Signals and systems is an EE class so I’m wondering if it’s useful to take it since I’m a CS major. I’m interested in the topic, but it’s considered a very difficult class and very time-consuming, and I don’t want to get a bad grade or waste my time. It covers topics like Fourier Series, various transforms, convolution, and signal processing. I suppose it might be useful for CS for digital signal transmission/processing, image and sound processing/algorithms, and maybe computer networking. Any suggestions?
How useful this class will be to you will depend entirely upon what you will be called to do when you get a job. Furthermore, understanding these things might get you a job that others without the knowledge are passed over for. I have kept my job through many layoffs because I knew things that most other engineers in my particular field did not know.
Fourier Series, transforms, convolution, and signal processing are not all that difficult. I strongly believe that we think things are difficult to study because someone told us it is and we believe it, so we go into the class expecting it to be difficult. This is a self-fulling prophesy.
No one can definitely tell you whether or not you will ever use the knowledge, but I have found that absolutely no knowledge is wasted. I took a class in advanced field theory only because it was the only open class among some choices and 30 years after graduation I was teaching others how to do printed circuit board layout in such a way that emr (electromagnetic radiation) and crosstalk was minimized. I became a recognized expert in a completely unexpected area and people from all over the company came to me for help. All because I took a course that was still open because others thought it was too difficult. Yes, it was more math intensive than many engineering classes, but a good attitude got me through it and I ended up an engineer whom others sought out. God led me and I followed.