<p>So I got into UT after appealing under the PACE program, so technically I am in Undergraduate Studies at the moment, but my dream would be to get into CNS by next year and pursue CS. Even though I know I'll work much harder in college than I did in HS, I know CS is an extremely difficult major to get into nowadays and everyone is vying for it. So I want to have backup majors in mind.</p>
<p>I'm not a math person, I'll admit, but I'm willing to work extremely hard to make the Calculus sequence work for me. I do, however, really enjoy programming, and I do C++ in my free time even though it's a bit hard for someone not math-minded like me. I know CS would be my ideal fit, but what would be something I could fall back on? Preferably something that doesn't go harder in math than CS does.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think you need to research what a CS degree really is. Its not just programming. Its really a math degree, however its based on math problems that can be solved used computers. The programming part is just a vehicle to implement, and they expose you to a few languages. However at its core its math, and the implementation of math algorithms on computers. They say this in the first day or two. I would not encourage anyone to try and get a CS degree unless they liked math. It seems you just like writing code, this is different than solving problems. All degrees have some aspect of writing code now. You should find a major you like and work writing code into it. Or if you just want to program (take already written algorithms and code them in C), then an AA degree or even just experience is the usual path. In UT CS you will be up against smart math people who easily handled the accelerated Calc sequence.</p>
<p>Is there a major that gives job opportunities like CS does? I’ve researched the CS degree quite throughly and I know it’s not a good fit for my abilities because I’m a person who would prefer Statistics to any kind of Calculus, but I really want to be able to have a stable job in the future… Sorry if this sounds stupid. I’ve just been influenced a lot by my parents and brother, and my parents won’t pay a cent if I pursue what I actually want to do (Women’s Studies), and I just don’t want to be swamped in debt.</p>
<p>Anything in McCombs is great, but traditionally to transfer in you will need a 3.7-3.8 on average. McCombs has MIS (which may be very interesting to you based on what you described above), and all of the normal business majors. The College of Natural Sciences has a Certificate in Applied Statistics (basically a statistics minor that you could take with any major). This would set you up for a future in some statistics related field. In COLA, Economics is a big major with a lot of opportunities. One example would be take the major you want (Womens studies, Economics, English, Govt, etc.) and add the Statistics Certificate.</p>
<p>You might look at data analytics and they stats/cs/business hybrids that are hot right now. A lot of tech, marketing, finance and even govt and social agencies (and many more) are looking at people who are good with data and interpreting data and presenting data and finding insights with data. Usually all this requires some coding ability and proficiency with stats. There is a data explosion and a lot of clicks on the internet that need interpretation. For selling products it is obvious, and predicting and fraud detection, but also to find social services needs - NYC is doing some work in the area with Columbia Institute of Data Science–both may benefit from sociology or psych courses too.</p>
<p>I am going to disagree here with this statement a bit. </p>
<p>Is CS a lot more than programming? Yes.
Academically, is it a lot of math? Yes.
Practically, is it a ton of math? In most cases, no.</p>
<p>I’m working at a tech internship this summer, and the developer next to me said he stopped like math when they started using letters. Almost every guy there would remember little of the math they studied. In daily work, you really only encounter basic math. The last time I used heavy math in CS was six months ago.</p>
<p>I do think there is a correlation with math and CS, but it’s not a required one. Good problem solvers tend to be good at both, and both utilize that skillset. Math as it is taught often strays from that skillset and resorts to solving problems by doing x, y, and z in that order, and an answer will pop out and you are told it is correct without understanding.</p>
<p>Now, much of the CS math focuses more on those problem solving skills (proofs, etc) but they are still a skill that is trained with the math. Practically, a CS job will use very little math, but rather the skill that was trained in those classes. From what I understand, you will only really encounter constant math use in specific CS fields that are a very small slice of the CS job pie.</p>
<p>“The programming part is just a vehicle to implement”</p>
<p>I specifically disagree here I guess. CS utilizes math, at least when it comes to CS jobs. Math sure does benefit from CS, but that isn’t true of most of the CS job market.</p>