<p>programming is not computer science…</p>
<p>@antwanmon, True, but it’s definitely a major part of it.</p>
<p>I love CS. I’ll probably do it as my major, and maybe minor in either graphic or product design (I’m hoping that I’ll be able to design software and hardware easily that way).
My first language was HTML, which my dad introduced to me in 5th grade. (I ended up learning JavaScript and jQuery soon after.) Then I went on a CS hiatus (I got obsessed with astrophysics). In the summer after 7th grade, I attended Johns Hopkins’ CTY and took Fundamentals of CS (which was when I learned Java and Python). I then taught myself C, C++, PHP, Ruby, and Lisp through courses online and with books. Lately, I’ve been into Android programming, but I haven’t made anything too fantastic.
Has anyone found an awesome CS internship program? I’ve seen Facebook’s and Microsoft’s, which require you to live in certain areas that I don’t live in. I’m considering applying to Google LA as a college intern, then telling them that I’m in high school. Thoughts?</p>
<p>@AnImpAffliction: I didn’t finish the course. I only got through the first few lessons. I’m not sure if they give you a certificate, but I think it will show that you completed the course on your account.</p>
<p>@AnImpAffliction</p>
<p>My first side project was a (failed) android application that mapped a database of its users’ “trails” to a worldwide flat map, which I eventually branched off as a small feature to an open-source project.</p>
<p>Since you’re learning Python, I think it’d be good for you to set up a website as a file directory at some kind of free web host. It wouldn’t be very hard, and you could use it to show off your projects to your friends/ family.</p>
<p>Python was also my first programming language. Code Academy helped me a lot.</p>
<p>@happyscientist, Wow, that’s amazing! Do you have AP Computer Science at your school? If so, you should take it and get a 5 on the AP exam.</p>
<p>@Foodlover001, I just finished Lesson 1. The Lesson 1 problem set was SO HARD. The answer would make sense after I saw the guy explain it. Oh okay, I was just wondering, because if you had the proof that you finished it, you could tell colleges that you did it.</p>
<p>@sluchy523, That’s still really cool! I’m sure you can tell colleges you did that! A website, huh? That’s a good idea…thanks! </p>
<p>@relativelysmart, I think I’m going to ditch Udacity’s course and go to Code Academy, I’ve heard good stuff about that website. :P</p>
<p>@AnImpAffliction programming is about 1% of computer science…</p>
<p>@antwannon, what’s the other 99%?</p>
<p>Well, computer science is basically understanding algorithms and data structures, but programming is still a significant part of it.</p>
<p>Someone here mentioned taking an Intro to Computer Science course on edX, and I just wanna say: High five! I also took it the past spring and it has inspired me to start programming in Python.</p>
<p>Computer science is basically the theory of computation (algorithms, data structures), sort of a branch-out of mathematics.</p>
<p>The majority of younger individuals (including myself), find that field to be “too academic”, and prefer to dive head-on into programming and real-world implementation. </p>
<p>A major in computer science in college is a bit of a misnomer, since comp sci theory itself is only covered in maybe 1/2 of the courses (according to my UMD and JHU friends). After all, the majority of “computer science” jobs that are seeking to be filled do not require a computer scientist’s expertise.</p>
<p>Too long didn’t read:
comp sci = professors, algorithms, data
programming = sites, programs, startups
comp sci majors learn a lot of progammin’</p>
<p>@sluchy523, that makes sense.</p>
<p>So I’ve decided to quit the Udacity course because I can’t learn from a bunch of YouTube videos. I just started learning HTML on CodeAcademy and it’s going great! I wish I started this sooner because half my summer’s gone. D: But I’ll definitely be continuing my course on CodeAcademy. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!</p>
<p>If anyone else has started projects of their own, I’d love to hear (er, read) about them!</p>
<p>Hi, don’t know where to start but I’ll just post in whatever I have to say :P</p>
<p>So… I kind of started working on websites when I was in the 5th grade because I was just fascinated by how the internet worked, so I used the internet to learn how to make websites. It was pretty much trial and error, that’s how I learned HTML and CSS. I experimented with those free websites where they make the websites for you. I went into the editor of the the websites and started tinkering with it to see what results would be produce if I change certain values. It was pretty fun. </p>
<p>By the 6th grade I kind of know my way around HTML and CSS well enough so that I can code on my own without some template. The hardest part was that I had to put everything I learned from tinkering all together. </p>
<p>I really don’t like watching videos and reading long paragraphs of text because it’s just so boring. It’s much easier for me to learn hands-on than from a video or traditional methods.</p>
<p>So few years later in my Junior year I took an intro to computer programming. It was pretty fun. I was the top student in that class, but then again I had a lot of experience to begin with. We learned Java which is much different from HTML and CSS because Java is an actual programming language; HTML is a Markup Language and CSS is a Style Sheet. I think that the hardest part was learning all the concepts of Java for example, inheritance, superclass, etc.</p>
<p>I’m currently in my Senior year right now and going to major in computer science. This year, I’m going to self-study APCS since my school doesn’t have the course and that I want to get ahead once I’m in college. I’m also using coursera, edX, Udacity, and code academy, to supplement my motivation to learn more about the programming side of computer science.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re going to take a computer related class, I don’t recommend taking cryptography because that class is full of theory and is so tedious.</p>
<p>That’s awesome! I’m a rising junior and I’m taking an intro to Java class this year. I’m just scared of the amount of math involved in the field. D: Calculus isn’t my best subject…</p>
<p>LOL. 2 months late reply. But You don’t need Calculus in intro to computer science I believe. On the AP exam it doesn’t even ask for Calculus base problems, it’s mostly algebra and applied concepts. (If you’re planning to take it)</p>
<p>Computer Science I teaches Visual Basic language and a bit of Java.</p>
<p>Computer Science II teaches C++ language.</p>
<p>I did Python and Java on Codeacademy. It took me awhile to learn, but it was very rewarding.</p>