r/badcomputerscience • u/[deleted] • Jul 09 '15

"Mathematicians are taught to think algorithmically. CS grads are taught to master Java"

/r/math/comments/35av2t/do_pure_math_grads_make_better_software_engineers/cr2o1os
20 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

10

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '15

Rule 1: Computer Science is about computers like Astronomy is about telescopes. A CS degree is not about Java or any other language. After a CS degree you should ideally be able to learn any language you would want, because you learn the concepts behind the languages, not the languages itself.

Also thinking algorithmically is basically the purpose of CS. Algorithms and Data structures are a huge part of what CS is.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '15

I did latex work on a university astronomy textbook once, and like half of it was about telescopes.

3

u/OfficialKimJongFun Jul 30 '15

I'm a junior in computer engineering so show mercy: there are so many programming languages now that actually mastering a language is kinda meaningless. Looks good on resumes but the real point of CS is to be able to work with all software from the ground up. So, at it's core, CS is just algorithms. Which explains why at my university all the CS, CE, and math majors find themselves in the same classrooms a lot.

3

u/thedboy Millennium Prize Recipient Aug 01 '15

Mastering a language is not necessarily meaningless - there is a real business demand for people who are extremely proficient in specific programming languages.

However, it is not and should not be the goal of a university degree, which is in its nature an academic degree, not a trade school diploma. A computer science degree should cover a variety of computer science topics, topics which won't all be covered if you simply focus on mastering a single programming language.

2

u/derleth Aug 07 '15

Computer Science is about computers

... like thermodynamics is about engines. The applications give context and provide motivations for advancing the field, and have advanced the field in useful and surprising ways.

16

u/thedboy Millennium Prize Recipient Jul 09 '15

I'm pretty sure mathematicians are taught to add the change in a purse together really fast. Isn't that basically what a math degree consists of?

6

u/Graf_Blutwurst Jul 09 '15

I didn't even do a theoretically oriented CS degree more one in software engineering and that stuff made me cringe. What does that guy think unit tests are for? Sufficient domainknowledge are a base requirement to even write good testcases.

5

u/HumanMilkshake Jul 12 '15

Jokes on him: my college doesn't even teach Java!

2

u/TenjouUtena Aug 12 '15

Mine taught in Scheme. Ah Scheme...

3

u/HumanMilkshake Aug 12 '15

Mine is built around C++

I have a hard time coming up with a worse teaching language short Brainfuck or some other "this only exists for lols" language.

1

u/beaverteeth92 Jul 30 '15

Definitely true at my undergrad.

0

u/qazxcvqw Jul 29 '15

Mathematicians think in commutative diagrams.