SRL Archive - Discussions & Debates

Hello there!

I figured this forum is home to quite a few computer science and software engineer types and am curious about your experiences in your respective field(s). I've just completed my second year of university (undergrad) as a biomedical engineer and am a bit underwhelmed. The actual engineering content doesn't interest me, and I don't think I'd like to make a career out of it.

However, many of my friends in the computer science program seem to be enjoying some of their coursework and have a variety of career paths available to them with their degrees. I've always enjoyed the type of scripting that goes on here (even though I'm dreadful at it) and am wondering if that's an indicator that I may be happier in a computer science program. Additionally, I'd like to know how actual computer scientists feel in their careers (if they wish they'd studied something else, if they hate their job, etc.)

If it's relevant, I go to the University of British Columbia, Vancouver with a dual citizenship (I can work/live in the US)

Thanks!

So jealous,always wanted to go to UBC (never applied) but chose something closer (UofT). I'm entering my second year of my Comp. Sci program this September. In all honesty, I love CS. The sheer number of things you can do with it is amazing. Don't like programming back-end but have a good eye for designs? Fine, go design the GUI. Don't know how to write apps for Mobile? That's okay, go write code for the PC. I found that combining CS with another lucrative field (Economics) is probably the best thing. With a double major in CS/Econ, I can get a job in the finance industry, but I have a backup/fallback plan on a job in the software industry.

It is however up to you on what you choose :D
I'd stick with Biomed, next few years is gonna be great for the sector.

From: Sin
So jealous,always wanted to go to UBC (never applied) but chose something closer (UofT). I'm entering my second year of my Comp. Sci program this September. In all honesty, I love CS. The sheer number of things you can do with it is amazing. Don't like programming back-end but have a good eye for designs? Fine, go design the GUI. Don't know how to write apps for Mobile? That's okay, go write code for the PC. I found that combining CS with another lucrative field (Economics) is probably the best thing. With a double major in CS/Econ, I can get a job in the finance industry, but I have a backup/fallback plan on a job in the software industry.

It is however up to you on what you choose :D
I'd stick with Biomed, next few years is gonna be great for the sector.

omg so many Canadians! I'm going to mac this year :P

From: Unfold
omg so many Canadians! I'm going to mac this year :P

Nice! The commute isn't too bad for Mac. Gotta spend ages trying to get downtown >_>

From: Iambubbleman
I've just completed my second year of university (undergrad) as a biomedical engineer and am a bit underwhelmed. The actual engineering content doesn't interest me, and I don't think I'd like to make a career out of it.

I'm not a computer science major (I was engineering like you), but the best advice I can give is this: if you aren't excited about now, it's only going to get worse over the next 2-3 years. You probably haven't seen much actual engineering in your first two years, but if you already don't like it then I'd say get out while you still can.

I've always enjoyed the type of scripting that goes on here (even though I'm dreadful at it)

Not too sure what to say about that. It's great that you enjoy it (I do too) but school might be miserable if you have to struggle through.

My major was mechanical engineering btw.

If you're doing biomed/bioengineering stuff, definitely take a bunch of CS classes. Most of the people I knew doing bio ended up taking a ton of EE and CS classes with me, I guess bio-informatics or whatever field they want to go in probably values CS pretty highly. Definitely if you don't like or cannot handle the first 2 classes in CS, I would not suggest pursuing it though. If you don't have the fundamentals down very well, the rest is very very tough (for example don't even try to take OS/Compilers without being very comfortable with the basic courses, it'll be extremely painful). If you do have them down though, then it'll be very interesting and well worth it for you.

Had to drop out of CS classes at my university because I was near failing, I just wasn't doing well with their teaching style. Then I discovered SRL, and now I've learned so much through practical application, e.g. learning about big data for understanding BotWatch, learning PHP/JS for website/Simba integration purposes. Even though the rest of the world doesn't use Lape, learning Lape/PS/FPC/Java has allowed me to understand a lot of other programming languages immediately at a glance, rather than being clueless.

I'd obviously have learned a ton more under official academic guidance if grades didn't matter. If I had the chance to go back in time I'd have kept at it. Definitely take CS, if you don't in this info/tech age, you're missing out. :)

Going into my second year of CS too. I like it. :)

Thanks for the responses!

I suppose upon reflection, I really meant to ask how fulfilling a CS major is (or could be made to be). I chose Biomed over the other main fields of engineering because it seemed to have the greatest potential to be fulfilling (by being geared towards bettering society and helping people).

I understand that a degree is only what you make out of it, and pretty much any degree could become "fulfilling" if used in the right way, but I'm just curious if CS has a similar amount of opportunities as Biomed to accomplish this while still retaining a personal life and reasonable salary.

Moreover, I'm wondering if anybody has thoughts on CS vs Software Engineering. I actually enjoy the math/logic bit of engineering, but it sounds like CS has more and a wider array of job options than software engineering.

Thanks!

CS isn't really hard if you're underwhelmed with an engineering direction it might be boring as well.
ofc there are jobs, there will always be jobs and in the end of our days engineering, and computers will probably be the only things humans do while we train robots to do everything else (lol)

I'd say it's decently fun, but I've never been given something that had very much fun and challenge to it.. I'd say stuff I've given myself almost always has more challenge and more fun.

Job scope looks great for the next 5-15 years. I don't like the classes much, well maybe it's just my school? But working in the real world, it's fun and great since most of the time you'll be working on projects with a group/team.

About to start my final year of CS at Exeter (UK). It's been really quite mixed, some modules are really interesting or relevant to real world environments, while others are really essay-based and seem close to useless.

Some areas of computer science can actually be a bit more complex, AI was one of the tougher modules, took me forever to get my head round some stuff. On the whole though, it's far from the hardest degree