I'm in a slump -- Help me out

Question

I am currently studying as a student of physics, chemistry, math and computer science. I am very passionate about computer science especially programming. The unfortunate thing is that the others are taking a blow because of me dedicating a lot of time to computer science and the others are necessary for my final score and selection into CS under graduation. What will you do in such a circumstance or recommend?

Answer 1

I had a similar problem when I was at university. I was doing math and physics, while programming on the side. I decided to consolidate and switched to math and computer science. This worked out a lot better for me.

Answer 2

I think you know yourself what to do study all four subjects.

I guess the reward comes when you can pass your exams and study CS full time.

Answer 3

I actually finished a degree in Physics but eventually ended up in IT.

The only real advice I could give: don't let university distract you from real life. By no means am I implying that you should abandon your studies, however: as Greg said you should set your priorities straight. Find ways by which you could reduce your load on the other subjects and focus on math and computer science, or physics and computer science.

Answer 4

Because you are passionate about CS and programming, you must be decently good at it. So focus on the other subjects first and get them over with. Then you have all the time in the world to chase your passion.

Answer 5

You need to know what needs doing. This may mean you make a to-do list for each subject, or that you make appointments with yourself in your diary, or whatever - find something that works and stick to it. Once you have this in your face every day, make sure you do what has to be done first, then turn to CS for the pleasure it gives you.

Answer 6

Programming is the most difficult subject to study on books, among the four. And it has an incredible obsolescence ratio. So I think you'd better focus on what you might consider the less appealing subjects and try to learn as much as possible about structure in general: math and physics in particular may give you a boost with regards to problem solving and modelling techniques which I'm pretty confident you'll find useful in your programming life as well.

When you think you mustered the essentials you can get back to programming implementing some simple tools to help you with the other subjects. And when college will be over you will pick your job and maybe become a full time programmer (learning on the road, as it is customary)

Answer 7

If the other subjects are indeed necessary for selection into CS under graduation then you will just have to bite the bullet and devote the required time to them that will earn you the scores you need for future success. Yes, it's a bummer but, as mentioned by Paul above, the reward isn't too far away.

It's the same with so many things in life, there's always a "step 4."

"How do I improve my 100m sprint time?"

1. Train, train, train.
2. Eat and drink healthily.
3. Rest well between training sessions.
4. Run fast.

...and there are typically few, if any shortcuts.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

I agree with the other guys. Get your degree. There'll always be tons of stuff to learn around CS and programming later on.

I'd suggest that in your later years on campus (i.e. 3rd to 4th) trim out the subjects that don't interest you.

My syllabus was centered around Math, Applied Math and CS. Over here, our final (4th) year is called honours and we did CS exclusively.

Answer 9

Passion is good. Diligence is even better, IMHO. You'll be a better programmer if you can develop the character to do what needs to be done, not just what you like to do.

Answer 10

You have an optimization problem (nicely motivating your computer science education ;-). What you need to do is figure out the real requirements of the situation, combined with your own personal goals. What grade do you need to achieve in your courses (e.g., to be selected for CS)? What is your schedule like? How many hours per day can you dedicate to your coursework? How many hours per day are you dedicated to having a personal life? Remember, that last point is important: you're going to have a tough time outside of school if you're already having trouble with work-life balance.

Given those factors, you can make a concrete plan to at least achieve your minimum goals in each category. Once you're hitting your minimums, you can start to think about how to excel.

Now, why is it worth thinking hard about these things? Well, when I look over resumes of people coming out of school, I look for hard courses, broad education and a grade point average that isn't too good to be true. I actually asked this question recently: "How did you manage to maintain a 4.0 grade point average while taking classes that were hard enough to be interesting?" Sadly, the interviewee did not have a very good answer....

So, in short, keep up the broad education base, make a plan and work the plan. You'll never be sorry that you challenged yourself and got a good education.

Answer 11

Quit worrying so much about CS and do well in all of them. You'll thank me later on. Study CS when school is out if that's really what you want to do. Being out of college myself, I've learned tons about CS by studying at my own pace (have an EE degree).

Answer 12

My suggestion would be that depending on the level of academia you are finishing, you may want to consider changing schools to a better program for yourself. For example, doing a Bachelor's CS degree at the University of Waterloo is rather Math-intensive and light on other sciences since they are in another faculty. By contrast, any other university in Canada will likely have CS programs that are less Math-intensive which may be better for some.

Look at your options, weigh the pros and cons and then make the best choice would be what I'd do.