Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hopeful that my daughter might be able to major in CS, but for reasons that are too complicated to explain here, she won’t be able to take a CS in HS. Is it realistic/common for a kid to not take any kind of CS/programming class until Freshman year of College and still go on to major in it? It seems like all the kids I know who major in it took things like AP CS in HS and were involved in things like Robotics.

Given she hasn't taken anything CS related courses, why do you think it's a good major for her?

She's strong in math, and yes I know that's not necessarily enough to think she would be well suited for it, but it's basically wishful thinking on my part.

Maybe she’d be better off studying to be an actuary, a data scientist or an accountant. My understanding is that some people in those fields can pay for shoes and clothes and all that.

You do not have to have prior experience coding prior to starting a CS program, but it sure makes your life easier. Note that I said programming experience, not formal coursework; a kid who builds meaningful mobile apps on their own, for instance, is better than one who does AP CS, usually. CS courses tend to be project-based, and if you are not fluent in a programming language and generally adept with computers, you will find yourself spending an awful lot of time in the lab. The courseload tends to be heavy, which means that spending a lot of time on assignments results in shortchanging your non-major classes, which can affect your grades.

Also, when you apply to summer internships, and eventually a job, they look at what practical skills you have. If you don't have practical programming experience -- i.e. you can pass a coding interview -- you're going to have a tough time getting a CS internship or job. (You might, however, qualify for other internships or management-training programs or other entry-level jobs where they just like students who have some general quantitively-oriented backgrounds.) Also, note that the interviews tend to like applicants who are passionate about technology and love to code, and who can talk enthusiastically about the initiative they've taken to build projects on their own and whatnot.

You don't necessarily need to be good at math per se, but it helps if you are an organized, structured thinker who is good at problem-solving. You should probably be someone who intuitively understands mathematical concepts easily, though.

Yes, software engineers make a lot of money, and lots of parents want their kids to make a lot of money, and a lot of kids enter CS degrees hoping to make a lot of money. However, software engineers who make a lot of money tend to work a hell of a lot of hours, and if you don't love it, everyone notices and you're probably going to struggle to make a good career out of it. (There are jobs that aren't as time-consuming but they also pay a lot less.)

(I am a middle-aged woman with a degree in computer science, actively involved in women-in-engineering efforts and mentorship since my undergraduate years.)

My son did not. graduated from VT. Has a job he loves. Happy adult!

Absolutely.

Suggestions take some courses over summer at local community college to lighten college load.

Or go online there are tons of free programming languages that can be learned over a summer even with a part time job.

Anonymous wrote:You don't "have" to have prior programming experience, but it sure makes life easier. I remember one of my CS classes in engineering school included making your own language and had a semester long final project of building a compiler, and a couple of the people with extensive prior experience finished their projects the first weekend. I eventually finished my compiler after lots of work (100's of hours of research and coding), but my final project was never as good as the kids who already knew programming. Also, most classes in engineering were on a curve with a goal of weeding out about half the students (so there was a C- middle grade).

So. Did this affect your ability to get a job?

You don't "have" to have prior programming experience, but it sure makes life easier. I remember one of my CS classes in engineering school included making your own language and had a semester long final project of building a compiler, and a couple of the people with extensive prior experience finished their projects the first weekend. I eventually finished my compiler after lots of work (100's of hours of research and coding), but my final project was never as good as the kids who already knew programming. Also, most classes in engineering were on a curve with a goal of weeding out about half the students (so there was a C- middle grade).

In fact, my understanding is that for computer science ENGINEERING, some scoola require only 1 (or 2) CS course before the junior year.

I've been in big tech my entire career.

Every kid now appears to want to major in CS.

I tell my kids this: CS is an "either you get it or you don't" vocation. It's a way of thinking. Math is only as important as it is a requirement for CS majors. If you don't have aptitude, be prepared for a miserable time in college.

I would think it is fine as long as she is good at math and likes it. My daughter graduated from MIT with a CS/Electrical Engineering degree, no prior experience before college.