It might be that the general public does not understand what it means when they say Alpha, therefore they chose Beta which pretty much everyone should understand. I'm still not giving them much credit though. We'll see how long this endeavor lasts before they drop it or get sued over it.
I had the same question when I was looking into what degree I wanted. As it was explained to me, CS is more on the software side, where Computer Engineering is more the hardware side. It was actually suggested to me to get my degree in Electrical Engineering if I was interested in computer hardware. This would allow me to specialize in computer hardware, but still have other options if all fell through with computers. After a few classes, I realized my real dream was more on the software side. My sophomore year, I switched to CS with no unneeded classes. Lucky for me, the Chemistry and Physics classes I had taken counted as my "related areas" requirement and I didn't have to waste those credits.
I have to agree. I learned a LOT in my OS class and my Complier class. Those were 2 of the hardest, but at the same time, I learned the most from them. Another good class is Analysis of Algorithms.
On the other hand, certifications do you no good in a place that does not utilize them. If you get a Cisco certification and go to work for a company that uses 3Com or Nortel equipment, you've wasted your money. Also, certifications have to be renewed every so many years - which costs you more money. If you go the college route, you can get an internship while you're in school to pay for part of your schooling. I was an intern for my current place of employment since the summer follwing my freshman year. This allowed to me to get out of college with about $18,000 in debit and have a job reserved for me upon graduation. Granted, not everyone could be so lucky, but if you get an internship somewhere, you may be better off going to college than getting a certification...pretty much everyone is expected to go to college these days anyway....
I'm a 2002 graduate of the CS program at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Math accounted for around 32 hours of my 120 needed for graduation. CS classes were around 33 hours. As you can see, it was pretty much a balance of Math and CS. Over and above all that, I had to take other classes such as Technical Writing, and some various other "related areas." The last few math classes were killers. We had to go up to Calc III and then on to Applied Statistics, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and a higher level math class (I chose Numerical Analysis). CS classes were pretty straightforward. They start off with C, then to C++. Electives were available in Java, Visual Basic, and a class that basically surveys many programming languages. The last CS classes were a bit more challenging. In the Program Translation Techniques class, we built a compiler using Lex and Yacc. In the Operating Systems class, we learned about the functions of the OS and used the OSP simulator to write various portions of the Operating System. The degree is very math-intensive, but if you can make it though, it's well worth it. Those that can't make it though the math can go for MIS instead.
Part of the fees at my school are used to build new "stick rooms". These are classrooms where a screen, LCD projector and Computer/VCR cart have been installed. They are called stick rooms because the computers are in a cart with an upright "stick" which has an LCD monitor attached. There are many of these throughougt the campus now, and eventually every room will be equipped this way. They are very useful in classes where the entire lab does not need computers, but the instructor does. One example is my current Networks & Communications class. The instructor has notes and Drawings on his web site. He uses the computer during his lecture to display the graphics and notes as he talks about them. This saves on the number of computer labs open for classes who need them for just one class out of the semester.
Slashdot Mirror
It might be that the general public does not understand what it means when they say Alpha, therefore they chose Beta which pretty much everyone should understand. I'm still not giving them much credit though. We'll see how long this endeavor lasts before they drop it or get sued over it.
I had the same question when I was looking into what degree I wanted. As it was explained to me, CS is more on the software side, where Computer Engineering is more the hardware side. It was actually suggested to me to get my degree in Electrical Engineering if I was interested in computer hardware. This would allow me to specialize in computer hardware, but still have other options if all fell through with computers. After a few classes, I realized my real dream was more on the software side. My sophomore year, I switched to CS with no unneeded classes. Lucky for me, the Chemistry and Physics classes I had taken counted as my "related areas" requirement and I didn't have to waste those credits.
I have to agree. I learned a LOT in my OS class and my Complier class. Those were 2 of the hardest, but at the same time, I learned the most from them. Another good class is Analysis of Algorithms.
On the other hand, certifications do you no good in a place that does not utilize them. If you get a Cisco certification and go to work for a company that uses 3Com or Nortel equipment, you've wasted your money. Also, certifications have to be renewed every so many years - which costs you more money. If you go the college route, you can get an internship while you're in school to pay for part of your schooling. I was an intern for my current place of employment since the summer follwing my freshman year. This allowed to me to get out of college with about $18,000 in debit and have a job reserved for me upon graduation. Granted, not everyone could be so lucky, but if you get an internship somewhere, you may be better off going to college than getting a certification...pretty much everyone is expected to go to college these days anyway....
I'm a 2002 graduate of the CS program at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Math accounted for around 32 hours of my 120 needed for graduation. CS classes were around 33 hours. As you can see, it was pretty much a balance of Math and CS. Over and above all that, I had to take other classes such as Technical Writing, and some various other "related areas." The last few math classes were killers. We had to go up to Calc III and then on to Applied Statistics, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and a higher level math class (I chose Numerical Analysis). CS classes were pretty straightforward. They start off with C, then to C++. Electives were available in Java, Visual Basic, and a class that basically surveys many programming languages. The last CS classes were a bit more challenging. In the Program Translation Techniques class, we built a compiler using Lex and Yacc. In the Operating Systems class, we learned about the functions of the OS and used the OSP simulator to write various portions of the Operating System. The degree is very math-intensive, but if you can make it though, it's well worth it. Those that can't make it though the math can go for MIS instead.
Part of the fees at my school are used to build new "stick rooms". These are classrooms where a screen, LCD projector and Computer/VCR cart have been installed. They are called stick rooms because the computers are in a cart with an upright "stick" which has an LCD monitor attached. There are many of these throughougt the campus now, and eventually every room will be equipped this way. They are very useful in classes where the entire lab does not need computers, but the instructor does. One example is my current Networks & Communications class. The instructor has notes and Drawings on his web site. He uses the computer during his lecture to display the graphics and notes as he talks about them. This saves on the number of computer labs open for classes who need them for just one class out of the semester.