<p>Hello I'm going to be a Freshman in high school and I want to know if planning for a Computer Science will be for me when i go to collage. Now for my background, I grew up around computers and I always used them. I use to mainly use them for school or games but about when I was 10 I started getting into coding. I don't know much code but i know some Lua, some Java, and some Visual Basic. In the past year i also got into coding websites and for that i know HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript. I enjoy making basic programs with the coding I know and making websites for personal use. I'm good at math (took third in MathCounts for county individual and made it to the state level). If you do think CS would be good for me can you please tell me the best classes to take in High School. For my math I'm taking Algebra 2 as a Freshman (Algebra 2 is a Junior math). I have been thinking about getting my PHD in CS. Is it worth getting my PHD?</p>
<p>It sounds like CS is a good path for you to pursue. Don’t be surprised if your interests change in college (a lot of things change in college), but it doesn’t hurt to explore your interests in CS right now.</p>
<p>As far as courses go, take as much math as you can. Obviously any CS/programming related classes are relevant. Regardless of whether those are available, you should check out Coursera and/or Udacity for some good introductory programming classes that will give you a solid foundation. One of the Python-based courses is a good place to start.</p>
<p>At this point, you have so much time that you should just go wild learning things and exploring your interests (whether it’s games, web programming, mobile apps, etc). If you get good enough, you might even be able to land an internship later on in high school (hit me up in a few years and I can even give you a referral to some places).</p>
<p>Come back in a few months after you’ve learned some stuff and we can talk some more.</p>
<p>Oh, and you’re nowhere near ready enough to begin talking about a PhD. That’s something to start thinking about when you’re in college and have more of an idea regarding whether you’re interested in research/academia or industry.</p>
<p>Given a programming hobby and a taste for math, I think CS is quite natural choice.</p>
<p>“I have been thinking about getting my PHD in CS. Is it worth getting my PHD?” </p>
<p>Iff a) you want to teach at colleges/universities or b) you want to do research in the academy (and you have personal ideas for/about research!). “PhDs are useless in the industry” (unless the research is really applied/applicable). Also, research that’s useless is useless. Think the doctorate this way: you’re exchanging a lucrative and applied career for totally intellectual pursuits, if that sounds nice, then you may do a PhD. If it doesn’t, then you may not have the correct motivation.</p>
<p>Take as much math and physics as you can at high school. Take calculus if you can, and any of the following if they’re offered: linear algebra, discrete math, differential equations.</p>
<p>Why? Apart from actually using these (discrete math is all over CS, and some applications of CS require linear algebra, calculus, etc. such as computer graphics and numerical methods), they will be requirements at any good college’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science curriculum so taking a high school version will make taking a college version much easier and may even count for college credit if you go to a fancy high school or take them at a community college while in high school (some high-schoolers do this). Math and physics are required for ABET accreditation, and all of the good engineering/CS schools have ABET accreditation. Best to face it head on now rather than run away from it.</p>
<p>The other reason is that if you decide to go to grad school in CS you <em>will</em> use the higher math.</p>
<p>I also suggest starting to learn C, learn about memory management and pointers and bit manipulation. You have plenty of time so don’t ignore your regular school work.</p>