<p>hi I am going to be a freshman at University of Connecticut this fall, and I am going in as undecided. I want to know about computer science because it has really sparked my interest as of late. I am not sure what to major in, I was leaning towards business but I am not sure (my communication skills are not the best). If anyone could answer any of the following questions that would be greatly appreciated</p>
<p>p.s. you do not have to answer all of them even answering one would be fine </p>
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<li><p>What is computer science? is it like programming, engineering or an actual science? </p></li>
<li><p>are their specialties in computer science like a business focus, graphic focus or programming focus?</p></li>
<li><p>what would the job market be like for someone what a computer science major in the future? (like in 5 years)</p></li>
<li><p>what kind of classes would i expect to take if I were to major in computer science?</p></li>
<li><p>Overall is it hard? time consuming? stressful? </p></li>
<li><p>is it possible to get a degree in computer science but have a job related to the business field? </p></li>
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<p>It depends on the college or university. Informally, it is the study of computation, which entails many things, such as the design of computer languages (compilers and interpreters), the design of digital hardware for computation (computer architecture), how resources are allocated in a computer system (operating systems), how to build computers that do things that humans do (artificial intelligence), and how much computation time/space/communication is needed to perform certain tasks (algorithms). </p>
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<p>Yes, depending on where you go to school. Some colleges and universities may have courses involving computers with a business focus that are not part of a computer science (or even engineering) department.</p>
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<p>It is difficult to say. Among other things, the field tends to change very rapidly. For example, five years ago, Android was not a particularly good platform for smartphones. Now, it is the fastest growing platform.</p>
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<p>See answer to #1. Also, you’ll probably have to take some math classes such as linear algebra and discrete math (in addition to the usual calculus and differential equations).</p>
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<p>It depends on your goals, motivations, etc. Some people absolutely love the field and want to immerse themselves completely in it. Others, if they are able to find a niche, don’t necessarily have to immerse themselves in it (but need to maintain a high level of aptitude in their niche, and have some kind of plan to find a new niche if their old niche is no longer financially viable for them). This applies to being a computer science student, as well as being a professional in the field.</p>
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<p>Yes, depending upon the job. Some people become product or program managers after completing their degrees. Some form startups. Some jobs may require the person to have an MBA or some other type of business degree or certification.</p>
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<li><p>A little of all is involved. Programming is not the main focus, but it is necessary to be able to do so in order to learn the concepts in CS. It is like engineering in terms of designing complex systems and components and the like. It is like science (math) in its more theoretical aspects.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes. However, if you are concerned about covering the concepts needed for most industry software jobs, take a CS course each in algorithms, operating systems, networks, software engineering, databases, and security, regardless of what you decide to specialize in (or take additional CS courses in other areas like graphics, compilers, etc. to cover more concepts).</p></li>
<li><p>CS has its ups and downs. Although it is generally one of the better majors in job and career prospects, it is not good all the time (e.g. during the early 2000s, it was poor). However, that is better than some other majors whose job and career prospects are poor most or all of the time. Because of rapidly changing technologies, people working in the computer field must always be able to learn new technologies as they appear – the focus of your education in school should be on the lasting concepts in CS, not on the programming language that is popular this year.</p></li>
<li><p>You will take an introductory CS course sequence that varies from school to school. You will also take math courses including a discrete math course. Junior and senior years will include more advanced CS courses like those listed above. These courses typically include programming assignments and/or projects, except that the algorithms course is like a math course (less work, but more theoretical).</p></li>
<li><p>Depends. If you like math and programming and are good at those things, CS will probably not be that hard for you (although large programming projects can still be time consuming).</p></li>
<li><p>Yes. Some CS graduates eventually become project leads or managers of technical groups (such positions are not appropriate for business degree graduates who lack the understanding of the work being managed). Some go into software development of applications related to business (finance, accounting, HR, etc.). Some go into IT, which is more of a business function, though it deals with computer and networking equipment, but a CS major degree is far more than needed for that (to be good at IT, just a few CS courses in operating systems, networks, databases, and security should be enough, but many IT people lack even that… and it shows).</p></li>
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<p>CS seems to have a good employment outlook until 2018. Projections aren’t perfect, but as far as I can tell, there aren’t many better guesses.</p>
<p>CS (just like any STEM discipline) is hard. If you have aptitude and try hard, you should do fine. STEM means lifelong learning… If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.</p>
<p>thanks guys for the heads up. I am taking summer classes right now and one of my classes is actually discrete math and I am doing quite well in that class. I am still interested in the field but I am also a bit interested in business as well.This is really making me mad because I want to be able to start taking classes relating to my major but the fact that I dont even know what I want to major in is just upsetting.</p>