My Computer Science student from Yale University sent me a link to an article on a website that compared four popular online education programs (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADD/ADHD, reading comprehension, and math) for their difficulty level. The conclusion of the article compared the four courses and listed them for my consideration. The conclusion stated that the program that had the highest difficulty level with the highest graduation rate was the ADHD option. I thought that I would take a look at the Computer Science Student LinkedIn Summary to see if that comparison was correct.

The first thing that I found in the Student’s Choice Award’s website is that the most difficult option was the reading comprehension option. The second most difficult option was the ADD option. The third most difficult option was the programming option. The fourth most difficult option was the physics option.

The Computer Science Student LinkedIn Summary suggested that computer science departments should strive to teach core courses first, and then try to add some elective courses or electives as they become available. My Computer Science department spent three years and four semesters adding an entire elective to our major. We have had a hard time finding core computer science classes to take that will transfer over to the new major. We are hoping to add the programs in the near future. Adding an elective to the computer science major is a good first step however.

The Student’s Choice Awards website lists the difficulty of each computer science major. The list shows how many students in each section are taking the various classes. For instance, in the Introduction to Computing class there are twenty students. That is not particularly bad, but when you compare it to the number of students taking the other core classes like Algorithms, Discrete Mathematics, Principles of Programming Languages, Analysis of Algorithms, Software Development, Design and Architecture, and Programming Principles and Practice, it becomes a bit of a stretch to make the class worthwhile.

It is possible to mix and match some classes. In my opinion it is more difficult to do this with programming classes. The Computer Science department used to have an Introduction to Programming class mixed in with all of their other courses. Unfortunately, they dropped that class in favor of an all encompassing course that required one to already have worked in one of the other departments. It was one of the reasons I went to school at MIT because of the diversity of courses offered.

There are also websites like those linked from the Computer Science Student Cover Letter site that indicate various career fields. Career fields include Computer Science Advisors, Consultants, Network Engineers, Systems Engineers, and Software Engineers. Computer Science Advisors assist their students in choosing a career path and in finding work in that field. Consultants help students decide what programs are available at the college they wish to attend. Systems engineers plan for the future of computer technology. These are some of the most difficult decisions to make, but it is important that these be taken seriously.

My advice to students considering going into computer engineering would be to pick a major that they enjoy and major in it. While there is plenty of computer he has a good point knowledge needed, it is not necessary to major in it in order to get a job. It is possible to find a job even with little computer experience.

I recommend computer science majors to young people starting out. Those with any sort of prior background in math or engineering will fare better in the business side of things. However, those without these majors can get a job in finance or accounting, for instance. A basic computer science background coupled with a good grade point average will land you a job. I hope you will consider this advice as you complete your computer science applications.