Bachelor of Computer Science - Regis University - (Winner)
Editors Note: This student story essay was selected as the winner from BrainTrack's Computer Science Schools Scholarship for Fall 2010. At the time of his submittal, Joshua Payne was studying for a bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.
Wishes Had Known | Program Likes/Dislikes | Choosing Computer Science
What do you wish you had known about selecting and entering your computer science school that would be helpful to others going into computer science?
There are a few very important tips that I think would be very helpful for prospective computer science students. I have learned a lot from my experiences at a traditional university but I have also taken courses online.
My first recommendation is to explore the curriculum required for a degree at your university. Always find out the exact classes that you will be required to take in order to finish your degree. Computer science majors usually have to take many mathematics classes. If you have a problem with this requirement, you may want to look at an information systems degree.
Secondly, do not concentrate solely on computer classes. The college experience is designed to produce a well-rounded individual. I would suggest taking only half of your coursework in computers for the first couple years. This will allow you to satisfy many of your core requirements without overwhelming you. And it's easy to mix up assignments when taking multiple computer science classes, since the topics can easily overlap. Most universities design their curriculums to allow a progression from easier subjects to more complex ones and many have evolved a pre-requisite policy to ensure that students don't get in over their heads.
Do not give up. I was very frustrated during my first attempt to get a computer science degree, but I can see now that my career path and my pay scale would both have been enhanced significantly if I had only persevered. It's been much more difficult to return to school after establishing a family and a home. Also, the cost of tuition is lower right now than it will ever be. It will never go down. So stay with it!
Finally, take care in selecting the university that you attend. Read all of the information that's displayed on their website. How long has the computer science department been in existence? In the university that I originally selected, the computer science department had just broken away from the engineering department; the curriculum was still being shaped and the instructors were all inexperienced. Having veteran professors who teach from a well-established but evolving curriculum is essential.
If you don't enjoy your classes, you will probably not complete your degree. So explore your options.
What have you enjoyed most and least during your computer science degree program so far?
As I pursue my bachelor’s degree in computer science, there have been both challenges and triumphs. It is true that the path to obtaining a degree is not the easiest, otherwise everyone would have one! However, I have found that the low points are fairly insignificant in comparison to the victories.
As many students and parents are aware, the cost of an education is one of the greatest hurdles to finishing. So it is critical to explore all of your financial options. Grants and loans are almost a necessity at this point. Filling out the paperwork for Federal student aid and tuition reimbursement, and making sure that I have enough money to cover the semester's costs has kept me up late many nights. Preparing for and paying for my degree is the least enjoyable part of my program.
Online coursework has been the most enjoyable experience for me. I would recommend online education to any computer science student, even if you live right by the university. For advanced students, much of the material is covered at an accelerated pace and can be accessed at any time. There are, of course, deadlines that have to be met and most courses have assignments on a weekly basis to pace the students. I have found that being able to read the lecture material at my leisure and complete assignments when I am focused (as opposed to at regular class time) has really helped me.
In addition, I have found that establishing a rapport with my instructors through online chat and email has allowed me to become more interactive with them. When I was in a classroom setting, I would rarely ask questions about assignments and grading. In an online setting, discussions can be private and the instructor is more accessible to all students.
In the business world, it is very easy to develop a small but specialized set of skills that you focus on in your career. A computer science degree requires you to expand your knowledge into fields that you may not have encountered. Subjects such as computer theory, processor design, and logical math may not seem to have anything to do with web programming. However, after taking classes in these subjects, you may find that your algorithms are not utilizing the CPU the way they should. It also exposes you to many different languages. This allows you to be more flexible in your approach to problems. You may find you are able to accomplish a task faster in C++ than in Visual Basic.
Eventually, you will no longer be a C programmer or a Java programmer, but just a programmer who uses whatever the best tool is. Adding more tools to a problem solver’s toolbox is always an enjoyable experience.
What led you to choose computer science as a career path?
I have always been interested in computers and started programming in high school. I was a graduate of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics and took every programming class that I could at the time. When I entered college in 1992, the computer science degree program involved mostly mathematics and very few computer courses. Still, I was able to find work as a programmer using my high school classes for experience.
Programming has always provided an outlet for my creativity. It provides challenges to overcome and immediate positive reinforcement when those challenges are met. Programming takes imagination as well as a strong foundation in science and engineering. It allows me to be an artist as well as an engineer at the same time.
When I decided to return to school, I had many options but I knew that I wanted to stay true to computer science. I chose Regis University because it has one of the only completely online pure computer science degree programs in the country. The reason I chose computer science, as opposed to a management or information systems track, is because I enjoy problem solving more than the average individual. I have been a professional programmer for fifteen years and the thrill of solving a computational problem that no one else has encountered will never get old.
Pursuing this degree has enhanced my analytical skills and provided me with academic challenges over and beyond what I would normally see in the business world. Today’s computer science curriculum is relevant to the industry and I find that the computer science degree is respected at a level above the information technology counterparts. I fully intend to complete my bachelor’s degree as soon as possible and continue on toward a master’s degree in this highly revered field.