I am an accounting student right now, and I am looking into pursuing a minor in computer science. I am trying to figure out which courses I need to take. There is one on Linux called Linux Environment and Administration, and it is one of a group of classes required for the minor in CS at my university. I am considering taking it, but I am not sure. I have tried doing some research online, but I can’t really get a definite answer to whether or not Linux is used commonly in accounting.
I know that query languages like SQL are used in accounting, but I don’t know if Linux is a language that is used in something like accounting. I tried reading the course description, but it mentions things like “kernel configuration” and “daemons” and other things, and I have no idea what any of it means. It is like a totally new language to me.
If any of you computer people out there know much about Linux, and even better, how it might relate to accounting, please give me some advice. Also, please keep everything in simple terms, because I am not very good with computers and programming.
Linux is an operating system, like Windows and Android. That’s the built-in software that runs the computer. Apple computers use an operating system similar to Linux, but otherwise you’ll probably have no need to know anything about it. The people who would care about Linux would be programmers and IT people, rather than accountants.
I don’t see the need to take it if there are alternative CS classes you can take. I’m not sure what the CS minor at your school requires, but for accounting, I’d generally guess you can take a few basic programming classes and maybe a class on databases and another class on SQL.
Thank you very much for your help! That clears up so much for me.
So basically, there are a couple of lower division courses at my school that I have to take for a CS minor, and they are basically fundamentals of programming data structures and algorithms. I also have to take 2 or 3 upper-division courses, which I’ve pretty much figured out (they’re in computer systems and query language). However, I also need to take another lower division course, and the Linux course was one of them. There was another course called Web Programming that teaches how to make webpages using HTML, which I though looked kind of interesting. I was thinking about it, but I don’t know how useful that would be for accounting, maybe if I needed to design a webpage for a company/client or something.
There are two other courses with what they cover:
Discrete Structures:
Discrete structures and applications in computer science. Provides an introduction to proof techniques, propositional and predicate logic, functions, relations, sets, big-oh notation, counting techniques, summations, recursive definitions, recurrence relations, discrete probability and simple circuit logic.
Computer Architecture: Assembly Language Programming:
Introduction to computer architecture and assembly language programming. Covers number systems and data representation, CISC and RISC instruction set architectures, internal organization of a computer, and basics of logic design.
Would you know which one of these three would be the most useful for accounting? Sorry for the huge wall of text, btw.
Web Programming would be useful for accounting.
But Computer Architecture and Discrete Structures would be useful if you want to switch to programming/software development later (some people do that and get better pay than working in accounting).
Do you mean when you say switching to programing/software development that it would be entirely different than accounting, or that I could do programming/software development in accounting, like designing a company’s accounting system or something? I have been considering the latter; I decided to do the CS minor to help me understand computers and computer networks better, and to give me an edge in hiring. If I was going to go this route, would it be best to take as many CS courses as possible, or go for another major or something? Btw, for my CS minor, I am required to take at least 16 units of CS courses. I figure that I can take more classes if I need to; my local CC offers the lower division classes over the summer. Since this is the case, would it just be better to take all of my electives as CS courses?
Sorry more my rambling questions; it’s 3:00 AM and I’m tired lol.
You can do programming/software development in accounting or in other fields. You should take as many CS courses as possible. You can also learn on the job after graduation. The important part is to find the opportunities to work on programming after graduation. And it’s not too difficult to find them.
I was actually planning on doing just that. If anything, I can use what I learn in the class to make my own websites if it never comes up on the job. Thank you for your advice!