Taking Computer Science: Definition and Opportunities it behold

Haven’t decided what to take up for college or a track in senior high school? Are you a tech savvy, enthusiast, or even a gamer that seeks for an opportunity? See what Computer Science is about.

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Just to think if just a single type of profession doesn’t exist, would it affect the long run in the industry including our lives? For example, let’s say architecture or engineering wasn’t discovered a field of study. 

Does it affect a business organization, a household, religious groups, or any living of concerned? Definitely YES as it gave not just shelter or a shed for you to keep warm since the era of BC millennium. 

It served as a foundation to encircle our community, our needs, our purposes whether work, home or a place to hangout. It also binds our existence with the environment that we know we are safe, convenient to allocate time and stuffs, as so we are in place of what those professions have contributed.

It is similar to what Computer Science is about. This is the modern era, the age of information declared by the geniuses, the tech giants they have founded since and today.

Don’t you just feel that you need to integrate something in life?

Take a look at your appliances around you. The hardware exterior and mechanism may be engineered by a professional. But how about the features it serve and you can control? These follow commands and protocols set by programmers. 

And since Computer Science is not just for computer, not even just appliances, they also work for robotics, lots of precious data about companies or the current population and more of what computing affects the world.

Technology drives our world today together with the generation of ‘millennials’. If this field or even computers didn’t existed, we are bound with lasting minimum progress in the world we live. You will still currently send messages and emails as physical mails and letters. We also still be writing our assignments through hand written or even thesis by just even a typewriter (and I thank that existed since the past World Wars).

Professions like this work like foundations of a house. The world works like an earthquake, the purpose to crumble our lives. These studies like Computer Science are the foundation to elevate progression with technology and stabilize our lives with what we have now.

Just yet…

What is Computer Science?

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Let’s simplify it by a quote I just interpreted from freeCodeCamp, an online code learning site.

Computer Science is a research and implementation on the capabilities of a computer and how will it affect the world.

So basically, it’s how we give purpose or function to a computer by making it beneficial from its problem solving power. This is how and why calculators exist with us. They help us in daily calculations whether expenses, math problems and more. 

Computer doesn’t just range from PC, laptop, or smartphones you use now. They can be your appliances perhaps, your school enrollment system, traffic lights you see to inform you to proceed as a driver or the pedestrian’s turn and so on.

Computers may be programmed through only mathematical thinking or theories. But let’s consider for the moment of millennials and even the 2000’s born are just fortunate to get in touch with common algorithms (a step-by-step process) that can be even improved and implemented with their own apps or programs. Implementation is seemingly enjoying by programming the app or software with codes by a language you opt.

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Java, C++, Python etc. are examples of programming languages and they are the ‘coding’ language you give instructions for the computer to operate. They differ by their purpose on how it handles a software and hardware.

Other common misconceptions perceive an amateur that Computer Science is only for learning programming, for mathematicians or for geniuses that can handle Computer Science. But they are for the future beings like YOU, either geek or hippie, rich kid or poor, and any other state of you. 

If you are determined and feel happiness with this field, then try learning it even from online for free. But for formality (the standards of the industry) and to truly grasp the concept of Computer Science, you can take up courses online or enroll in colleges that offer this course. Here’s one at New Era University in the Philippines, where I currently learn, that offer specific computer courses including Computer Science and now accredited to level 3.

Currently, education authorities lay concern for this course as it should also be pushed for pre-college, the later high school years. This will serve them as introduction to this course and improve their mathematical or problem solving skills before stepping into college. If you haven’t gone through this since your high school, then this is your chance to search for sites that offer Computer Science studies whether through videos, a blog, or live peer guide in programming and other concepts of this course.

Code.org offers a course program to AP Computer Science Principles, which introduces students to the concepts of Computer Science, covering topics that includes about the background of Internet, how network and data security works, programming and algorithms. 

They also offer CS Principles Professional Learning Program for the term 2018-19 which will be available in January 2018. So don't miss your chance next year. This program focuses for professionals and instructors who wanted to adapt a new better curriculum and they can benefit from the workshops and other events that will be held for their learning. Click this link to visit the program offers and overview.

I admit that Computer Science boasts math as the thing you write in a paper (the program) with a pen (coding). But as I’ve mentioned, even the top experts and CEOs of tech companies implore learning this course more logical than practical math only. 

This is how we even solve simple problems, thinking logically of how the process should be so you end up to a solution. It’s the analogy of how you bake a cake, where you first prepare the ingredients and tools, mix the ingredients, and bake it. Then voila, bon appetite! It wasn’t just the cups of flour, the spoonful of sugar, or the degree of heat to bake the cake as these are the amounts to process it.

By then, becoming logical will build up your mathematical skills and inspire you to do more of what you have been. I’m not encouraging that Computer Science is for programming opportunities but this have been the norm this digital era.

Here is a video from Code.org that promotes coding in schools and witness CEOs and experts collaborate in encouraging taking up Computer Science: I claim that this video also made me pursue Computer Science since 2014.

Career Prospects and Expectations

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Guaranteed you will have options that are varied from the ranges of domain that you have experienced and have known well to apply for a job. Whether it be a full-time job or freelancing, any types of opportunities are flexible to match within your criteria after taking up this course.

Some of the positions you may interest in the future are listed together with average salaries a month that you may earn since 2014 (US standard):

• Computer Programming (ave. salary: $82,690)
• Software Developer (ave. salary: $99,530)
• Software Engineer (ave. salary: $106,050)
• Database Administrator (ave. salary: $82,280)
• Web Developer (ave. salary: $99,530)
• Network Administrator (ave. salary: $79,770)
• And lots of other opportunities…

Source: www.computerscience.org

You can also opt in freelancing or working remotely even on your own home with a stable Internet connection and just follow the tasks specified for you.

Examples of known freelance sites are Upwork, Indeed, PeoplePerHour, Guru and more you can find here in this link.

Source: Upwork.com

Jobstreet, a job portal that primarily serves in South East Asia, including the Philippines. They offer job opportunities that include Computer Science career prospects with eye-attracting wage offers. Here is a referred graphic about the Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in the Philippines in 2017.

Source: TheSummitExpress.com

This listing applies for job rankings of a supervisor or having at least 5 years of work experience. Jobs in IT field ranges from software developer, web developer and system administrator. See their other salary rankings by field positions.

Tip is that you should clarify yourself that you are fit for the job and surely can comply with the tasks and deadlines that are assigned to you.

Lifestyle and community you’ll be with

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Computer Science isn’t just an individual study. You will be required (or not) to collaborate with your team and attend meetings or consultations to integrate the plan for the project. Different positions are intentionally designed to pair or organize with other positions that makes a project diverse with workforce and unique creativeness from one another.

These kind of work setups also rely on software tools that help them maintain and monitor their progress. When you start taking up this course in any college, you will be given a case study project with a given or custom group members. You may also be assigned with a position that varies your specific tasks for the work. Most software development projects require scheduling and design plans. Programs that feature Gantt chart plotting (for task scheduling), visual tool creation, flowcharts, ERD design (for database), testing methods, and more of what will be required are accomplished with these tools.

Another service that provides software development collaboration maintains the versions or revisions made to the software called Git to track computer file update and also share or coordinate with other people.

We cannot consider that even an expert or ‘lord’ have mastered an area that he/she is facing for a purpose. With community sites that feature forums, Q&As and blogs like this allow to share the knowledge that specifically answer a query or discussions. Example is the most popular StackOverFlow that serves as the main referral and solutions bank for the people looking for the same matter of concern.

But hey, with you being part of this community, you’ll also be immersed with team bonding and hangouts.

This field also has its humor and has even reached the memes with sections as computer programmer.

These help to relieve you and at same time still connects you to your field of interests. There are plenty here at this link and you can least try to understand what humorous message it prevails.

Source: Wyncode.co

To finish it up, Computer Science is a broad field with specific branches for you that you can major so you can fit to a career that makes you productive both you and for the company you may work for. 

You can always refer in this article if you want to review the insights about Computer Science and other links that can aid you to achieve. By the way, here are other free-to-learn service sites for you to start or at least try getting into the doorsteps of Computer Science:

• Code.org
• Khan Academy
• Coursera
• Udacity
• edX
• freeCodeCamp
• DataCamp

There are plenty more out there in any search engines for you to search. freeCodeCamp also provided lists of specific online courses that you can take up for free about Computer Science and Programming in this link.

Till then, hope you have your thoughts about Computer Science and now grab the opportunities offered out there within the tech industries!

For you, what is the aspect about Computer Science that really revolutionize our world? Let me know through your comments and you may also share this article so that your friends or followers might concern of taking up Computer Science too.