Pursuing a career in computer science

[AP Student]

Hi everyone! :) I am a 17 year old high school junior currently taking a computer science AP course. I love everything about computers and I definitely want to build a career in this field. I eventually want to become a computer consultant! However, that might be a long way away and I have a lot of questions. I would appreciate information to as many of these inquiries as possible.

1. What kind of courses would anybody suggest I should take in college?
2. What are the kinds of things I should become well-versed in, like programming languages, networking etc.
3. What kind of colleges would anybody recommend I should look to apply to for a great computer science program?
4. What kind of after-school jobs should I be looking for now, at a young age, to help me build experience?
5. Any other advice you computer gurus would like to give to this passionate young soul to assist him in accomplishing his occupational dream.

Thank you so much for your help and encouragement! :)

[Saeed R]

If i point out any courses now they might be obselete by the time you grad from college.
The best advise is to read classifieds and see whats demandable in the IT Market

[Nut]

I recently graduated from college, so maybe I can be of assistance. If you are not going to a technical college, you will be getting an education in the fundamentals of computer science. These are necessary regardless of what field you go into. The electives that you can take in college are the most work-related, so put extra effort into projects that usually involve the software engineering process. I took a course where we wrote a simple assembler, linker, and emulator for a virtual computer. I used MFC, object-orientation, and teamwork to create this app. It definitely was the best item on my resume to help me get a good job (aside from my degree). Many people in C.S. at my school did not put a lot of effort into projects. Now they are stuck working for insurance companies, which is really boring. Good luck with your studies!

-Nut

[Tomaz Stih]

There is knowledge that will not be outdated as
soon as knowledge of current (yesterday? :-))technologies thus it is smart to master some of these.

The magic words are:-
OO analysis and design,
quality management,
patterns in software (well known practice and
approaches in software building)

Equipped with this knowledge you won't have
problems mastering new technologies when the time
comes.

Also a good choice that will be here well into the
future is C/C++ language because it has everything todays science wants of a mid-high level language.

But the best advice I can give you is to *SPECIALIZE*! I made a mistake years ago
trying to master everything from databases, RAD, C++/C, embedded systems to robotics and rocketry. A much better approach for a real career is to
specialize in a narrow field and be best there
even if as narrow as machine learning...

Sincerely,
Tommy

---------------------------------------------
Tomaz Stih, B.Sc.CS tomaz@nameco.com
Ob sotoccju 10 Nameco Group
SI-1000 Ljubljana http://www.nameco.com
Europe

[Marc Vaughan]

I don't think any early jobs are really going to help you (very few companies will let you lose on code without qualifacations), unless you can get a job where you will get some technical expertise - a helpdesk or test position possibly.
I'd just try 'bedroom programming' and write some software to impress your friends (don't forget however that in real-industry design and coding style are as important as the ability to get something to work).

What you want to learn to get a job depends on how you want your career to go:
I learnt C/C++ and headed into the flight simulation industry because I knew that it'd help me get a job as a games programmer eventually (it did).
However if you are in it for the money, learn relational databases and head for the city.

As far as careers go I'd try and keep a relatively open mind, go on a Computer related college course and see which area of IT you're most suited to. From experience the most important thing is to have a job you enjoy.

Sorry if this post dragged on ...



Marc Vaughan
(Sports Interactive Ltd)

[gatkinso]

Enroll in a school with a good CS program and try to figure out what most interests you. I am personally into graphics, but I have a good college buddy who is into database design (yuck!). Anyway you go, college is meant to prepare you for your career, and give you a wide knowledge base. Don't get me wrong - I totally agree with the person who said to specialize, but it is nice to be just a little versatile!

I almost didn't persue a masters degree as a lot of the course work was non graphics related. I am glad I did it anyway! Even some of the nongraphics classes (like Advanced data structures and Algorithm design) had bearing on my professional work, and I was glad to have them!

Find out what interests you - even though you are into CS you will find some classes/subjects will bore you to tears. It is a huge field. You might love writing device drivers, or be into software complexity metrics....who knows!


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