Why does your kid want CS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He really likes video games.

main reason for most of these kids; for successful career in CS you need great math skills

I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and I work in cybersecurity, and I don't use any math. To say that you need great math skills is simply not true.

yep. i don't know why people sput rubbish about things they do not know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AI has issues with general things. It's been 15 years since the last spewing of AI taking over coding from humans.

Actually if anything AI helps programers from making stupid mistakes but that's it at least for now.

So plenty of CS jobs around.

You clearly haven't been following the latest AI developments. But I agree that for the next few years, CS jobs are safe. Which poses a problem for the kids in undergrad CS right now.

Have you? writing based humanity majors seem to be in great danger on top of already mediocre job prospects
ChatGPT can write very well.

You should use ChatGPT to write your posts. It would be an improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He really likes video games.

main reason for most of these kids; for successful career in CS you need great math skills

I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and I work in cybersecurity, and I don't use any math. To say that you need great math skills is simply not true.

You may not use "math skills " in the sense of "numbers" in your job, but you certainly had to HAVE math skills to get your CS degree. And you must be using the logic-skills that are the foundation of math, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He really likes video games.

main reason for most of these kids; for successful career in CS you need great math skills

I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and I work in cybersecurity, and I don't use any math. To say that you need great math skills is simply not true.

You may not use "math skills " in the sense of "numbers" in your job, but you certainly had to HAVE math skills to get your CS degree. And you must be using the logic-skills that are the foundation of math, right?

Let me say this one more time. I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and yes, I was required to take a lot of unnecessary math courses for the CS degree that had nothing to do with my current job as a cybersecurity analyst. I would say that 100% of the high level math I took at VA Tech, I never use it in my job. Those calculus courses are useless for my cybersecurity career.

You do NOT need "great math skills" to succeed in a CS career. There are "some" CS disciplines that require very high level math but for most CS folks, IMHO, you just need algebra and you will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She loves it, that’s why. As a former software engineer myself (female), I tried to tell her it’s not worth it…she’s probably not going to get anywhere even though, as she herself once said, she can “code circles around the boys” in her class. She is really good at it (was a Math genius as a younger kid but was too bored at school so gave it up).

However I have persuaded her to double major, so if she hates whatever job she ends up at, she will have options.

It's not worth it because it's hard to advance in the field as a female?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He really likes video games.

main reason for most of these kids; for successful career in CS you need great math skills

I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and I work in cybersecurity, and I don't use any math. To say that you need great math skills is simply not true.

You may not use "math skills " in the sense of "numbers" in your job, but you certainly had to HAVE math skills to get your CS degree. And you must be using the logic-skills that are the foundation of math, right?

Let me say this one more time. I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and yes, I was required to take a lot of unnecessary math courses for the CS degree that had nothing to do with my current job as a cybersecurity analyst. I would say that 100% of the high level math I took at VA Tech, I never use it in my job. Those calculus courses are useless for my cybersecurity career.

You do NOT need "great math skills" to succeed in a CS career. There are "some" CS disciplines that require very high level math but for most CS folks, IMHO, you just need algebra and you will be fine.

You still needed great math skills to get to the point of having a career in CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He really likes video games.

main reason for most of these kids; for successful career in CS you need great math skills

I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and I work in cybersecurity, and I don't use any math. To say that you need great math skills is simply not true.

You may not use "math skills " in the sense of "numbers" in your job, but you certainly had to HAVE math skills to get your CS degree. And you must be using the logic-skills that are the foundation of math, right?

Let me say this one more time. I have a degree in CS from Virginia Tech and yes, I was required to take a lot of unnecessary math courses for the CS degree that had nothing to do with my current job as a cybersecurity analyst. I would say that 100% of the high level math I took at VA Tech, I never use it in my job. Those calculus courses are useless for my cybersecurity career.

You do NOT need "great math skills" to succeed in a CS career. There are "some" CS disciplines that require very high level math but for most CS folks, IMHO, you just need algebra and you will be fine.

DP. The point the other poster made (and I agree) is that you need strong math skills to get a CS degree given the courses you need to take. The vast majority of CS grads work as programmers (including yourself) and do not need math at all to do your jobs. Most programming can be self taught and I know dozens of non-math/not-techies that are good programmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours has always been deeply drawn to logic, puzzles, languages, and the creativity and imagination associated with a virtual world, with a healthy dose of math and philosophy. CS is perfect for all of this.

Also, he built his first PC at age 10 and never stopped digging into the world of what the technology side of science can do and may do.

So he's perfect for his field. He will make short work of all the people who pick that major with only superficial exposure and who think they'll have an easy career of it.

My own kid has the "mind to do well in CS"---very logical, great problem solver, math has always just come naturally to them, and it's the conceptualization/thinking that comes natural as they are slow as hell with the basic computations (math tables--they are a perfectionist). Did the CS AP courses in HS and a 2 week camp, but said no didn't want to major in it. Picked Chem Eng and enjoying that major. After a semester decided to add CS as a minor as they now see the benefits and how it will open up their interests for them. Helps that their advisor is focused on ChemE and CS and does computational research, so my kid can now envision themselves doing research in their lab.
Secretly, we are happy our kid picked to add the minor themselves---as having the basic CS coursework is almost as good as the major--once you have the underlying coding skills and algorithm development you can teach yourself almost anything coding wise. It will get you far in your career, but more importantly we are happy they came to that conclusion themselves.

Does your kid have multiple personalities? Come on it’s an anonymous forum —you can say he or she.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AI has issues with general things. It's been 15 years since the last spewing of AI taking over coding from humans.

Actually if anything AI helps programers from making stupid mistakes but that's it at least for now.

So plenty of CS jobs around.

You clearly haven't been following the latest AI developments. But I agree that for the next few years, CS jobs are safe. Which poses a problem for the kids in undergrad CS right now.

Have you? writing based humanity majors seem to be in great danger on top of already mediocre job prospects
ChatGPT can write very well.

Different person here. Only someone who does not write well would say the ChatGPT writes “very well.” It’s formulaic garbage. I grant you that it will get better, but it’s not replacing a good writer right now.

How is it that DCUM is filled with Shakespeares? There is an OpEd today in the Washington Post today from a philosophy professor at University of Wisconsin:

"This artificial-intelligence tool excels at producing grammatical and even insightful essays — just what we’re hoping to see from our undergraduates. How good is it, really? A friend asked ChatGPT to write an essay about “multiple realization.” This is an important topic in the course I teach on the philosophy of mind, having to do with the possibility that minds might be constructed in ways other than our own brains. The essay ran shorter than the assigned word count, but I would have given it an A grade. Apparently ChatGPT is good enough to create an A-level paper on a topic that’s hardly mainstream."[b]

You pull out a few sentences to completely misstate the point of the OpEd. It was called "Why I'm not worried about my students using ChatGPT!"

Hmmm...you obviously didn't read the OpEd so who is the dips**t? He is not worried because he just decided it is impossible to monitor cheaters and he doesn't care if 25% of his class gets an A using ChatGPT because he knows the other 75% will learn how to write. He states over and over that in fact ChatGPT is excellent...and will only get better. He will award an A to excellent papers and not spend anytime determining the provenance.

You can decide this is a cop-out by a professor...and hopefully he doesn't curve his class.

All it does is democratize cheating so anyone can afford it. Before only rich kids could afford to hire someone to write their papers for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She loves it, that’s why. As a former software engineer myself (female), I tried to tell her it’s not worth it…she’s probably not going to get anywhere even though, as she herself once said, she can “code circles around the boys” in her class. She is really good at it (was a Math genius as a younger kid but was too bored at school so gave it up).

However I have persuaded her to double major, so if she hates whatever job she ends up at, she will have options.

It's not worth it because it's hard to advance in the field as a female?

That has been my experience, yes!

I quit my job long ago but my female friend just got promoted to director. My husband was promoted 20 years ago! Similar backgrounds and workplace. She made her career her priority just like he did. Both equally smart and similar people skills. Different outcomes.

My husband and I were hired at the same company right out of grad school. After my first review where i exceeded expectations, I overheard my boss telling someone how much my husband got as a raise so they would give me only so much because together we would be making way too much for dinks. I was working late and they did not realize I was there. Sadly not much has changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours has always been deeply drawn to logic, puzzles, languages, and the creativity and imagination associated with a virtual world, with a healthy dose of math and philosophy. CS is perfect for all of this.

Also, he built his first PC at age 10 and never stopped digging into the world of what the technology side of science can do and may do.

So he's perfect for his field. He will make short work of all the people who pick that major with only superficial exposure and who think they'll have an easy career of it.

My own kid has the "mind to do well in CS"---very logical, great problem solver, math has always just come naturally to them, and it's the conceptualization/thinking that comes natural as they are slow as hell with the basic computations (math tables--they are a perfectionist). Did the CS AP courses in HS and a 2 week camp, but said no didn't want to major in it. Picked Chem Eng and enjoying that major. After a semester decided to add CS as a minor as they now see the benefits and how it will open up their interests for them. Helps that their advisor is focused on ChemE and CS and does computational research, so my kid can now envision themselves doing research in their lab.
Secretly, we are happy our kid picked to add the minor themselves---as having the basic CS coursework is almost as good as the major--once you have the underlying coding skills and algorithm development you can teach yourself almost anything coding wise. It will get you far in your career, but more importantly we are happy they came to that conclusion themselves.

What school? This sounds like something my DD would love.

[Anonymous]

I feel bad most people on this thread have no idea what they are talking about. Just trust me, if your child has the desire and ability to get a CS degree they will be much better off than most liberal arts majors. There are plenty of jobs with just a BS and there will be plenty for years to come.

[Anonymous]

I find it so weird that people look for reasons to persuade their kid not to study computer science, usually based on the premise that computer science leads to boring careers for nerds. Computers and networking are the fundamental tools of our age, and there are no jobs for college graduates (law, education, healthcare, police work, writing, military, commerce and finance, policy, science, etc) in which a person with computer skills is not advantaged in the job market over a person of similar intelligence and education who does not have computer knowledge.