Greetings and salutations everyone!
I've been attending UAT for quite some time now, and one of the things that sticks out the most is the diversity of the majors within the school. What I mean by this, is that there is a strong majority of Game-centric majors (by sheer numbers), but aside from that, there are also quite a few cool options available that I don't think many people take into consideration too much! These could include the Computer Science, Digital Video, Network Security, or even the Robotics and Digital Maker & Fabrication degree paths.
Today I'll be talking about the Computer Science side, considering that it is half of my major considering I am also working towards my Network Security degree as well, but I don't talk about the rundown of what to expect within Computer Science too much!
So where do I even begin?
Well to begin with, Computer science, by definition, is the scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. This idea of working with computers breaks into so many sub categories that it can be difficult to keep track of them all, but can be all be interrelated in the sake of theory. Computer Science is incredibly theory based, where we are working with computational algorithms and embedded architectures to create something great. Practical application can very well be the creation of applications, or perhaps working with Artificial Intelligence (AI), but that's a whole different story! To start with, I could go into detail about what we do here at the school, so maybe that could offer a bit of insight!
As computer scientists, our tools of choice would be the languages that we are able to utilize. This could very well include the following:
- Python
- C#
- C++
- Javascript
- Perl
- Ruby
- And many more...
But these could be considered some of the more popular, probably excluding Ruby and Perl. Here at the University, we started off with Python to begin the introductory lessons into algorithm theory. This would be able to have the computer translate a certain amount of steps, whether simple or complex, and perform some action based on them. These steps are what we would want the machine to do in the end, so it could be working for a calculator function, or perhaps making events for a game, and many more.
Going further into the coding theory, we would be able to utilize these languages in correlation with tools to create something much more. Perhaps it could be working with graphics and being able to create a customized screen/application interface using C# in combination with Unity or various application suites. We would be able to take the basis for the application functionality, and be able to warp it in such a way to fit our needs for whatever project we may be embarking on.
This could mean we would work with database management and information processing, building a mobile application for the Android or iOS suite, or even working on building a project that pulls information from a web repository and allowing for remote file management or configuration. The possibilities could very well be endless.
As a Computer Scientist, you will become very acquainted with the machine that you are working with. The limitations are not only your own imagination, but also that of your hardware resources, so be sure to treat both with respect by all means! You will learn how data structures and algorithms work, how to align your pieces and declare your variables to work most efficiently. This is also to say that it is extremely math and theory heavy, so be sure to understand that it will be a complex matter as well! But if you like computers and have a problem solving attitude, then I'm sure there's nothing for you to worry about!
Computer science is fun. There's a lot of cool things that we can do with it. I mean, I'm working on 3 mobile applications this semester alone, and I have created desktop applications as well! It's all a rewarding experience, and I urge you to take a look further into the idea of Computer Science whenever you get a chance!
Until next time,
-Nicholas "TAE"
