Programming students are always being told to “check their code” after they complete a project. This is extremely dangerous for two reasons. First, the person who is being told not to “check their code” most likely has a blackberry or some other device that makes it very easy to track down and scrutinize the code that may have been written by an errant employee of the company. Second, the error that causes the software to run at a different speed could be an honest mistake. In all likelihood, if it was an honest mistake, it will also be discovered in the employee’s review of his or her programming work.
I see so many people giving a line like “check your code” after they get their computer science degree. Why is this? Most computer science majors have not been exposed to real-life application. Most of what they do is either write a lot of user stories or study complex systems. Neither of these tasks is what a typical programmer would do. Typically, the work that they do as computer science majors is unimportant, unapplicable, and mostly uninteresting.
Why are these applicable tasks important? Because computer programming majors spend their bachelor’s degrees on systems and procedures and need to know how to put together large software systems. Large software systems don’t run quickly or efficiently without well-designed, correct code. It is no accident that these classes are taught to computer science majors. These classes are the first things that they learn.
So, why is it then that click here now students take a quick look at “check their code” after getting their first computer science degree? Simple: because it’s part of the requirements for getting hired at a company that does business using computers. The problem is that 99% of companies won’t hire students with bachelor’s degrees in computer science. In fact, a number of academic advisors have told graduate students that they should go into academia, or else take an applicable class in their bachelor’s degree program, so they won’t waste valuable time and resources.
The big problem is that a computer science major should be studying, learning, and mastering computer systems, not writing programs to test them. Programmers spend most of their time writing functions and commands in a higher-level language (for example, C or Java). This is a small piece of the larger computer systems pie. What’s even scarier is that a lot of computer systems are used in the healthcare industry. It’s very easy to forget about the protocols and standards that are essential for implementing computer systems in health care. That’s why a computer programming degree should also include a good understanding of medical terms.
The other big thing that students take after getting their first bachelor’s degree is to “check their code” while working up the steps to write a larger program. That means a lot of thinking about symbols and numbers. A computer programming degree is really about understanding and mastering a large set of abstractions. Most of this work will involve some type of hardware abstraction; this is the idea that all computers are basically just complex machines, and that we can use them to run large programs.
Programmers are expected to take some courses on programming languages before getting their bachelor’s degree, and most bachelor’s degrees require a minimum of one year of prerequisites before they may declare a major in computer programming. Some of these courses include object orientation, pointers, and algorithms. A few other classes include symbolic execution, dynamic typing, and higher level languages. In order to satisfy the requirements of their accrediting bodies, students must pass these requirements, too. In order to meet these requirements, many students take additional courses and pass further assessments.
Programs in computer science are exciting and challenging. Many students enter the computer programming field with no prior experience, and this can make the process extremely disorienting. However, if a student spends the necessary time preparing for their first programming job, and follows through with an academic plan, they should be able to pass their courses and earn their bachelor’s degree. A computer science major can be an exciting and fulfilling career choice, especially if they enjoy working with computers.