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Programming and different areas of science.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 4:19 pm
by Benjamin100
How many of the jobs that involve programming require a degree in another field?
I was reading about how it helps to have degrees in other areas, and that it helps to have extensive knowledge in another area outside of computer science when looking for a job.
Do any of you have any degrees in areas other than computer science?

Re: Programming and different areas of science.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 5:59 pm
by dandymcgee
At this point any job in a technical, mathematical field is going to benefit from programming knowledge. Physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, medicine, etc. will all benefit hugely from knowing how to write custom software to help them solve complex problems.

More important, in my opinion, is a solid understand of how a computer works in general. Understand basic networking, email, operating systems, malware, etc. is paramount when working with computers at work or at home, and I know wayyyy too many people who are oblivious to how these things work. One side effect I hope anyone undertaking a technical degree experiences is developing the skills and knowledge required to keep themselves safe (email, online banking, web transactions) in the modern age.

Re: Programming and different areas of science.

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:42 am
by eatcomics
dandymcgee wrote:At this point any job in a technical, mathematical field is going to benefit from programming knowledge. Physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, medicine, etc. will all benefit hugely from knowing how to write custom software to help them solve complex problems.

More important, in my opinion, is a solid understand of how a computer works in general. Understand basic networking, email, operating systems, malware, etc. is paramount when working with computers at work or at home, and I know wayyyy too many people who are oblivious to how these things work. One side effect I hope anyone undertaking a technical degree experiences is developing the skills and knowledge required to keep themselves safe (email, online banking, web transactions) in the modern age.
This really, I of course originally got a degree in computer science. It helped me a lot working in IT. Automation is paramount. But I'm now going for a degree in networking, and I have to say it really helps to understand how networks are set up, managed, and secured.

Really any computer oriented degree is going to help in other computer oriented degrese. A math degree pairs really well with programming as well. You know how your teacher told you if you got a math degree you could do anything? They weren't really wrong.