Ugh Comp Sci in University...

[Slackr89]

i thought i'd enjoy being in this major, but im in my second semester and i have yet to finish 1 lab out of three. i find it to be way to theoretical and outright boring. The first semester was alright since we were learning basics of java, but now i have no idea what they are talking about. i had no previous programming experience and i think that was a big mistake since almost everyone there has years from there own self-teaching.

anyways, the real reason im posting is because im thinking of dropping out of the program and switching to a major in Physics, luckily all of my courses, except my comp sci ones are pretty much what a physics major does the first year.

Now for my question ...what kind of jobs can a Bachelors in Physics get? i know a comp sci major has tons of jobs available, so this is why im a little by skeptical in switching into this program. What can a degree do for you if it can't get you a job.

Thanks. im really at a standstill with my schooling right now.

[TheRealBob]

Originally Posted by Slackr89

Now for my question ...what kind of jobs can a Bachelors in Physics get?

Shockingly little. A bit more than a high-school diploma will get you, since you proved you are pretty smart and can finish a degree, so that gets a little attention, but that's it. Don't plan on working in anything related to physics. Actually, if you do get a job related to physics, that will probably be even worse, as you will be doing grunt work for near minimum wage.

Physics is really a major you get a PhD in or a you get along with someone else. There's not much use for people with a bachelor's degree. Even some people with PhDs have trouble getting jobs within the field.

If you like computer programming but don't like the theoretical stuff in CS, look into other degrees. When I got my computer science degree there was also a degree at the same university called "computer programming and technology" that was much less theory and much more hands-on programming, emphasizing modern computer languages and technology. The people that took it generally liked it a lot, and they had great job placement out of school.

Of course if you've decided you don't really care for programming, then don't pursue it. I enjoy software engineering a lot, it's a lot of fun for me, but I know a lot of people don't like it or can't do it well.

I'd suggest figuring out a few things you'd like to do, then figuring out which of those have good prospects for having available jobs, then figuring out which degree you need for that career. You seem to be going at it kind of backwards, first picking out a degree and then seeing if that will get you anything.

[actionhank]

I wouldn't plan on taking a physics bachelor's if I didn't plan to shoot all the way for a Phd thats for sure.

[Slackr89]

personally i was looking at going into game development (surprise surprise ) say if i do end up getting a bachelors in physics, could i then get my masters in physics with comp sci minor? because really i am only interested in the physics portion of game development...or maybe even AI.

ill definetly check into that less theoretical programming, although i dont think the university that i go to offers that kind of course.

i almost feel like getting out of university and going to Nait, which is a trade school and going through their technology courses.

EDIT: the majority of the reason why i do not like this course was because it relies heavily on abstract thinking, which i found out im not very good at, and dont care for it.

[Uxi]

<-BS in Comp Sci.

Heh, wait till you go higher. If you're not digging, you stay with the physics, calculus, etc and do engineering perhaps.

[Clark Kent]

You can do nothing with a bachelor's degree in physics except maybe teach high school science. Even if you get a Phd don't expect great pay. Physics has become such a specialized field that you really can't do any interesting stuff unless you're at the Phd level. Only major in physics if you love it.

[Slackr89]

would it be out of the ordinary for a University student to drop out to transfer to a trade school? i was looking at there courses and i think i may want to go into Computer Engineering Technology program which seems hands on, non-theoretical and there is alot of hardware work as well.
IDK, im really confused right now, i guess its good that im catching this now before wasting tens of thousands when i realize that im in the wrong place

[plee]

As suggest, a computer technology degree or information systems (usually more oriented into accounting). Check the community colleges as they are more hands on and usually get to the point. I would suggest, to learn one language on your own (vb, c/c++, c#, etc...) because once you do, you can pick up other languages pretty easily. Plus, most courses are going to be very basic till you get towards the jr/sr years.

Also, if you want to get into the game design/writing, you might check the game developer websites and see if you can be a "game" tester. Once your in the door you can get a look at how things operate and see if you even want to go that route. If you still do, you can start snooping around to see if they are hiring and usually since they will know you, that gives you an edge on job openings. One more thought, a game company will usually want to see any game examples you have written, I would suggest trying to do some homebrew game development (SNES, Genesis, Atari, etc...) so you can present them with your work.

Good luck....

[Rob Zuber]

I have a BS in Physics from a very good university. I'm now a software developer.

I'd probably recommend staying within CS, perhaps adding a Physics minor. If Physics was your major, then you'd get a lot of relativity, general relativity and quantum physics that don't apply at all to gaming physics.

For now, reconsider staying with the program and diving into the abstract stuff. Give it a bit of time to see if you can handle it. Mastering that will make a big difference later on. There's a reason they teach it.

[181]

I had a tough time my first year when I was going for my degree in Computer Science and Engineering from a good university. I ended up having fun with it after the first year and eventually got my degree after 5 years. Universities try to weed you out of the program early on, so either you stick with it or fail out of it. I also have a huge interest in physics. With the amount of math and physics classes I took in college, I would have needed only a few more classes to get a Physics or even Math minor.

I'd recommend sticking to it and getting it done. There are a lot of sleepless nights ahead but it pays off in the end since you will be making a ton of money. After my current job, I plan on going back to school to get a degree in Physics just for fun since the topic fascinates me. For money, go with engineering. You can still have fun with it.

[darkprime]

If you want to get into making games, stick with computer science or software engineering. At the very least you will need to know how to program and understand the basics of programming if you are going to go anywhere.

Another area you might enjoy more is network administration.

[w_tanoto]

would you like to swap with me? I'd love to study comp sci..... I'm human biologist/linguist (french)
human bio is too difficult and hard for me

[Aaron]

I want to be a programmer. But the math involved is way to hard for me.

[Slackr89]

Originally Posted by 181

I had a tough time my first year when I was going for my degree in Computer Science and Engineering from a good university. I ended up having fun with it after the first year and eventually got my degree after 5 years. Universities try to weed you out of the program early on, so either you stick with it or fail out of it. I also have a huge interest in physics. With the amount of math and physics classes I took in college, I would have needed only a few more classes to get a Physics or even Math minor.

I'd recommend sticking to it and getting it done. There are a lot of sleepless nights ahead but it pays off in the end since you will be making a ton of money. After my current job, I plan on going back to school to get a degree in Physics just for fun since the topic fascinates me. For money, go with engineering. You can still have fun with it.

Right now the only course thats really bothering me is CMPUT 115: Programming with Data Structures. The labs for that are horrible, we've had 3 labs so far and i havent even been able to finish the first one, and all the future labs seem to pertain to the first one that i know of. i guess the labs are only worth 10% of my mark (not including lab exam) so i wouldnt be completely destroying my mark.
so ur saying if i stick with it it'll get better? because right now this data structure junk is driving me insane.

[CGYBLU]

So it's one lab from one course that's making you think about this???

That's pretty weak. Stick with it. You say you have never programmed before, well now you are -- The first time is never going to be as easy as you really didn't know what was going on before hand.

If you want to get a bit more practical, consider engineering (software, computer or even electrical). Course load will be much greater than what you have now, but as you enter your 3rd and 4th year you will be involved in some very practical applications to the theory you've learned in the years before.


I hit post reply a bunch of times yesterday, but canceled the comment because I really didn't know what or how to say it and not come off as a complete snob.

Point is, if you want to program and be very theoretical, lots of pure math courses, then stick with the comp sci. If you want some multi-discipline subjects at the start then discipline specific theory, then practical uses of that theory, maybe consider engineering if you're up for it.

[Slackr89]

ok, after much deliberation, im going to stick with it for this year. Thanks for the comments

[181]

Originally Posted by Slackr89

Right now the only course thats really bothering me is CMPUT 115: Programming with Data Structures. The labs for that are horrible, we've had 3 labs so far and i havent even been able to finish the first one, and all the future labs seem to pertain to the first one that i know of. i guess the labs are only worth 10% of my mark (not including lab exam) so i wouldnt be completely destroying my mark.
so ur saying if i stick with it it'll get better? because right now this data structure junk is driving me insane.

Yeah man, stick with it. Take a class on Object Oriented Programming (C++) at a community college over the summer. Learn it. Have fun with it. I failed my second Computer Science class; yes I got an F. I took the Community College class on the side and retook the class and got an A+. I'm an awesome engineer and I would have never realized it if I quite early on. Sometimes you just need to push yourself a little further to get back into the game. Things will get a lot harder than just data structures. You'll get into algorithms, operating systems, machine language, etc. But the professors know the content is difficult so just do the best you can.

And also, I graduated with a 4.2 GPA in highschool. I was devastated when I received my first C in college. But you know what, don't kill yourself over it. C's are ok in engineering classes. Aim for an A but don't go crazy about it.

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by Aaron

I want to be a programmer. But the math involved is way to hard for me.

Depending on what kind of software you develop, math may have very little to do with it and you should be able to get by with high school math. In fact, contrary to what you might think, CompSci has very little do do with "programming" and it does very little to prepare you for developing "business" software for example. Developing business software these days require more soft skills (like people skills) than you might think.

I do not have a degree of any kind but I've been writing software for the past 10 years and I write software that serves as the backbone of my employer's back end system and I command a decent salary. I don't feel like listing all of the soft/technical skills but change management/versioning is critical to what I do.

I would say that a CompSci is not a prerequisite to becoming a programmer. Rather, I would say that you should have a logical mind, have creative writing skills, possess the ability to think out of the box and be able to work with others to brainstorm and develop software.

Some of my past colleagues have had degrees in other areas ranging from psychology to divinity.

[Slackr89]

Originally Posted by 181

Yeah man, stick with it. Take a class on Object Oriented Programming (C++) at a community college over the summer. Learn it. Have fun with it. I failed my second Computer Science class; yes I got an F. I took the Community College class on the side and retook the class and got an A+. I'm an awesome engineer and I would have never realized it if I quite early on. Sometimes you just need to push yourself a little further to get back into the game. Things will get a lot harder than just data structures. You'll get into algorithms, operating systems, machine language, etc. But the professors know the content is difficult so just do the best you can.

And also, I graduated with a 4.2 GPA in highschool. I was devastated when I received my first C in college. But you know what, don't kill yourself over it. C's are ok in engineering classes. Aim for an A but don't go crazy about it.

the only marks i got last semester ranged from a c- to a c+. but then again i didnt have any study skills in high school....i kind of coasted through those years, i think university just hit me like a brick. or like this