OnLiNe
Hello guys ! So , now that i need to get to a university , i passed at usek and well i need to make a big choice here . I don't know what to major in here but i was thinking either computer science or business , so i need you're help a little .
I am leaning more toward computer science because that's something that i like , BUT the amount of maths that it contains may be a deal breaker for me . So is computer science math heavy ? Can a guy who is not that good at math succeed in it ?!
Or should i go business ?! But the thing here is i want to do something i will be happy doing it ..
So guys,what do you think ?
Kassem
OnLiNe wroteHello guys ! So , now that i need to get to a university , i passed at usek and well i need to make a big choice here . I don't know what to major in here but i was thinking either computer science or business , so i need you're help a little .
I am leaning more toward computer science because that's something that i like , BUT the amount of maths that it contains may be a deal breaker for me . So is computer science math heavy ? Can a guy who is not that good at math succeed in it ?!
Or should i go business ?! But the thing here is i want to do something i will be happy doing it ..
So guys,what do you think ?
Why not consider MIS (Management Information Systems)? Rather than taking too many Math courses, you'll be taking a few of them along with a bunch of business and economics courses. And of course, you'll be taking around 10 courses of IT related stuff (programming, system analysis, networking...etc).
Note: Whatever major you choose to do in the IT sector, what you learn at the university is not enough to be a good developer. You need to read and experiment on your own.
Good luck.
rtp
I'm a live example that with some dedication you can pass the math courses.
I graduated with a CS degree even tho i wasn't neither good nor did i liked math, but i studied really hard to get my C.
As Kassem, mentioned there are branches of CS, such as MIS or Business Computing etc..
I do agree with Kassem, that university is very minimal for a decent developer, you really have to work and spend a lot of days and nights to become a decent developer.
Joe
Being afraid of CS because of math is a bit like being afraid of being a football player because of the injuries. It's just a futile reason to avoid a very cool path.
CS has simultaneously a lot to do with math, and nothing to do with the maths you know so far. You'll encounter a higher level of mathematics, but not the kind taught in high school. It's not more difficult, it's different.
However, CS is still a science. And it's a lot of hard work (if you want to do things right). Don't take it too easily, but also don't be scared away by misconceptions.
OnLiNe
Well , i am ok with doing a lot of work as you guys said , because it's something that i find very fascinating . The only thing that i am worried about is the maths .
You suggested MIS , can you give me a little more details please ? You see , it's the first time i hear about it and it caught my attention . Like what can i work with it after and stuff ?
Nemesis-301
OnLiNe wroteWell , i am ok with doing a lot of work as you guys said , because it's something that i find very fascinating . The only thing that i am worried about is the maths .
You suggested MIS , can you give me a little more details please ? You see , it's the first time i hear about it and it caught my attention . Like what can i work with it after and stuff ?
I'm majoring in MIS at haigazian uni and these are the courses:
Emphasis Requirements:
CSC 0202 Computer Programming
CSC 0204 Advanced Computer Programming & Data Structures
MIS 0274 Relational Database Management
MIS 0276 E-Commerce
MIS 0278 Web Application Development
MIS 0280 System Analysis & Design of Information Systems
MIS 0284 Networking Essentials
MIS 0284L Networking Essentials - Lab
MIS 0299 Internship
also you will take business courses:
Major Requirements:
ACC 0211 Fundamentals of Accounting I
ACC 0212 Fundamentals of Accounting II
ACC 0213 Cost and Managerial Accounting
ADC 0241 Marketing Management
BAD 0231 Business Management
BAD 0255 Operations Research
BAD 0271 Managerial Economics
BAD 0295E Senior Seminar in Project Management
ECO 0201 Microeconomic Principles
ECO 0202 Macroeconomic Principles
ECO 0231 Economic Statistics I
ENG 0248 Business English
FIN 0226 Financial Management
LST 0261 Business Law 3
MIS 0272 Management Information Systems
edit:
also:
University Core Requirements:
CSC 0205 Computing Concepts for Business
ENG 0201 Advanced English Communication Skills
ENG 0202 Advanced English Communication Skills
IST 0203 World Culture: 3000 BC - 1 Ad
IST 0204 World Culture: Christianity - Romantic Age
IST 0205 World Culture: 20th Century
OnLiNe
Nemesis-301 wroteOnLiNe wroteWell , i am ok with doing a lot of work as you guys said , because it's something that i find very fascinating . The only thing that i am worried about is the maths .
You suggested MIS , can you give me a little more details please ? You see , it's the first time i hear about it and it caught my attention . Like what can i work with it after and stuff ?
I'm majoring in MIS at haigazian uni and these are the courses:
Emphasis Requirements:
CSC 0202 Computer Programming
CSC 0204 Advanced Computer Programming & Data Structures
MIS 0274 Relational Database Management
MIS 0276 E-Commerce
MIS 0278 Web Application Development
MIS 0280 System Analysis & Design of Information Systems
MIS 0284 Networking Essentials
MIS 0284L Networking Essentials - Lab
MIS 0299 Internship
also you will take business courses:
Major Requirements:
ACC 0211 Fundamentals of Accounting I
ACC 0212 Fundamentals of Accounting II
ACC 0213 Cost and Managerial Accounting
ADC 0241 Marketing Management
BAD 0231 Business Management
BAD 0255 Operations Research
BAD 0271 Managerial Economics
BAD 0295E Senior Seminar in Project Management
ECO 0201 Microeconomic Principles
ECO 0202 Macroeconomic Principles
ECO 0231 Economic Statistics I
ENG 0248 Business English
FIN 0226 Financial Management
LST 0261 Business Law 3
MIS 0272 Management Information Systems
edit:
also:
University Core Requirements:
CSC 0205 Computing Concepts for Business
ENG 0201 Advanced English Communication Skills
ENG 0202 Advanced English Communication Skills
IST 0203 World Culture: 3000 BC - 1 Ad
IST 0204 World Culture: Christianity - Romantic Age
IST 0205 World Culture: 20th Century
Thanks for all of the info ! Was very helpful , but does it have a lot of maths ? That's my only concern .
And by the way my friend told me about CIT can anyone tell me something about it ?
Nemesis-301
no I think its just 1 course for math...
OnLiNe
Then that's good ! Thanks for you're help .
GeorgeN
OnLiNe don't be frightened by the maths that you have to take for a BS in CS. It's not harder than what you were taught in terminale (unless you were SE). What I can tell you from personal experience is that the courses are much more varied than what you were used to; they have more to do with practical application (especially discrete mathematics, logic, etc...). Be ready however to study daily, and to repeat the exercises you do in class; eventually you'll get really good at it and that A on your contract sheet will feel pretty good :P. Ultimately it really helps your problem solving ability which is a pivotal aspect of a computer scientist.
OnLiNe
Well, the time has come to choose my major in USEk, i was quite confident of MIS major. But now i am beginning to get confused and scared that i am going into the wrong major..
I have been thinking of maybe switching to business major or should i stick with MIS ?
I need some advice now guys as i am really confused and i am afraid of making the wrong choice.
Kassem
MIS vs. a business major such as accounting, management or finance? I would choose MIS right away, but that's just me. If you're not into programming, you can do MIS and end up working as a business analyst. But a business analyst with a programming background (2-3 years programming experience) is much better than one that knows absolutely nothing about programming and the platforms his team will be working with.
On the other hand, if you really want to do a business major, I recommend marketing and sales. Salesmen, good salesmen, make a lot of money. Moreover, sales and marketing are very interesting and challenging so the major is really worth going for.
Fischer
my friend was also afraid of maths, he wanted to see if there are any alternatives to cs, i told him to do cs, it's the best thing you can study, maybe because i just love it, but he was afraid so i had to ask
this question kassem told me about MIS, i told my friend about it, he's now going for that major thanks to the guy above me, my friend loves a programming and business, and i help him whenever i can with maths.
OnLiNe
Well , i think now i will go with MIS. As i think it interests me, mixing business and programming.
Just one question though , is it called informatique de gestion in french ?
Fischer
and i have another question for kassem, since i've never heard of MIS before, if i have a company, and i need a programmer, why should i hire an MIS guy and not a computer scientist? companies often ask for a compute scientist, maybe because they don''t know what MIS is, can you do what a computer scientist can do? this question, will help me and will help onLiNe know more about MIS.
MIS students don't study too much maths, you said, is it a good or a bad thing? sure you can learn C++ or python or C# but can you learn lisp or haskell? moreover, i'm now creating a semantic search engine, my cousin is also created a semantic search engine for his company. semantic web rules today. Can you create a semantic search for example? you need to understand hard algorithms. Can you create a game, lets say a fps game that respects the laws of physics, those are 2 examples where you need maths.
Ayman
Why is everyone always focusing on the idea that someone's major at the university necessarily determines what he/she is able to do, skills, capability, cognitive and mathematical skills?
You think someone with just a CS degree is considered a "computer scientist" that's pure bullshit especially when it comes to universities in Lebanon.
For the love of god, focus less on the titles and more on the skills, ability, portfolio way of thinking and most importantly curiosity and love for learning. We are no more constrained to learning just university material, courses, books, tools and publications are everywhere whether for computer science or other domains. Someone with an English literature degree could be way better at programming and algorithms than a masters in CS. Everything is possible with the current facilities we have.
And if you're wondering whats the domain of work of MIS you can think of it simply as the bridge between engineers, scientists etc... and business people such as marketing, sales product development, designers. To come up with a product or service that is designed to add value to customers by automating and enhancing their current work or finding solutions to their problems. Some titles under that domain can be system analysts, consultants, and also at some point project managers.
Fischer
AymanFarhat wroteWhy is everyone always focusing on the idea that someone's major at the university necessarily determines what he/she is able to do, skills, capability, cognitive and mathematical skills?
You think someone with just a CS degree is considered a "computer scientist" that's pure bullshit especially when it comes to universities in Lebanon.
For the love of god, focus less on the titles and more on the skills, ability, portfolio way of thinking and most importantly curiosity and love for learning. We are no more constrained to learning just university material, courses, books, tools and publications are everywhere whether for computer science or other domains. Someone with an English literature degree could be way better at programming and algorithms than a masters in CS. Everything is possible with the current facilities we have.
And if you're wondering whats the domain of work of MIS you can think of it simply as the bridge between engineers, scientists etc... and business people such as marketing, sales product development, designers. To come up with a product or service that is designed to add value to customers by automating and enhancing their current work or finding solutions to their problems. Some titles under that domain can be system analysts, consultants, and also at some point project managers.
hold on, hold a bit, i'm not focusing on titles, those who know me, know that i hate titles, all i'm saying is, if some guy is afraid of maths get employed in microsoft for example, can he work with hard algorithms? the user who started this thread is afraid of maths!!
and i have also stated that if i have a company i would hire a cs guy and not an mis, even if the mis guy has more experience, just because i don't know what mis, i know all about cs, cs is more famous
arithma
@OnLine: Living life evading fears is not the life that you want to live. Don't suicide over math. It's well understood that the subject is not easy going for everyone. However it doesn't mean that CS Math is the same as that of High school. It is actually very interesting, more so when you can apply it. I suggest you think about taking it head on and consider CS apart from the hardness of Math. If you find it impossible after trying, I am sure there will courses you can salvage by going into MIS.
If you're interested about business stuff, by all means go for MIS. However if you're undecided yet about what you like, CS is the more sane option. In the future, and for research, CS will help you much better. Want to work at San Francisco in the future, you have much better odds betting on CS.
@Fischer: Business people have definitely heard of MIS.
Semantic search has lost buzz word status a while ago. People have failed to make it work.
People have all the right to be afraid of Dinosaurs, Ghosts, Hair brushes, and yes, Math. Just the same way you're afraid of Grammar and Capitalization. Be nice.
OnLiNe
To be honest, i am going for MIS. Not only for the maths , but because i want to know business.
But what i need to know is if with an MIS degree what other jobs can i work other than business analyst and project manager ? And one more thing i need to know is , does MIS mean INFORMATIQUE DE GESTION in french ? I am really confused on that.
Anyways thank you everyone for helping me and replying to me.
Fischer
@arithma, semantic search works, trust me on that,
ctrl-news give it a try, my cousin created it, and there are more advanced projects to come.anyway you need maths in many other projects, not just semantics.
about being nice, i don't think i'm being rude, tell me where i'm being rude, i'll edit my post and remove the part that you think is rude!!
