my 7 friends who i talk to in college, 5 of them are in computer science. 

 

I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying you should look at possible jobs before investing ur life to it.