Think about the things you do every day: posting status updates, downloading songs, checking your class schedule online...
Do you think it would be cool to design the technologies that make those devices work better? To invent new ones? To help make people’s lives and jobs easier? Then maybe computer science is the right path for you!
But first, let’s set some things straight. Computer scientists aren’t the people you call when your printer stops working. And they don’t sit in dark cubicles all day without talking to anyone.
“Whatever you think computer science is, you’re wrong,” says Dianna Xu, Chair of the Computer Science Department at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
So...what is it?
Computer scientists use technology to solve problems. They write software to make computers do new things or accomplish tasks more efficiently. They create applications for mobile devices, develop websites, and program software. And you can find them everywhere, from big tech firms and government agencies to startups and nonprofits.
“It’s more than everyday computing,” says Liz Burd, Pro-Vice Chancellor in Learning and Teaching at the University of Newcastle in Australia. “It’s building the tools that enable everyday computing.”
Related: Search colleges with computer science majors
One of the biggest things computer science majors learn is how to logically think through a problem and find a way to solve it. Chris Stephenson, Executive Director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, adds that good computer scientists also understand teamwork and are good communicators. They work with other people all the time, she says, including those who don’t come from a CS background. “No matter how brilliant you are, at some point you will have to explain to someone how your product works or what your code does,” Stephenson says.
Bobby Schnabel, Dean of the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University Bloomington and chair of the Association of Computing Machinery's Education Policy Committee, says some students go into computer science because they like working with computers. Others want to solve problems with technology. Whatever your passion, a CS degree is a great foundation for all kinds of jobs.