Many people major in Computer Science (CS) during college, in the hopes of securing a high-paying job. However, it’s not-so-simple! Here are some of the insights I have gathered from some programmers (both student and graduates):
- Completing a Bachelor’s in CS is hard. For the first two years, some universities require heavy math and science prerequisites, such as Calculus or Chemistry. I’ve heard of CS majors having to retake Calculus II, even though they previously took Pre-Calculus/Calculus courses in high school.
For the last two years of undergraduate (junior and senior years), students take higher division courses. Some people find the concepts too difficult to grasp and actually end up dropping out their senior year, after failing their exams. Time-consuming group projects are required: coordination between people of varying skill levels, learning to run new programs from scratch, and receiving limited guidance from professors can have projects running into the night.
Due to the difficulty of finishing a CS degree, I’ve heard of many people staying an extra semester to retake a failed class. Depending on your financial circumstances, you might have difficulty affording an extended stay in university.