Intro to Computer Science

[Illenium]

Hey guys. I don't know if this thread has already been made but if it has can someone link me it?

TLDR At the bottom

So I've been struggling with finding a career that fits me. sometime last year I had a group of friends who were constantly on discord, talking shit, the usual and talking about coding for maple story and other games as projects.

at this point I was absolutely new to coding, didn't understand what it was and my only knowledge of "programming" was back in freshman year using the program Alice. That said the more time I spent with them, the more intrigued I got about coding.

many were self taught and finds side projects to fix online, discord, and that's how they got paid. One of them in the group studied at NYU for 4 years on a full ride and he launched a site:
www.sabe.io

Site was successful nonetheless and it was the many projects he worked on for a year before he launched it. With his degree and minimal experience, he was able to land a software developer job making 60k. He's on route to making 6 figures actually. His job is great, amazing benefits, commuter, insurance, everything.

my question lies, do I need a degree to pursue a software developing career like him? I'm not expecting to make the same amount of money if I don't have a degree, but would jobs hire me with no degree and I only have been self taught with online classes and if I get a cert?

I've attempted to go for a degree but calculus kicked my ass big time. If anybody here can offer insight on the whole deal and tell me that a degree would be a waste of time, pls do.

TLDR: do I need a degree to pursue a software developing career or can I get by with a cer

 

[Mediking]

Hopefully you just need a cert

 

[coldzone24]

While you technically don't, I do think the programming market has become more and more competitive these past few years and a degree helps you standout a bit more. Part of this has to do with the rise of programming bootcamps and the other part is because everyone wants some of that developer money.

With that being said, if you are a motivated individual who is willing to put time into personal projects, open source projects, etc. then yes you can get by without a degree.

 

[Deleted member 29195]

Yes, it is possible. It is much easier than any other engineering career to get into without a degree.

It is also incredibly difficult. Usually you need both

1.) a large amount of experience out there - i.e. if you want to be a web developer make web sites, wanna be a game developer? Make games. It needs to be real experience. An actual website. I should be able to find your source code on GitHub if it's not a commercial project.
2.) connections. You have to know someone to get you a job.

With respect to the cert, it's usually considered a great way to build up both 1 & 2 if a degree isn't an option. You iterate on a bunch of projects, and make friends with people who will get jobs and can potentially recommend you down the road. Certs can also be scammy though. Do a lot of research. As someone said, they've become very popular, so the quality of education has gotten questionable.

Coding projects require an extremely large time investment. But I think it's definitely doable to get a position. I would recommend determining your interests and thinking about whether games, websites, etc sound most interesting. As the industries are very different and experiences will vary greatly.

EDIT: Here's a thing to keep in mind though. Companies often consider junior developers, those who come directly from a degree, to be incompetent for the first several years of employment. And so getting hired straight out of school requires a bit of luck too. Doing so without a degree, and without any formal experience means fighting an uphill battle. Your entire goal is to show that you already can write real code, or, at least, you're just as much work to train.

 

[Illenium]

I figured the degree is the better way to go. I wanted to find an easier way around it since calculus is annoying.

 

[Outlaw]

I know a couple of guys in the CS/SE field.

TLDR from all the stuff they tell me ( Edit: the TLDR turned into all that LOL):

- The degree is worth it if you're brand new to IT work/career wise and don't want to start at the bottom (Help Desk, technician).

- Degree is not worth it if you can prove your skills in a technical interview and have certs/relevant job history to pad your resume. This path is apparently harder due to many companies gatekeeping jobs with degree requirements, but it's possible.

I have friends who took both routes.

One started as a help desk guy, then got some certs so they would give him a shot at other jobs within the company, eventually became a programmer for them, and can now jump to a different company and bypass the degree requirement due to his history. This took almost a decade for him from the start, but he has zero debt.

The other got his CS degree and interned for a Fortune 500 company during his junior/senior year. Had a job secured by the time he walked for graduation, makes the same as friend 1 but did it in half the time. Also has a ton of debt though.

Note: I will also say, a degree doesn't also guarantee a job right away. I know a guy who got his CS degree, but didn't bother making connections/focusing on his internships, or working on his portfolio, so now he's in that "I've been applying to 100+ jobs and nobody hits me up" group.

 

[Illenium]

I know a couple of guys in the CS/SE field.

TLDR from all the stuff they tell me ( Edit: the TLDR turned into all that LOL):

- The degree is worth it if you're brand new to IT work/career wise and don't want to start at the bottom (Help Desk, technician).

- Degree is not worth it if you can prove your skills in a technical interview and have certs/relevant job history to pad your resume. This path is apparently harder due to many companies gatekeeping jobs with degree requirements, but it's possible.

I have friends who took both routes.

One started as a help desk guy, then got some certs so they would give him a shot at other jobs within the company, eventually became a programmer for them, and can now jump to a different company and bypass the degree requirement due to his history. This took almost a decade for him from the start, but he has zero debt.

The other got his CS degree and interned for a Fortune 500 company during his junior/senior year. Had a job secured by the time he walked for graduation, makes the same as friend 1 but did it in half the time. Also has a ton of debt though.

Note: I will also say, a degree doesn't also guarantee a job right away. I know a guy who got his CS degree, but didn't bother making connections/focusing on his internships, or working on his portfolio, so now he's in that "I've been applying to 100+ jobs and nobody hits me up" group.

Click to shrink...

sounds like cert might be better but at the end of the day it really just boils down to determination and time.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

There are quite a few computer programming jobs you can land without a degree, but it'll come down to your portfolio more than cert. Doing work on the side that can show you know your stuff matters most. I'd say your portfolio honestly matters more than a degree, actually.

It used to be not so long ago that this mainly applied to smaller companies, but recently, as in within the past 5 or so years, this has extended to large, well paying companies too.

 

[Outlaw]

I figured the degree is the better way to go. I wanted to find an easier way around it since calculus is annoying.

Click to shrink...

Degree wise, calculus is the least of your worries bro. I also hate calculus, so I took it online at my community college and transferred the credits to my university. Obviously with shit like Mathway, I was able to basically cheat through my calculus courses.

Anyway, I thought I was in the clear, and then got hit with courses like Automata Theory and Advanced Algorithm Design. Those make calculus look like simple addition/subtraction tier stuff, lol.

It just wasn't in the cards for me, I lacked the study habits to learn all that shit so I switched to the general IT degree (Info Sec focus) within the same university.

A CS degree is going to be aids if you don't fuck with math.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

Er, yeah, you are really only going to need calculus if you're working in fields like graphics programming, physics simulation, digital signal processing, vision research, convolutional AI, game development... things like that.

For stuff like UXUI, or database programming, or networking, or any of the much more common Comp Sci jobs, basic algebra with maaaaaybe a dash of trig will do you just fine.

 

[Aeana]

Most of the people I work with in the web development space don't have a CS degree. If you can demonstrate that you have the knowledge in the interview then for many places, that will be enough.

 

[Outlaw]

Er, yeah, you are really only going to need calculus if you're working in fields like graphics programming, physics simulation, digital signal processing, vision research, convolutional AI, game development... things like that.

For stuff like UXUI, or database programming, or networking, or any of the much more common Comp Sci jobs, basic algebra with maaaaaybe a dash of trig will do you just fine.

Click to shrink...

Unfortunately, most (at least the top 100 in the US) universities bundle those crazy math courses with their "CS" or "SE" degree plans despite them not being relevant in the actual workspace.

I look at it as their way of weeding people out, or else the CS/SE majors would overwhelm universities more than they already do.

 

[Chakoo]

TLDR: do I need a degree to pursue a software developing career or can I get by with a cer

Click to shrink...

No but you will have to put in 2000x the work/effort.

Degree or not. You have to demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skill to handle the job. Just saying you can do something isn't enough and you must be able to show projects & code to back it up. It's also worth making sure you network with people who can see and speak to your understanding of software development.

I've personally been working in software since 2001 just right out of high school and I've never taken a computer programming course.

 

[impingu1984]

I'm a data scientist and I have no degree. Company I was had a 3 phase interview process and one was basically a mini project. I demonstrated my skills and experience that's what got my the job.

That being you do of course need to develop these skills and a degree is see be some as a seal of approval (rightly or wrongly)..

Also having a degree isn't everything. I know of multiple People with degrees who in my field are very well versed in ML etc and can create very good models.... But have no experience or even the first idea how to engineer that at scale which is actually nearly 50% of what I end up doing.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

Unfortunately, most (at least the top 100 in the US) universities bundle those crazy math courses with their "CS" or "SE" degree plans despite them not being relevant in the actual workspace.

I look at it as their way of weeding people out, or else the CS/SE majors would overwhelm universities more than they already do.

Click to shrink...

Oh I'm well aware. I failed calculus twice in college. Only was able to push past it by taking it at a community college on the side and having the credit transfer over.

I blame it more on universities teaching calculus wrong, than the math being indecipherable, though. My calculus courses at the University of Texas were classes of 300 students, taught by a russian professor with a thick accent, who was unavailable outside of class, and my TA was a chinese grad student where English was her second language. The first time I took it, the course description was advertised as "for students with absolutely no prior calculus experience," and on the very first day, when they were going over derivatives, the professor was like "think back to how your highschool calculus teacher introduced you to derivatives."

In my later age, at my own pace, I've become actually pretty good at calculus, by learning it from books and online resources. College calculus is basically like a large formal test to see if you know enough at that precise moment to get your degree. It's not very good for actually teaching you the math. Actually, calculus is pretty fascinating if you go at your own pace. It's the secret language of the universe.

 

[Illenium]

Degree wise, calculus is the least of your worries bro. I also hate calculus, so I took it online at my community college and transferred the credits to my university. Obviously with shit like Mathway, I was able to basically cheat through my calculus courses.

Anyway, I thought I was in the clear, and then got hit with courses like Automata Theory and Advanced Algorithm Design. Those make calculus look like simple addition/subtraction tier stuff, lol.

It just wasn't in the cards for me, I lacked the study habits to learn all that shit so I switched to the general IT degree (Info Sec focus) within the same university.

A CS degree is going to be aids if you don't fuck with math.

Click to shrink...

How is IT treating you? & what was the highest level of math needed?

 

[Illenium]

Oh I'm well aware. I failed calculus twice in college. Only was able to push past it by taking it at a community college on the side and having the credit transfer over.

I blame it more on universities teaching calculus wrong, than the math being indecipherable, though. My calculus courses at the University of Texas were classes of 300 students, taught by a russian professor with a thick accent, who was unavailable outside of class, and my TA was a chinese grad student where English was her second language. The first time I took it, the course description was advertised as "for students with absolutely no prior calculus experience," and on the very first day, when they were going over derivatives, the professor was like "think back to how your highschool calculus teacher introduced you to derivatives."

In my later age, at my own pace, I've become actually pretty good at calculus, by learning it from books and online resources. College calculus is basically like a large formal test to see if you know enough at that precise moment to get your degree. It's not very good for actually teaching you the math. Actually, calculus is pretty fascinating if you go at your own pace. It's the secret language of the universe.

Click to shrink...

I tried to get my basics out of the way at a community college vs just going into a university head on. The professor I had was absolute garbage and I had to withdraw the class. He had a thick heavy African accent and belittles everyone if they can't answer his question. Only one person max got an A. The rest of the class ended up getting B's & C's. Even if I stayed and passed with a C there was no way in hell I wanted to go to calc 2 with minimal knowledge.

I enjoy math, with a good professor. He was just not it :/

 

[Outlaw]

Oh I'm well aware. I failed calculus twice in college. Only was able to push past it by taking it at a community college on the side and having the credit transfer over.

I blame it more on universities teaching calculus wrong, than the math being indecipherable, though. My calculus courses at the University of Texas were classes of 300 students, taught by a russian professor with a thick accent, who was unavailable outside of class, and my TA was a chinese grad student where English was her second language. The first time I took it, the course description was advertised as "for students with absolutely no prior calculus experience," and on the very first day, when they were going over derivatives, the professor was like "think back to how your highschool calculus teacher introduced you to derivatives."

In my later age, at my own pace, I've become actually pretty good at calculus, by learning it from books and online resources. College calculus is basically like a large formal test to see if you know enough at that precise moment to get your degree. It's not very good for actually teaching you the math. Actually, calculus is pretty fascinating if you go at your own pace. It's the secret language of the universe.

Click to shrink...

I feel this post in my soul. I actually go to UT (Dallas). It's the same thing here but replace the Russian accents with Indian ones, lol.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

How is IT treating you? & what was the highest level of math needed?

Click to shrink...

Don't worry about the math. If you really like the study of computer science, the math you need to do your job will come to you. I say this because a huge part of working in technology is continuously learning. You'll never stop learning. You have to get good at teaching yourself new things, and that includes abstract stuff like math as well as directly relevant things like programming patterns, new languages, etc.

That's not to sound scary, rather it's meant to be reassuring. If you have a passion for it, you'll develop a curiosity for the subject that will lead you to looking for resources to teach yourself what you need to know. That's the big secret about going to college for comp sci. You do most of your learning on the side, outside of class. College is really there just to test that you know how to teach yourself.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

I tried to get my basics out of the way at a community college vs just going into a university head on. The professor I had was absolute garbage and I had to withdraw the class. He had a thick heavy African accent and belittles everyone if they can't answer his question. Only one person max got an A. The rest of the class ended up getting B's & C's. Even if I stayed and passed with a C there was no way in hell I wanted to go to calc 2 with minimal knowledge.

I enjoy math, with a good professor. He was just not it :/

Click to shrink...

If you aren't in any big rush, read this book:

3D Math Primer for Game Development

Its focused on gamedev, but it's really an intro to calculus. It's written in a very casual language, I found it super helpful. Another tip: NEVER turn to Wikipedia for math help. It'll make you feel like a moron.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

I feel this post in my soul. I actually go to UT (Dallas). It's the same thing here but replace the Russian accents with Indian ones, lol.

Click to shrink...

I think it's the norm, finding awesome math classes at universities seems like the rarest thing in the world. If you have an awesome math teacher in college, covet them, and buy them a box of chocolate or something because you have something very special.

If you are as thoroughly disgusted with the state of math education in the US as I am, read this:

https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

And dream about what math education could be in a better world...

 

[Deleted member 12790]

Oh hey, on the flipside, if calculus really terrifies you, a much, much more relevant "math" to learn is Boolean Algebra. I love boolean algebra, it's a fun math in my opinion. It's more arithematic than math, really. It's also called Logic. It's more concerned with truth tables and proofs. Coming up with consistent mathematical ideas, formed from solid foundations of established theorems. You learn about philosophers, and fundamental truths they discovered, then use those truths as the basis for more complex truths about how numbers work. It's where you'll learn things like XOR and NOT.

Really, really fun math, IMO. I had never heard of the subject before until I was required to take it in college, wound up falling in love. Boolean algebra is much more relevant to computer programming than any other math, really. Computer programming is, essentially, applied boolean algebra. After you dive into it, you'll finally know what logic actually means.

My final exam for Boolean Algebra was an hour long, we were given 3 questions but only had to answer one, whichever one we chose. The one I chose to answer was "prove subtraction." Nobody finished the exam, but they gave partial credit for unfinished proofs. Despite it being a difficult exam, it was honestly fun. To the point where, after I turned in the exam, I went home and finished the problem outside of class because I enjoyed it. Wound up making an A in the course.

Something to get you started:

 

[Outlaw]

How is IT treating you? & what was the highest level of math needed?

Click to shrink...

I'm still a student, but the courseload is more relevant to IT instead of the more math/theory courses
CS/SE (so it's easier).

Cal 1 and 2 were required, but I transferred them in from my community college (did it online so I was able to cheat).

IT isn't programming. With my degree, you have to pick a "focus" like Info Sec/Big Data Analytics, etc

I'm 10000% sure any job I end up with could be attained via certs, but I'm mostly getting the degree for my parents (it's a 1st gen American thing, lol).

I know a guy who was a marketing major and now designs UI's for apps. He recently moved to Seattle to work for Amazon.

I also know a guy who couldn't build a computer if you asked him to, but his mom's bf got him in where he works as an accountant, so now he's a godamn Jr Developer despite having zero experience.

 

[Deleted member 61469]

Depends on your location. Here in Germany, they will toss your application straight into the trash can if you have no degree.

Edit: unless you are a genius with a large portfolio of course.

 

[Carn]

I think it's been mentioned a few times by now, but provable experience often weighs more than a degree, but having a degree never hurts.

 

[Husker86]

I'm an Android developer with no CS degree (Bachelor's in Biotech). I got an Android dev job in my hometown, moved to another company in my hometown, and now work at a major company as an Android dev. I had 2 years of experience when I got my latest job.

It's definitely common to work with self taught coders, though we're obviously not the majority.

Work on some side projects that you can demonstrate, make it obvious that you're passionate (if you are), and I think you have a good shot.

That said, some luck was definitely involved in getting the first job. My tech lead who interviewed me was specifically looking for someone who loves the field and not just ticked off some boxes. I'll be forever grateful for the chance I got because of him.

I do think the self taught route would be tough if you don't really enjoy working on projects, though.

 

[Illenium]

When you guys say side projects do you mean just creating something from scratch?

 

[Deleted member 12790]

When you guys say side projects do you mean just creating something from scratch?

Click to shrink...

Anything. Just any sort of comp sci work. Doesn't have to be from scratch, could be git commits on a larger project. Could be stack exchange posts. Could be a mod. Just show you are doing comp sci.

 

[Kieli]

Unfortunately, most (at least the top 100 in the US) universities bundle those crazy math courses with their "CS" or "SE" degree plans despite them not being relevant in the actual workspace.

I look at it as their way of weeding people out, or else the CS/SE majors would overwhelm universities more than they already do.

Click to shrink...

A Computer Science degree from university is not intended to be vocational or trades school. There is a reason why science is in the name.

If you want hands on training with technology XYZ, enroll in a bootcamp or online course from Coursera/Udemy

 

[Deleted member 48897]

When you guys say side projects do you mean just creating something from scratch?

Click to shrink...

Yeah an excellent example of demonstrating your ability to solve potentially difficult programming problems might be something like Project Euler. That said, if you're not planning to get a job that makes use of math (I'm working as a software engineer at a science facility, so of course I personally am on the regular) you may not need to as much.

 

[TokenBlackDude]

Oh I'm well aware. I failed calculus twice in college. Only was able to push past it by taking it at a community college on the side and having the credit transfer over.

I blame it more on universities teaching calculus wrong, than the math being indecipherable, though. My calculus courses at the University of Texas were classes of 300 students, taught by a russian professor with a thick accent, who was unavailable outside of class, and my TA was a chinese grad student where English was her second language. The first time I took it, the course description was advertised as "for students with absolutely no prior calculus experience," and on the very first day, when they were going over derivatives, the professor was like "think back to how your highschool calculus teacher introduced you to derivatives."

In my later age, at my own pace, I've become actually pretty good at calculus, by learning it from books and online resources. College calculus is basically like a large formal test to see if you know enough at that precise moment to get your degree. It's not very good for actually teaching you the math. Actually, calculus is pretty fascinating if you go at your own pace. It's the secret language of the universe.

Click to shrink...

What year did you graduate? I was at UT from 2004 - 2008 and I think I know the Calculus professor you're talking about but can't remember his name.

And my experience matched yours in regards to how Calculus was taught, or a lot of other subjects for that matter.

If you aren't in any big rush, read this book:

3D Math Primer for Game Development

Its focused on gamedev, but it's really an intro to calculus. It's written in a very casual language, I found it super helpful. Another tip: NEVER turn to Wikipedia for math help. It'll make you feel like a moron.

Click to shrink...

I have the above book and definitely recommend it if you're interest in learning.

I'd also recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0134597206/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

It goes over a lot of the math in the previous book but you get more of the practical application of it through the programming side.

 

[Damaniel]

Depends on your location. Here in Germany, they will toss your application straight into the trash can if you have no degree.

Edit: unless you are a genius with a large portfolio of course.

Click to shrink...

Depends on the field too. I'm an embedded developer, and no company here will even look at a resume with no degree (and will look down on those of senior developers who don't have a master's degree). I've never done web dev so they might work completely differently.

 

[NCR Ranger]

It depends on what you want to do and where you want to work. I know people who didn't take a CS class in their life making big money. The degree is one way to open doors but it is not the only way. With that said, some places have it so they will never see your resume if you lack a degree. If you want my advice I would say get the degree and build your portfolio, but again that heavily depends on what type of CS work you want to do.

 

[julian]

I don't have a CS degree, did Fullstack Academy and had a great paying job just a few weeks after it was done. Certainly no promises, but I can't deny my experience.
You can learn a lot for free online these days to at least get you started. I'd suggest just playing with code and learning a few languages.
python and ruby are pretty easy to learn the basics and get some simple functions running. Then try some JavaScript and put up a hello world in your browser.
When it comes to websites, it's even easier to get started these days with things like create-react-app....though you might miss some intricacies of how the actual languages work and get stuck just learning a framework.

 

[Illenium]

I should add that I did take an intro to csc learning the binary numbers and all that stuff. It wasn't until csc 111 that I actually learned something about c++. I 100% enjoyed it tho I know python is the most advanced language right now. Again my problem just lies within the calculus part. I'll take your guy's advice about creating a portfolio and building off that in my spare time.

 

[Vertpin]

I figured the degree is the better way to go. I wanted to find an easier way around it since calculus is annoying.

Click to shrink...

How far into calculus did you make it? Was it Calculus 1 (likely differential calc, or a combination of differential calc and integral calc depending on your college's calendar system) or a different Calculus class?
If you're looking to pursue a degree in computer science, you're more than likely going to have to finish up to sophomore mathematics (likely finish calc 3 and 4, linear algebra, and differential equations).

 

[Zoe]

Certs aren't so common among programmers. Portfolios matter more.

I'd also say while you don't need a CS degree, having any kind of degree would be better than none.

 

[Illenium]

How far into calculus did you make it? Was it Calculus 1 (likely differential calc, or a combination of differential calc and integral calc depending on your college's calendar system) or a different Calculus class?
If you're looking to pursue a degree in computer science, you're more than likely going to have to finish up to sophomore mathematics (likely finish calc 3 and 4, linear algebra, and differential equations).

Click to shrink...

unfortunately calc 1 because the professor was super belittling. Everybody except one person would fail his quizzes and tests and he thinks we were the problem. I don't despise math in the slightest. I had hoped to pass the class with decent knowledge and go into calc 2 with one of my favorite math teachers but it didn't go through as planned

 

[finalflame]

I should add that I did take an intro to csc learning the binary numbers and all that stuff. It wasn't until csc 111 that I actually learned something about c++. I 100% enjoyed it tho I know python is the most advanced language right now. Again my problem just lies within the calculus part. I'll take your guy's advice about creating a portfolio and building off that in my spare time.

Click to shrink...

If you think python is "the most advanced programming language right now", I think you have some ways to go in your knowledge.

I'd look into bootcamps (some are online) and use webdev as your gateway into a career in tech. If you're cut out for it, a bootcamp will help you structure learning and work so that you have a hirable portfolio by the time you're done. You'll get out of it what you put in, and the chances of landing a job are pretty good in the major tech hubs.

With that said, if you're a good, motivated, self-learner, you can find resources online to teach yourself. You could check out something like this:

https://github.com/ossu/computer-science

My experience is a lot of people see coding as a magic solution to their career aspirations, but without a CS degree, you're going to have to put in real work to understand the tech world, and it goes beyond just learning to code. Totally possible with dedication and focus, I've seen many friends and colleagues do it, but it isn't an inherently easy path.

unfortunately calc 1 because the professor was super belittling. Everybody except one person would fail his quizzes and tests and he thinks we were the problem. I don't despise math in the slightest. I had hoped to pass the class with decent knowledge and go into calc 2 with one of my favorite math teachers but it didn't go through as planned

Click to shrink...

Shifting blame on stuff like this doesn't really display the maturity I'd expect out of someone trying to self-teach an entirely new career. Sometimes professors suck. The onus falls on you to work with the hand you're dealt, even if that means putting in the effort to compensate for a substandard professor. I'd keep this narrative away from peers/recruiters/hiring managers when you start your job search.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

What year did you graduate? I was at UT from 2004 - 2008 and I think I know the Calculus professor you're talking about but can't remember his name.

And my experience matched yours in regards to how Calculus was taught, or a lot of other subjects for that matter.



I have the above book and definitely recommend it if you're interest in learning.

I'd also recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0134597206/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

It goes over a lot of the math in the previous book but you get more of the practical application of it through the programming side.

Click to shrink...

Those exact years, don't remember any of my professors names except Warren spector lol.

 

[Zoe]

Those exact years, don't remember any of my professors names except Warren spector lol.

Click to shrink...

wat

me too

 

[Illenium]

If you think python is "the most advanced programming language right now", I think you have some ways to go in your knowledge.

Click to shrink...

by most advanced, I meant it's the most common coding language used right now vs ruby, c+, Java, so on and so forth since it's more straightforward. I know people are still creating new languages every day but python is the most used unless I'm mistaken.

I mean idk how you define maturity but I did everything I could. I went to tutoring whenever I could, there were times when I even skipped English(which I passed with an A) to go to tutoring before math class and get all the help I could've gotten. And again the only person that passed his class with an A was the person who has took his pre calc class before and understood his teaching style. Everyone learns differently, and based off the grades in that class his teaching method wasn't it. I've even asked him about extra credit or what I can do to pass the class and he told us over spring break that we would get a take home test. Waited all week & nothing. Everyone except for that one kid got low B's & C's. There's no denying he was a bad professor.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

wat

me too

Click to shrink...

I took a class taught by Warren spector my senior year.

 

[Zoe]

I took a class taught by Warren spector my senior year.

Click to shrink...

Yeah... me too.

My team made the platypus game, and Warren Spector said he wondered if platform games were dead. Of course it turned out he was making Epic Mickey at the time lol.

 

[finalflame]

by most advanced, I meant it's the most common coding language used right now vs ruby, c+, Java, so on and so forth since it's more straightforward. I know people are still creating new languages every day but python is the most used unless I'm mistaken.

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It's JS.

https://madnight.github.io/githut/#/pull_requests/2019/3

And this will heavily depend on what kinds of projects you're working on. If it's Android development, that's going to be Java or Kotlin. iOS/macOS, obj-c or Swift, so on. But JS is used in a bunch of different segments because of its high versatility and the fact a lot of modern products are developed web-first and easily ported with frameworks such as React Native.

 

[Vertpin]

unfortunately calc 1 because the professor was super belittling. Everybody except one person would fail his quizzes and tests and he thinks we were the problem. I don't despise math in the slightest. I had hoped to pass the class with decent knowledge and go into calc 2 with one of my favorite math teachers but it didn't go through as planned

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Ahh, gotcha. If you can afford the classes and have the motivation, I certainly recommend finishing an associates at a community college and then transferring over to a university. Calculus 2 (Integral Calculus where I am at) can certainly be frustrating at times, but it is really worth it. Apart of doing well in the class consists of visiting office hours, learning centers, and sometimes outside materials from the class. I'm sorry to hear that your Calc 1 professor wasn't available during those times, a professor without office hours or any reachable means can be genuinely the worst thing that can happen, I feel.
I'm currently entering Calc 3 and Linear Algebra this Winter, and am absolutely more than happy to share with you any resources I have for making it though Calc 1 and 2, if you decide to go and take those classes.

Best of luck, OP!

 

[Illenium]

Ahh, gotcha. If you can afford the classes and have the motivation, I certainly recommend finishing an associates at a community college and then transferring over to a university. Calculus 2 (Integral Calculus where I am at) can certainly be frustrating at times, but it is really worth it. Apart of doing well in the class consists of visiting office hours, learning centers, and sometimes outside materials from the class. I'm sorry to hear that your Calc 1 professor wasn't available during those times, that is genuinely the worst thing that can happen. I'm currently entering Calc 3 and Linear Algebra this Winter, and am absolutely more than happy to hare with you any resources I have for making it though Calc 1 and 2, if you decide to go and take those classes.

Best of luck, OP!

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That was exactly what I was trying to do. The calc class was in a community college :(

 

[finalflame]

I mean idk how you define maturity but I did everything I could. I went to tutoring whenever I could, there were times when I even skipped English(which I passed with an A) to go to tutoring before math class and get all the help I could've gotten. And again the only person that passed his class with an A was the person who has took his pre calc class before and understood his teaching style. Everyone learns differently, and based off the grades in that class his teaching method wasn't it. I've even asked him about extra credit or what I can do to pass the class and he told us over spring break that we would get a take home test. Waited all week & nothing. Everyone except for that one kid got low B's & C's. There's no denying he was a bad professor.

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I mean whatever the reasons may be -- that's fine I'm just saying that once you're out trying to get a job and potentially having this line of conversation with recruiters, peers, etc, it'd be wise to not bring up blaming a professor for not passing a class, even if you perceive that to be the reason you didn't. It comes across and shifting accountability off of yourself, and would turn off a large number of employers.

 

[Illenium]

I mean whatever the reasons may be -- that's fine I'm just saying that once you're out trying to get a job and potentially having this line of conversation with recruiters, peers, etc, it'd be wise to not bring up blaming a professor for not passing a class, even if you perceive that to be the reason you didn't. It comes across and shifting accountability off of yourself, and would turn off a large number of employers.

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yeah I mean there'd be no point in bringing it up. Can't imagine a scenario where I would need to mention my calc class

 

[Vertpin]

That was exactly what I was trying to do. The calc class was in a community college :(

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I'm taking mine at a CC too! Sometimes a professor can really make it or break it for some people. I know for certain that my way of learning and understanding was not in line with my calculus 1 professor, which, was also an 8 week course over the summer (I had to learn all the material outside of the class because he refused to teach anything...he just visited web forums on his computer while we read his missing stepped notes on his blog, and he would give us credit for work by just flipping through our journal...not checking if whether or not we were right. It was legit frustrating).

I know you can do this, OP. Perhaps Calc 1 may have been rough, but that doesn't automatically mean you will have a hard time with Calc 2. It is worth mentioning though, that if it has been a while since you have taken Calc 1 (and if you got a C in it) you may wanna retake it.