Kenneth W.

Sparkman
Chen
CSIS
April 27, 2016

Preparing for a Computing Major

The Computer Science career path is a wonder field to be studying right now. The
expectations and the desire for more people in this field grows every year. Large and small
companies are growing and now need experts in the computer sciences to keep a competitive
edge. It also helps that most companies pay very well as they understand the importance to
having a good IT department. Many people can see how this field is growing and want to jump
on board. Most Schools offer many of the tools and courses need to get people prepare for a
career in computer science. However, computer science is now broader and vaguer than ever
which can lead to many people being confused in which is more important or more desired to
buisnesses. There are many studies that branch from a computing major. Some dealing with the
hardware and manipulation of code. Other majors deal strictly with software and scripting
languages that have to do with coding. While others deal mainly with networking and or security.
This can often be too much for a person to take in at one time and having to deal with so many
things can be freighting and limit people from even applying in the first place. Although a person
who wants to get into this field will need to learn most these things and more, there are steps and
tips that are out that can really help those in need.
Codestart.com, a coding education site that offers free and paid classes online, has
created a list of 7 essentials for people preparing for a computer science degree to do. This list
consists of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Study up on your math.

Brush up on your physics.
What kind of programmer do you want to be?
Choose your first programming language.
See if you love it.
Understand that computer science is more than programming.

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7. Its not as hard as you think.

At the top of the list is math. Math is used in many ways for computer science. Whether it
involves algorithms or complex equations in an app or program, adding and configuring subnets
and supernets, or converting binary to decimal and vice-versa with IP addresses. Math will be
integral part of computing, although calculous and trigonometry may not necessarily be needed.
While math is important physics is one that can feel a little out of place here in the list. Physics
can be applied in 3D and or creating a game engine but outside that physics only needs to be
brushed up on. Another thing that is essential is for the future computing major student is to
choose a computer language to learn. HTML is used for the web design or C++ for gaming are
really good languages that offer the best usability for these areas. Codestart suggest that students
start with C++ as this language can basically do it all and can teach what you need to know
starting from beginner all the way up to the advanced level. It is essential that the student tries to
pick up as much computer language skills as they can, as any extra language knowledge can only
help you out. Apart from learning a new language, being good at math and physics, one of the
most important is to see if you love this field. This is a good field to be in but it is a difficult one
to stay in. Since technology changes and advances so fast it is hard for people who do not love
technology to keep up. That is not to say it is impossible otherwise, but a passion for this field
really helps in the long term. Next, understanding that computer science is much more than
programming and involves computers, servers, mobile devices, networks systems, and much
more as many careers deal strictly with these devices. Lastly, it is important to know that its not
as hard as you think. It will take time to learn the basics and sometimes you might think its
impossible to learn a certain skill, but perceiver and you will eventually understand pick it up
and only grow from there.

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While learning to code is important and the earlier you know it the better, one particular
study by Fortune.com finds that most US students are not prepared for a computer science major
as they are not taught the skills needed to work on college level. Marie desJardins, an associate
dean for engineering and information technology and professor of computer science at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore, and writer for Fortune, commented that education in
computer science today is very lacking and limited between Kindergarten to High School, and
many people who get into this major do poorly because of this. Moreover, the standards that
have been adopted by states focus more on the low-level skill than on abstract computational
concepts. Most states will teach one aspect of technology while other focus on another. This
lack of cohesion or set standard can be difficult who grew up in one state and go to school in
another. Standards are being created where young students are able to have the skills needed for
future careers yet one major hindrance is the availability of teachers that process the knowledge
and skills to teach. Along with the lack of teachers being available, one thing that desJardins
highlights is the lack of diversity in this field consisting of very low numbers of females, and
even much lower in racial minorities enrolling in this field. One more thing to add into this is the
need for certification. Most teachers are not certified in this field and would require them to be
certified if standards are created. All of these things complicate young students who have the
desire to learn but no real way to obtain the skills needed for college. While all of this sounds
like bad news, the fact that the government, professors, schools, and students are all aware of
these concerns, things are actively changing that can help future students better.
While it may be difficult to start learning computer science in K-High School, a
determined student with an eagerness to learn can be very successful. We live in the internet age
where information basically flows at our finger tips. A person who is really looking into getting

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in to this field can find tips and help from many sources on the web. Many forums and sites are
dedicated in teaching or helping young students start their life in this area. Many books have
been written to help teach people the programming skills they need. One interesting book
focuses on children and pre-teens but can be adapted for everyone. Jon Woodcock, author of
Coding Games in Scratch, teaches kids basic programming skill using Scratch. Scratch is a
programming language and an online community where children can program and share
interactive media such a stories, games, and animation, as described by scratch.mit.edu. Scratch
offers a unique and interesting way to introduce children into programming. It is even offered
with the NOOB Distribution for the Raspberry Pi, a credit card sized computer that is cheap and
designed to work in many different ways. Before he teaches you how to code Woodcock explains
to his reader that a computer cant think for itself-it works by blindly following instructions.
Understanding this is the most important thing as we tell computers what to do and not to do.
There are many areas of studies that a student can choose when entering this field. Using
tips that experts give, using online sources, and using books designed to teach you things you are
interested in can really help a person progress to a computing major. Experimenting and finding
out what you like will most likely be the most time consuming thing as it may take several
courses for you finally say you like it or dont like it. Gone are the days where there will be an
expert in everything that has to with technology, especially an expert in every computer language
as there are too many to count now. Technology changes and grows so rapidly, it is impossible to
keep up with everything but this also makes it easier as a person can choose to focus on one
particular subject and become an expert in that. People rarely have to learn the whole field if they
want to be coders. Also people who do networking do not need to know how to create a website.
This helps people pick and choose and focus on their ultimate goal in in computer science.

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Works Citied
DesJardins, Marie. Fortune: The real reason U.S. students lag behind in computer science.
October 22, 2015. Web. May 3, 2015. http://fortune.com/2015/10/22/u-s-studentscomputer-science/
Sullivan, DJ. Codestart: 7 Things to Prepare Yourself for a Degree in Computer
Science. November 07, 2016. Web. May 3, 2016. http://blog.codestart.com/7-

things-to-prepare-yourself-for-a-degree-in-computer-science/
Woodcock, Jon. Coding Games in Scratch. New York, New York: DK Publishing. 2016. Print.