Computer Science Was A Dead End For Me

http://www.lastpodcast.net/2008/05/16/computer-science-was-a-dead-end-for-me/

by raju • 18 years ago

2 16 18 years ago

manny• 18 years ago

I stopped reading when she wrote about her math woes.

jrockway2• 18 years ago

I liked how she was upset that she had to understand the problems she was solving instead of just applying some formula written on the back of her hand. It's a conspiracy, I tell you! College isn't for thinking, it's for getting a degree, right!? </sarcasm>

sigstoat• 18 years ago

sounds like this person had some strange expectations for the field of computer science.

bigtoga• 18 years ago

Do you have to love math to be successful in IT? No lol - what a fallacy. It's totally acceptable to be a great developer without knowing how to hand code a bubble sort or how to calculate the tangent of a klabobble. If you want to work at Google then yes, it's probably a good idea to have a CS degree though. I think this person just isn't really sure what she wants though. "In the end, CS just seemed like a dead end job. I want a career." Huh?

I would assume that more than 80% of IT workers worldwide do not know higher mathematics. I've been an IT trainer for nearly a decade and trained thousands of people as well as worked with many as a consultant and I base my guess on my own exp.

dgabriel4• 18 years ago

You got downmodded, but it's entirely true that there are very good developers with less than great math skills. That said, CS degrees typically require some mastery of the subject.

gizmo• 18 years ago

Math for IT? No. For real computer science? Absolutely.

If you don't understand math you can't understand all the cool parts of computer science. 3D - it's all math. AI - from minimax to clustering algorithms: math. Writing CRC and hash algorithms: math. Security in general: math. And it goes on and on.

If you know math you can build a raytracer in a weekend, like this guy: http://www.superjer.com/pixelmachine/

Really, who wants to build CRUD (DB create/retrieve/update/destroy) applications his whole life?

keating• 18 years ago

I would personally introduce mathematics into a CS curriculum through heavy use of computer graphics. Having an application for the knowledge makes it suddenly relevant.

menloparkbum• 18 years ago

This article read like a rejected submission to The Onion.

hhm• 18 years ago

Actually, I don't understand how this article is related to this site (HN). Was it posted here just because it's funny? Or is there any lesson on it?

jrockway2• 18 years ago

Hilarious.

From the article: I excel in reading and writing (like you can’t tell)....It’s their way or the high way.

dgabriel4• 18 years ago

Yep. I stopped paying careful attention when I realized she hasn't mastered the very thing she's claimed to master.

Her disinterest in programming has nothing to do with her sex, and much more to do with her (ahem) obvious deficiencies.

realrbman• 18 years ago

"2-3 Math courses all four years of college"?

Is it just me or does that seem like kind of a outlandish statement? I guess her school could just be really different than mine.

Actually the whole article is kind of ridiculous. But then again I'm kind of biased.

Good for her, for finding a major that fit's interests more.

pkrumins• 18 years ago

idiotism

dgabriel4• 18 years ago

Ok, while she may have point about incomprehensible math instructors, the rest of this was filled with blatant ignorance.

But that may not be her fault. If she doesn't see programming as a career, then it's possible that the field is incorrectly portrayed in higher ed. If I were to describe what a programming career looks like, it would go something like this:

You solve interesting, hard problems every day, and not just "math" problems. You solve communication issues, design issues, and you learn a hell of a lot about the way other businesses operate.

You get a flexible work schedule, not a 9-5 hell (unless you choose corporate life). For women, this can be especially helpful. As a woman who kept working through the whole family starting phase, I can tell you that almost no other career will allow you such freedom in working hours. Get in at 8, go home at 3 to pick up the kid, code from home 8pm-12am after the child goes to bed. Hours in the office matter less than the quality and size of your contribution. I can't imagine being a single mom with rigid work hours; I'm being judged on what I produce, rather than how warm my office chair is.

You have so many avenues in programming to start your own business, be it a consulting shop, or a start-up business. Build a webbapp, a desktop app, or help others do that.

Here's my favorite: your programming skills apply to EVERY industry, interest, or hobby. No matter what you love the most, there is a way to use programming to further that thing, streamline that thing, advance that thing. Try to find an exception.

So how interesting is a programming job? How convenient? How suited to women? I say: A Whole Fucking Lot.

jamesbritt• 18 years ago

" If I were to describe what a programming career looks like, it would go something like this:

You solve interesting, hard problems every day, and not just 'math' problems. You solve communication issues, design issues, and you learn a hell of a lot about the way other businesses operate."

Every day? I'm skeptical. I've worked at various levels of programmerdom, and at least of the time the work was fairly mundane. At certain points I did get to work with great teams of smart people doing interesting work, and perhaps on the whole it is a win, but there is still a fair amount of tedium in coding.

People looking at programming for a career should think of the big picture and know that some days, perhaps for extended periods of time, life will not be filled with cutting-edge work that challenge your complete brain and fills your dreams with Turing-complete psychedelia.

Over all, though, if you do let yourself get into a rut (and that means actively learning new technologies and probably a good number of job changes) you will be well rewarded.

Basically, the cool things the OP listed are not likely to be up for grabs for most entry-level coders, but show some initiative and take charge of your career and you can very well be the stand-out hacker that gets the deserved perks. (You will be in a minority.)

I may very well be wrong about entry-level options; YMMV, etc., but that's been my experience over the last 10 years or so. And a strong motivation for having my own company.

dgabriel4• 18 years ago

Ah, there may be mindane aspects of a coding career, but there are mundane aspects to any career. Even entry level coders can contribute and solve interesting problems, but I suppose a lot of that depends on where you choose to work.

In any case, the whole idea that programming is a boring, non-career path is wildly incorrect.

Computer Science Was A Dead End For Me

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