<p>I will be a senior in hs this fall and have no idea what I want to do. I'm really sure I'll be entering college undecided. I am taking AP Econ and AP Psychology as electives this year. They just sound interesting to me although I know NOTHING about either. I'll see how those go. </p>
<p>I've also been thinking about Computer Science but I am intimidated by it? Also is Computer Science the same as Computer Engineering? Is it hard? I really don't know much about it. I'm not tech savvy but I'm fascinated by computers. Is Comp science/engineering something you need to have some prior experience with though before entering college to be successful at it?</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if you have prior experience with programming or not. Anyone can learn a programming language, but not everyone can use it effectively.</p>
<p>In CS you will learn programming, discrete math, algorithms, OS, computer architecture, software construction, and will choose from a wide range of electives including software engineering, AI, networking, embedded systems, database management, and graphics.</p>
<p>In CE, you will most likely learn the core topics of CS and EE with CS or EE electives. There is significantly more hardware classes in CE.</p>
<p>One of these degrees can get you a job as soon as you graduate, provided you have a GPA >3.0 and some experience.</p>
<p>Majoring in Psychology probably won’t get you a job when you graduate. You will probably have to go get a master’s degree or medical school if you want to be a psychiatrist. This major requires mostly memorizing stuff and is one of the most popular majors today, meaning it’s even harder to find a job.</p>
<p>With Econ, you can probably be an analyst or an accountant, which is less interesting to me than engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks. Is there anything I could do to introduce myself to CS right now? I’m sure I’ll take some intro classes on it when I get to college and then decide if it’s for me. Is CS the one that will land me a job after graduation? Are CS majors the ones working for Microsoft, Google, etc.? What exactly are they doing there? How hard is it? I am up for the challenge but it does sound overwhelming</p>
<p>You can probably get a head start on programming, if you want to. It’s up to you. I recommend C++ as your first language. Go to thenewboston.com and click on C++ tutorials for a start.</p>
<p>CS or CE will land you a job if you had an internship and good GPA</p>
<p>CS majors can get hired by Google, Microsoft, any tech company, or most any company in general since most companies have programmer jobs.</p>
<p>Usually CS majors get hired as Software Engineers and develop software using a programming language and software engineering techniques.</p>
<p>The major requires abstract thinking skills and a lot of nights spent doing homework.</p>
<p>It’ll be a challenge because of the workload and how the program will push your brain to think better and in new ways, but it’ll be worth it when you get a job after college.</p>
<p>Major in CS or engineering and work hard to get a job. Although it could be challenging, the material is quite interesting so that will keep you motivated.</p>
<p>I agree with Skbryan, and would add two more things. </p>
<p>C++ is a great place to start. You might also consider Javascript as a way to get your feet wet from home. This way you could see some results from your tooling around right on a web page, and you might just be able to do some programming for hire. </p>
<p>Take your AP classes seriously because they will let you place out of electives that will give you more time at school, and more importantly, a mix of psych or econ with a CS degree makes a real powerful coupling. Top notch programmers that get into the softer companies/fields tend to have a lot of control over their employed life.</p>