<p>Note- I asked a similar question on another board-- I didn't realize there was a science forum. So I wanted to ask it here as well.</p>
<p>So this question is more on the lines of fitting in personality wise with the other students with the same major...</p>
<p>Here is the deal I always liked computers and want to major in computer science . However, what I'm finding out is I'm not as into it as some of the other students. By into it I mean I like to talk about things besides computers such as sports. I'm not an athlete-- I do play intramurels with friends and watching the pro's and our college teams play....it seems the CS students I have come to know (just a few) have computers as numbers 1-5 as their interests. Don't get me wrong I can talk about it too, and these CS guys are nice but I do have other interests. </p>
<p>I'm just getting concerned about this being the right fit for me. This summer was my first semester in the major. I did really well-- made an A and B+ but am getting concerned-- these guys seem more passionant about computers than I do. Is this a reason to change majors? Thanks.</p>
<p>Don’t compare someone else’s passion to your own. If you like the subject, but have other interests, that’s fine…few people truly have “tunnel vision” to that extent, I would think. You don’t have to fit any media-made description of a computer science major. This isn’t the Big Bang theory.</p>
<p>Computers can have application to all interest areas. For example, let’s take sports. You could work on software that ranks teams, schedules games, evaluates players, analyzes statistics, calculates parimutuel payoffs, captures and compiles historical records, accounts for salaries or ticket sales, etc. Name any sport from curling to auto racing to golf to bowling to cricket to soccer to… and I’m sure there are computers involved somewhere. Read Moneyball by Michael Lewis for ideas on potential applications. Atos Origin has become known as the company that handles the computer systems implementations for the last several Olympics. One short article to give you an idea of what is involved in that: [Software</a> testing starts for the London Olympics 2012 - 1/19/2011 - Computer Weekly](<a href=“| IT News Archive | ComputerWeekly.com”>| IT News Archive | ComputerWeekly.com)</p>
<p>So don’t give up on the major. All personality types and interests are welcome. There’s no monopoly on creativity or imaginative thinking. If you stay in the field long enough, you’ll find “CS types” may have the widest and most varied interests of any field.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the replies. It’s very interesting stuff. Also, the sooner that I realize not everyone is like me and that I can communicate with others that are different the better off I’ll be. Call it a life lesson.</p>
<p>The IT field also needs people with technical and communication skills. Some IT professionals lack communication skills and they are very important, especially for management. If you have other interests and skills, that is a plus.</p>
<p>I’ve often compared myself to other CS majors who basically spend all their free time tinkering with computers, writing code or doing something along those lines, wondering how my job prospects will match up to theirs… then I remember that the interests and activities I do pursue in my free time, I truly enjoy. I don’t need to conform to the norm; it’s not going to disadvantage me significantly, if at all. And that makes me feel better.</p>
<p>Muscovy:
So you notice it as well? Sometimes I wonder the same things you do-- since I don’t spend all of my free time on a computer am I at a disadvantage compared to the other CS student? Truthfully, most times I don’t want to be on my computer during free time-- I’d rather be outside or watching a game. I’ll say this-- I’m much more social than many of them. I would think this would help me when interviewing.</p>
<p>My dad always says make sure you have make at least a few good connection/friends within your major because you will be spending a lot of time with them. This will be my second semester as a CS major. I’ve only met a small few of the other CS majors yet…</p>
<p>I’ve met some highly intellectual CS majors who are very outgoing and social and spend much of their free time on computing projects. But then there are the… odd ones. Haha.</p>
<p>I don’t think we’d be disadvantaged. So far, I’ve come out top or near top in my CS classes and even found a summer CS research job through a professor whose class I did well in. I think as long as you’re intelligent and hardworking, you can succeed at whatever needs doing. And I’ve also heard that most of what you’ll use in your future career, you’ll end up learning on the job anyway; which makes sense given that it’s hard to specialize in college. You get more of a general foundation to build on.</p>
<p>As long as you’re able to fine in classes, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m a CS major, and spend like 95% of my time on the computer online, on like Facebook and watching tv and stuff. I’m actually pretty computer illiterate for a CS major - like I don’t even think I know how to use an ethernet cable. And this is at a school that’s supposed to be in the top 20 for CS too, so if I can do it, you should be fine.</p>