University

[-OverpoweR-]

Hey guys, it has always been my dream to become a decent programmer, and still is, and the time is nearing for me to prepare myself for University, but............. i have no idea what to choose, i mean,for which degree should i be studying in order to become a Programmer , like choosing Computer Science Section? Im sorry,my english vocabulary is poor and i cant find the right words to explain perhaps what exatly am i asking, but like when you go to sign at an university, what am i looking for ? Which Department that will teach me the programming languages? Or How does this all work?....

Ps. Im sorry, i had to ask, cause believe me, i asked my professors at school and they were like.... " Uhm,Trust me, You dont want to go there." , yes, that was 100% their answer originally.

 

[Ghan]

It depends on what exactly your University offers, but typically a degree in Computer Science is heavy on programming skills. There might be some more specialization that your particular University has so it might be best to ask someone there.

 

[UndeadDragon]

As Ghan said, it depends what it on offer. For example, at my local university, they offer Computer Science which has a bit of programming, and they also offer Software Development which has more programming.

The best thing to do is browse through the university's prospectus to get a rough idea of what each course is compromised of.

 

[tooltiperror]

Classes I recommend you take:

• Math up through Calculus II
• One more advanced math class
• Probability + Statistics
• Some form of Combinatronics
• At least one class of Software Engineering
• Computer Science
• Class on [Advanced] Data Structures
• Some more theory classes, like Analysis of Software Design and some Database stuff
• Computer Architecture
• One class on general OS structure and such
• Learn the ins and outs of linux

Find a college that offers these things

 

[GetTriggerUnit-]

I feel like you just listed my program.

 

[tooltiperror]

I feel like you just listed my program.

Then you must be at an excellent university :thup:

To be honest, whether you have your technical major in Computer Science or Computer Engineering really doesn't matter much. If you take CS, you can end up taking classes that prepare you for CE related jobs. If you take CE, you can take classes to prepare you for CS jobs. The job is more about how you apply your knowledge and networking. Also, the market has recently been "outsourced", and a trend has been hiring Indians to work for less money, but now this trend is starting to shrink, as companies are starting to value code written well that can be easily managed.

 

[GetTriggerUnit-]

I'm in College. My classes are:

Maths - Software Engenerring mahts, advanced data structes, we're currently learning how different data is stored into memory,
Algorithm - we use pseudo code and Java,
Hardware, Different components of a computer aswell as installing Windows XP, Windows 7, Fedora, Antiviruses, various software...,
Software Engeneering - just a class which teaches what couldn't be teached elsewhere, like how to search info, etc.
French (first language),
English (first language),
Philosophy

and thats about 32 hours per week + 10 hours of homework per week.

Hope it helps you, Overpower

 

[UndeadDragon]

My college course is:

Computer Architecture
Software Design and Development
Web Design
Game Design
Computer Human Interaction
Extended Project (we decide anything we want to do a project on)

I found that Software Design and Development was a good introduction to my class mates for programming (my level was above the taught level, so it wasn't as beneficial to me). Some universities do offer courses in things like Software Development, which provide a teaching which is focused much more towards programming. Computer architecture is good if you want to do low-level stuff (which I'm guessing you don't). I had to do Assembly for my course, it was... interesting.

 

[-OverpoweR-]

Thank you guys a lot. Sorry i couldnt get back at you earlier, my ISP broke down and i was offline for quite awhile

- I understand now, so its up to what courses they offer,and in which ones i should be interested at in order to have to deal with programming stuff and such , i better lookup for their Educational program than, i hope i find at least some of the courses you guys mentioned :thup:

 

[Darthfett]

I'm going to ASU, and am in the Computer Science major. They have a "Major Map", or a list of courses that you ought to take for each semester. If you want an idea of what courses might help you at your university/college, you should look at some of the CSE/MAT courses:

ASU CS Major Map:
http://catalog.asu.edu/files/majormap08/ESCSEBS.pdf

Being in my third/fourth year, I'm taking Computer Graphics (learning OpenGL, it's an elective), Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science, Principles of Programming Languages (parsing and such), along with a few others that probably wouldn't be CS related, or would not be available in the same style elsewhere.

 

[SerraAvenger]

Computer science != Programming

Most excelent universities see Pogramming as a skill like basic math. It is a requirement, not something you learn there. Plus you usually don't need Programming anyway.
If you are actually studying CS, look for a chair labeled "Software ..." like Software Development or Software Engineering. Applied or Practical Computer Science might also be for you.

Most of the time, however, you'll be learning complexity theory, logic, or graphics (which is vector multiplication and whatknowi, I never was intersted too much in graphics).

If you really want to learn how to program, get a few good books on the topic, start looking at code, and start hacking away.
In my personal experience, languages like ruby are very good for beginners.

EDIT: As I explained above, 'programmer' is not typically considered a career goal when studying computer science. It's a basic tool that helps you solve problems.