Right now, a computer science degree could be a golden ticket if you use it right. Of course, you will also need some good advice too. If you have a specific love for computer science, you will relish in learning about coding and understanding the way computers work. After you graduate, there will be a plethora of opportunities, but while you are still in college, you will really want to plan accordingly and learn what you can from your degree program. A lot of what you learn will go out the window in the real world, but you can still hold on to some of the basics tenets. Here is some advice for computer science freshman in college.
Get Your Prerequisites Out of the Way
Whether you are going to Northwestern University or Florida State, you want to be sure that you get all of your freshman prerequisites out of the way. In fact, you may want to double up, so that by the time your second year comes around, you can focus on the courses that actually matter. Of course, your prerequisites matter, but they will only lay a foundation.
Focus on a Specific Field
When you focus on a specific field, you can streamline your entire collegiate program. For instance, if you have a passion for geographic information systems, you may want to get USC’s GIS certificate online. In some cases, you don’t need to go into an actual classroom to learn. Sometimes, it makes more sense to learn computer science on an actual computer.
Stay Up to Date in the Field
When you are taking a computer science course, you want to stay up to date with the field. This is why you want to bookmark a number of your favorite websites. If you have a news application, you can aggregate all of the top stories from these sources, so that you are never behind. Staying up to date is important, because you want to know where the industry stands. This can help you out immensely when you are trying to look for a career.
Work Smart Not Hard
Working smart means working strategically and efficiently – it doesn’t mean cramming and holding all-night hack-a-thons. When you are a computer science major, you really have to be strategic when it comes to your education, or else you may burn out. The computer science world can already be demanding, so you don’t want to burn out while you are still in college. You want to feel a sense of ambition when you graduate – you don’t want to quit from exhaustion and let your degree go to waste.
Learn Your Coding Basics
On top of everything, you want to learn to code. You can do this as soon as you get a computer for college. When you are a freshman, learning the basics of coding is essential, because it will be like a second language when you are in the computer science world. In the end, you want to learn early, so that you are more prepared for when your program becomes more advanced.