By Gloria, Computer Science
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Birmingham
Today’s post will be discussing a few myths I believe are associated with a Computer Science degree. I’ll be discussing a few things I wish I knew before starting:
- The first ‘myth’ or predominant idea I had about doing Computer Science was that the course could be quite lonely.
A lot of people think of a computer ‘nerd’ as someone who sits alone in their room coding all day. There is, of course, independent moments of study but in reality, the course involved a lot of practical work, group work, and presenting. At the University Of Birmingham, there is a lot of interaction with labs and tutors which meant you are encouraged to be active and social in order to develop a range of skills that will be useful in the future.
Understanding that a Computer Science degree is more than just coding can definitely help to go in with a different, more open mindset to get to know people on the course. It also busts the stereotype and preconception that computer scientists aren’t as social or don’t use practical work to learn, which is why it’s important to get stuck in and be open to talking to people from day one – don’t hold back!
- The next myth is that computer science involves a lot of maths and physics.
I don’t know why, but I was told a lot during A-Levels that I needed to be in love with physics to excel in this degree – physics was without a doubt one of my worst subjects at school. Physics and maths tend to go hand in hand which is probably where this idea comes from, but it is not true that anyone who doesn’t like physics can’t really have a love for computer science – because computer science is so broad, and only a fraction of it relies solely on physics.
Up until now, I haven’t really had to use concepts purely rooting from physics. There has been a lot of maths, and a lot of techniques used in both maths and physics, however as long as you are motivated, you can learn what you need to know for your degree and eventually specialise in what you want. I can see how physics can become very useful when working with animation or graphics, but the degree doesn’t exactly focus on those parts of computing so far. I think if you are currently not sure whether computer science is for you because you haven’t enjoyed other scientific subjects you shouldn’t let that hold you back at all. Look into modules and exactly what it’s like because it’s very different for every university.
So these are the two main myths I wanted to bust and hope they encourage you to pursue a computer science degree if you’re having doubts!