computer science in ucc

SolidPoo

i have just went to the site for some info on comp sci but found very little if anything useful, most of the info there seems out of date. anyone here doing comp sci and wants to tell me about it? what languages are you learning in first year, how hard is it, what are facilities like and stuff. thanks if anyone can help

Raskolnikov

They have gotten rid of the joint honours in computer science and maths/statistics haven't they? I also heard that they have changed a few other things, anyone know what they are?

Raskolnikov

Just got my offer of Computer Science in UCC, i just hope that the course isn't the pile of crap that everyone makes it out to be

Illkillya

its not RASKOLNIKOV, the course is fine. i saw u post on the gay compsoc boards and i'm not replying to that so post here if u want to know anything bout the course (i dont know much but might be able to tell u a thing or two)

Illkillya

Originally posted by SolidPoo
i have just went to the site for some info on comp sci but found very little if anything useful, most of the info there seems out of date. anyone here doing comp sci and wants to tell me about it? what languages are you learning in first year, how hard is it, what are facilities like and stuff. thanks if anyone can help

the way I did it was single honours with 5 modules:
cs1000 - introduction to programming or something = Java (using precompiled classes that make it different from normal java).
cs1010 - logic
cs1020 - computer systems (websites, comp architecture, binary numbers, IEEE and all that stuff)
ma1010 - calculus, leaving cert hons stuff
ma1015 - discrete maths

There was an option of doing joint with Economics (and you dont have to do ma1010 calculus) or with Maths (extra maths module).

the site is useless, but the facilities are great imo. i laugh at these ppl who have to queue for a computer in their university - at UCC you have a choice of a load of labs with like 50 computers in each one (fast too, most are p3 900s or something).

the course is as hard as you make it - if you go to lectures and do all your continuous assessments, and never fall behind, then you will probably have no trouble.

RASKOLNIKOV says the course is changing, so I dont know how much of this will apply to next year's course...

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by Illkillya


Java (using precompiled classes that make it different from normal java).

It seems a lot of people aren't too happy about that

Originally posted by Illkillya


i saw u post on the gay compsoc boards and i'm not replying to that

LOL, after reading a few of the posts there i think a few ego's need deflating

Originally posted by Illkillya


the course is as hard as you make it - if you go to lectures and do all your continuous assessments, and never fall behind, then you will probably have no trouble.

The maths should be grand for me(i did honours), CS1010 and CS1020 should also be grand, the JAVA looks like a tricky beast to get to grips with but i am sure i'll crack it soon I saw some very impressive sites which ye did for an assignment for CS1020, an awful lot of barely navigatable sites as well, i can't believe that some people think scrolling marquees, animated gifs and 2MB bitmaps are cool :P

I'm looking forward to starting the course, it looks interesting and challenging. I only hope that there is a job out there for me providing i get my degree What is the situation there anyway? Are this years graduates going to be unemployed?

eden_my_ass

The jobs story is......

Very few of last years graduates have decent relevent jobs
Very few of this years graduates have decent relevent jobs
Very few of next years graduates will have decent relevent jobs

Okay the last statement is opinion not fact but this is not all bad news. The best option at the moment is to get any job which will count as work experience, or do a postgrad to pass the time. The drop-off in applicants for computer courses (thanks to the media in general for their scaremongering ) is good news for those in the middle or starting the course as there will be another labour shortage in this area in a few years time and we'll be the lucky ones ready to fill the gap (again this is opinion but not just mine).

GOOD LUCK:p

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by eden_my_ass
The drop-off in applicants for computer courses (thanks to the media in general for their scaremongering ) is good news for those in the middle or starting the course as there will be another labour shortage in this area in a few years time and we'll be the lucky ones ready to fill the gap (again this is opinion but not just mine).

GOOD LUCK:p

Score

ShevY

i'm also startin CS in UCC this year.

lookin forward to it, and hopefully filling the future job gaps.

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by ShevY
i'm also startin CS in UCC this year.

lookin forward to it, and hopefully filling the future job gaps.

Ah, boards.ie people will rule CS in UCC yet

I noticed in the forms that UCC sent out that we have to pick 10 credits of modules from
EC1206 (10 credits), MA1010 (10 credits), MG1000 (5 credits),
MG1002 (5 credits), LC0002 (10 credits), LC0028 (10 credits),
LC0502 (10 credits), LC0521 (10 credits), LCxxxx are languages

Anyone got any ideas on what might be the options? I'm think French since that might make me more employable in later years.

Opinions?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Greenbean

Personally (a ucd comp sci graduate hons 2.1; only just getting proper work 1 year after leaving college) I reckon this is a very nice time to start doing a degree.

You have 3/4 years of study, fun and learning ahead of you. You should be more savey than most to the risk of not learning stuff in your spare time. Unlike some other careers, samples of your ability can be encapsulated and demo'ed for others to see. So you'll be aware that its a good idea to do c, c++ and/or webdev stuff in your spare time (ie setup a php/sql website with some usefull server side java type funkiness going on or try your hand at writing a tetris clone in c++/directx etc..). You can then have this stuff on your cv for when you leave college, some proof of the pudding that you learned some practical skills as well as the theoretical ones.

Though things look bad now, I think its very misleading. I'm of the belief that there is a shortage of skilled "computer" people in the world and when, as it should do over the next year or two, the world economies pick up a bit more, people with comp sci degrees will be back in demand. Given that course numbers are done this can only be to your advantage.

In addition to numbers being down, the resources (computers, lecturers time etc) will be spread more benefically for yourself. Also since you're obviously not doing this for the money (right?) you should end up in a course with others who are also in the same situation. This should increase the standard of the work and atmosphere. You also won't end up going to an employeer and saying "I've got a great degree in such and such" and them going "pah the last guy we got from there didn't know what a dos prompt was".

Finally be VERY aware that comp sci degrees are usually not geared towards the work place (though some are not geared towards anything more than the creation of as many graduates as possible) but that they are aimed towards the academic end of things. This isn't a bad thing, but it will mean that unless you've been working away in your spare time, you will know very little practical stuff. This is fine if Sun, Oracle or Microsoft are hiring, since they know how to deal with comp sci graduates and train them up with more practical knowledge. But when the big companies aren't hiring (like now), you are fvcked; unless you've been trying to cover the practical aspect as much as possible in your spare time.

If you want to cover your ass, take as many extra-curicullar (sic) courses as you can and do as much practical stuff as you can bare to do (ie if theres a cheap after hours course in Japanese it wouldn't hurt to do that and stick it on your cv, feel like learning how Visual Studio works - why not find out and write some .dlls or plugins for a popular program, compsoc running a Cisco Certified course, jump at the chance, choice between doing part time work in the bar (fun after hours) or a local isp call centre (boring, painful) ... easy decision).

Have to admit, this is a list of the things I didn't do really, but I'd rather someone else would learn from it all. As I say, I would far rather have been doing my degree in a climate like the current one, the timing for when you finish is going to be very good imo.

Oh and finally, if companies do come 'a courting' to your course in the final year, do us a favour and don't trust any of the bastards until you actually get your first payment slip - there are alot of fairweather companies that when things turned bad acted fairly poorly (not letting friends know they hadn't a job for a long time, leaving them in trouble) towards students they'd previously lined up for work. Although it was just a matter of poor PR and HR (public relations, human resources), I think you can judge the value of alot of companies on how good their manners are when things are going bad for themselves. This didn't happen to me (I was stupid enough to not bother securing a job when things were still economicall good in my final year), but I do believe its worth me passing on this sense of caution for the next crop of comp sci students to be aware of. A company has to deserve your sense of loyalty with more than just a few promises, money will do just fine.