<p>I'm interested in the field of Computer Science but have very little idea of what kinds of careers would allow me to interact with people. For the longest while, I wanted to go to med school and become a doctor, but then I became disillusioned with the career as I recognized that I probably would not be able to handle the long med school process or stress of such a career. But I still like the idea of interacting with people like a nurse or doctor would, maybe even having patients.</p>
<p>I'm really interested in Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, and know that Computer Science has Cognition and Natural Language Processing applications. Is there any way to integrate career directions like these, or will I have to give up interacting with people / computers, whatever I choose?</p>
<p>As a CompSci coder, I am responsible for design and implementation of code that goes into complex portable mobile communication and entertainment devices. Our devices are fully speech enabled and there’s alot of effort going into voice rec and text to speech (as of now we’re about even with Siri and hope to out-do her pretty soon). But this is all straight coding, even the speech part, since we buy the libraries from third parties.</p>
<p>When I wear my other hat, Human Factors Engineer, I actually get lots more face time with the customer and people in general. I may run clinics that test our products, design new product components or interactions using the usual tools (Photoshop, Altia), or fix bad designs. Lots of Cognitive Science / Psych goes there.</p>
<p>I would say do CompSci focusing on graphics and interaction with a minor in Cognitive Science, Industrial Design, or Experimental Psychology then a graduate degree or two (as I did) in Human Factors or Human Computer Interaction. There’s simply too much stuff to cover in 4 years. </p>
<p>No interaction of the type of doctor/patient, but during clinics we really have to talk to people to see what they like, what they hate, and how they use our stuff. we need to be up to speed with teenage-speak, all the latest fads, worship the icons (Apple :D)) and in general interested in technology.</p>
<p>Software engineering involves interacting with people all of the time. It’s a very important skill. I heard this lots of times before actually starting to work on larger software projects with groups, and realized it wasn’t a bunch of crap. Social interaction is an important skill in software engineering.</p>
<p>When programmers talk to each other, the conversation usually goes something like, “Hey, I can’t figure out your code,” or, “Hey, your code sucks.”</p>
<p>I must admit, lately when I pop on here, I have seen people making a big deal about being able to “talk to people” and it makes me laugh. Communicating with others in person should be a daily activity we use just to help enrich our lives. It shouldn’t be some rare ability. </p>
<p>I understand some people struggle with being social and talking to others first, but I haven’t seen many engineers or other technical people actually struggle with this. So why does everyone treat it like it is a rare skill?</p>
<p>Sorry for the off topic rant. But in terms of the OPs original comments, from some software engineer internships I did in the past, you will have an alright amount of time spent interacting with others to design the products and code well, though I didn’t having meetings super often. Also, I have read about computer scientists doing the work you are interested in, so I think you should be set!</p>
<p>It would be like if I wanted to become a doctor but had an interest in CS. I could major or minor in it, but in the end, I’d just be a doctor, and whatever I learned in CS courses would not get used. And I guess there are no careers where I could work with kids, for example, and program. I could create technology relevant to kids and get their feedback on it, but a CS person’s interaction with people can never be like a doctor’s interaction with people, which is the kind of interaction I’m talking about (not just socializing with others, I know engineers aren’t holed up in caves of solitude).</p>
<p>Hmm… After re-reading my original question, I realize that I’m probably just searching for some kind of career intersection that doesn’t really exist. Thanks for the replies, though!</p>
<p>OnMyWay2013…I hope you are still checking this thread!</p>
<p>There actually is a field (and majors) that are exactly what you’re looking for, but the field is traditionally specialized in during grad school.</p>
<p>What you’re looking for is the field of Human-Computer interaction.</p>
<p>I encourage you to read the information each of these universities/programs present regarding their curriculum, potential careers, and what the field involves. As far as I know, most careers are highly technical, but focused more on research and testing prototypes than software engineering might be. You might not have <em>patients</em> per se, but perhaps research/test subjects instead. </p>
<p>To beat a dead thread, “being able to talk to people” isn’t just about eye contact and not mumbling, it’s about being able to use words to express your thoughts about design, to be respectful to others (some people come across as sour, turdy little cry-babies but they may not mean it), to be part of a team, etc.</p>
<p>Good software engineering should be mostly planning and design anyway, more than implementation (coding).</p>