By admin on February 15, 2011
I am deciding what to major in in college. I’m am a senior in highschool now and I am in calculus. I am not that good at math and have to go to the math tutor for every assignment.
Would computer sciece require that same kind of problem solving ability, that I lack?
I have learned the basics C++ programming through online tutorials, and from that it seems nothing like math. I am a really good student, but I just can’t figure out math type stuff on my own.
Would cs be a good major for me?
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Sorry, but I am fairly certain you wouldn’t like it. Computer Science involves complex problem solving on an almost daily basis. Especially once you start doing practical labs. The professors assign you a lab asking for a generalized solution. How you solve it is up to you. Therefore, you are required to think on your own how to best complete the assignment.
Even though there isn’t math in Computer Science, most colleges require you to take math courses up to Calculus, so I highly recommend you do your best to learn math NOW. It is much easier to learn it in high school as opposed to in college.
Hope this helps, and good luck deciding on your college major.
Math ability is not necessarily a prerequisite to be a computer programmer, but logical thought processes are. Logic and math ability are usually highly correlated.
How easy was it for you to learn programming basics through a tutorial? While a specific language can make different types of programming easier or harder depending upon its built-in features, the language itself isn’t as important as the thought processes involved with coming up with algorithms to solve programming problems. If you struggle with understanding the logic behind the program function (not just the syntax), you may have a hard time as a computer programmer.
Additionally, computer science often takes a step beyond just programming and uses mathematical techniques to understand and analyze algorithms in terms of performance and efficiency. A good grasp of math would certainly help in this area.
So I would say that poor math ability would be a disadvantage to a computer science major. But if your logic ability is solid you could do fine, you may just have to work a bit harder in some areas.
Good luck.