future woes
 

i'm having a life-crisis it seems...

i cannot decide what degree to pursue. on the one hand, i love programming and (seemingly) excel at it. on the other hand, i suck at math. there are really two possibities for me: suck it up, learn math, and enjoy a career doing what i love; or find something else i like doing that doesn't involve math and live my life wondering what could've been.

(kind of seems like my mind is made up, but it really isn't).

is anyone having this same problem entering college?

my problem is do i enter into computer programming (which i must confess i far from excel at), but kinda enjoy, but yet i know if i stick with that vocation i'll never manage to um.. acheive anything.. nothing i do will make an influence on anyones life, i'll never be part of something bigger then me. Or do i throw practicality to the wind and do something that i may not like initially or have a background in.. but that i want too for some reason (like say teaching, the medical profession, law enforcement.... etc)

(yes, i know.... i should know better then to chase pointless openended dreams)

eek, that's a problem. I enjoy programming, and am good at math, so I know what I would do. To be honest, I don't see how advanced math is used in much programming except graphics, compression, encription, and the other obvious things. If your not good at math, but really enjoy programming, I would say try to take the required math courses, but only the required. I dunno if that's good advice in the long run, because I'm not at college yet (I'm a sophomore).

problem is, i have to take almost all of the math classes at the university. by completing a bachelor's degree in computer science, i'm one math class short of a math minor.

so i'm basically forced into taking all the math i could ever want :) hopefully i absorb most of it to the point that it's useful to me.

you make a good point: if i dont plan to do game development and whatnot, math won't necessarily be needed. but that's the fun job!

damn, maybe i'll just go work for the fbi. i always thought Dana Scully was freakin' hot! :)

go with an english major :D (that's what i did when faced with continuing as an engineering student when i could no longer stand math or physics)

\

and how did that work out for you? how is the money?

Look out for his forthcoming book release, entitled "Anime style bear that is blue for some reason"

ok, if you love it, and you can make a good living at it (and i say to you: Duh), suck it up and do the math.

my problem is i'm ar Arch Engineering major... but i love to write music.... so... if i do what i love, i'll starve for the rest of my life. it's problems like these that confound me.

dood! that's Clerks: Animated Series. :)

i feel your pain... math is the reason i ruled out anything computers, because you have to take math that doesnt apply to anything you're doing even to get a degree in building the stupid things... but if you love programming, stick with it and go for it. Good Luck with whatever you decide. :)

i chose computer science. i'm going to stick it out and take the math classes :)

peace

good luck! I think you've made the right choice :)

thanks, i hope so. :)

My bit of advice is this: GO TO CLASS.

Yes, it sounds obvious, but apparently isn't to a lot of people. Go to those math classes, and it will help.

By the way, it is qute possible that you will need that advanced math. I like to lie to myself a lot and pretend like I'll never use it, but the fact is, if you want to do anything really worthwhile in CS, you are going to need math. You'll need Discrete, or Calculus, or Physics, or maybe even Linear Algebra. The reason you have to take that math is because you most likely will need it. It's not a guarantee, but it's a good probability. On the other hand, you're not likely to use your "Fine Arts", "Social Sciences", or "Humanities" credits. Those are pretty much crap.

I second that advice. Another thing is that often there are extra tutorials you can attend, usually conducted by a grad student which can give you more opportunity to ask questions and get help. I would have never gotten through my physical chemistry course (math intensive) if I hadn't gone to extra tutorials.

Another option is office hours. Most professors set aside a few hours a week for students to go ask questions and whatnot. This is especially good for asking questions about what you did wrong on a test. When you get a test back, see what you did wrong and try to figure it out, those sorts of questions have a nasty way of finding themselves on the final exam.

Another thing I can think of is to find tests and exams from previous years and do them. Often profs will ask similar questions from year to year. The details will be different, but you won't be surprised by the style of the test.


Although those electives are usually fun if you take one or two. I'm still waiting for an opportunity to identify the gender of a skull (physical anthropology) :p

solution = beer + iresponsibility.
thank me later.

you are a wise man, George :) luckily, that was my plan already :)

what do you plan on doing in CS?