Which is better for a BS in computer science, the University of South Florida, or Drexel?
I can't speak on behalf of USF. I can however offer some general advice, and speak abo t Drexel (where I'm a student).In general, the curriculum of most universities regarding computer science are going to teach you much the same stuff: logic, mathematics, programming, and whatever track electives you choose. This is mostly true across all schools in the US. The primary difference is in who is teaching you vs what you're learning. And the question of who has better teachers between the two schools is something you'll have to figure out in your own research.Regarding Drexel: our co-op program is incredible. I've done 2 and can honestly say that 3 six month internships will transform you from a student into an engineer. You'll work with professional companies doing real development. You'll learn best industry practice. You'll learn domain-specific knowledge and general knowledge. You'll deliver products that actual people use.You will never learn this stuff in the classroom. Ever.
Is Majoring in computer science and engineering relatively easy to get jobs compared to electrical engineering? What are the best areas to look for job in computer science and electrical engineering?
Hi! First of all every stream and domain has its own need and it is popular in its own way! Every domain has wide range of job opportunities according to their needs and areas(Locations)!First and Foremost, Students considering a career centered on computers and computing often ask for clarification about the difference between computer engineering (CompE) and computer science (CompSci), and how Duke undergraduate curriculum reflects this relationship. There are philosophical as well as practical answers to these questions. Both CompE and CompSci study the use of the digital computer as a tool that makes possible much of modern technology and the overlap between the two fields is significant. Both disciplines study the inner workings of computers and both study hardware as well as software aspects of computer systems. The differences are those of emphasis. Students in CompSci, CompE, or Electrical and Computer Engineering will all study programming and basic computer operation.Computer Science is traditionally more concerned with the theoretical underpinnings of computation and of programming; thus one typically finds courses in programming, algorithms, numerical analysis (how do you guarantee a number produced by a computer program is accurate), and the theory of computation (what can and cannot in principle be computed) in CompSci departments. Many CompSci departments at U.S. universities were offshoots from math departments in the 1970s, and the emphasis on providing a rigorous mathematical foundation for the computing disciplines is still evident in many CompSci curricula.More: Computer Science vs. Electrical and Computer EngineeringBelow are the Top Cities in USA, Having current Job Openings for the three mentioned fields:TampaSouth PlainfieldLouisvilleBostonSanta ClaraRaleighPhiladelphiaIrvingPiscatawayPittsburghPlanoSaint LouisBrooklynNashvillePrincetonApply for Computer science Jobs in USA -> Computer Science Jobs in Philadelphia, PAApply for Engineering Jobs in USA -> Engineering Jobs in Boston, MAApply for Electrical Engineering Jobs in USA ->Electrical Engineering Jobs in Philadelphia, PA
Have you ever changed your college major?
I graduated from Clearwater High School, Class of 1981. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I'd taken some computer programming courses (Basic, Fortran, Cobol) in my senior year, and my mother suggested that as a reasonable plan of action. I started St. Petersburg Junior College (now called St. Petersburg College), still in Clearwater FL, in the Fall of 1981, taking business and computer courses (Fortran and Cobol again plus Assembler). I missed using punched cards by one year.My sister, one grade ahead of me, had already spent her two years at SPJC and started engineering classes at the University of South Florida, and noted there was only a difference of seven classes between a degree in business computers and a degree in computer engineering. So I stayed another year at SPJC, taking chemistry and physics, and getting an AA from SPJC.I started USF in the Fall of 1984 in Tampa FL commuting daily in my trusty 1965 VW Beetle. Here I spent the next two years, taking Statics, Dynamics, Statistics, learning Pascal and C, working part time at Montgomery Wards, then Home Shopping Club. After five years of all this, I had an epiphany: I hated writing computer programs.I took a test that measured interests and aptitudes, and it suggested careers that were artistic, investigative, and realistic. It suggested that I consider model making, architecture, and landscape architecture. Landscape architecture only required a bachelor degree to practice.So…back to SPJC for two years of architecture classes (hand drafting, drawing and rendering). In the Fall of 1988, after marrying the previous Spring, my husband and I moved to Gainesville FL and I started classes at the University of Florida College of Landscape Architecture. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture in Spring 1991. I took 10 years and got one four year degree, having changed majors twice.
What is the best way to learn Algebra?
Roll up your sleeves and do it.Block out large chunks of time in regular intervals (… a few hours a day, ideally; but whatever your schedule allows). Sit down in a quiet place. Turn off televisions, phones, music, distractions, etc. Get a book(*), read a lesson, do 50 problems drilling the skills of that lesson.Repeat.I put an asterisk on “book,” to clarify that I mean a “book” in a functional sense. Maybe your “book” is electronic, for example. If your book is a website, you have to be very disciplined to not switch to some other site just for a few seconds to check in on something.You can watch videos if you want, and if you feel they’re helpful. But one thing is certain: you will never learn algebra 1 if you don’t do exercises. Ideally, lots of them.The good news is, you can do this in a short time. You can stop reading now if you like, but I’ll finish up with a little story from my education:I switched schools in 8th grade. Unbeknownst to me, the book I used in the first school was basically in the reverse order of the book I used at the next one. That meant I saw half of algebra 1 twice, and didn’t see the other half at all. Worse yet, I didn’t discover this until the final exam: I had no idea about half the stuff. So I got an F in the class.This was scary for me because (a) I knew I wasn’t an F student, and (b) the F meant I’d be placed into “math for dummies” next year. Fortunately, the F came in 8th grade. (For international readers: US colleges only look at your academic record from 9th grade on. So this F wouldn’t hurt me in that way.)In any case, I explained the situation to the 9th grade school administration, and somehow managed to get placed in the advanced math class on the condition I get up to speed on algebra by myself.So I did what I suggested above: over the summer, I worked through the first part of my algebra book. Sometimes I sat down for hours at a time, sometimes just 15–20 minutes a day. But I was relentless.If you can do that, you can learn algebra. In fact, you can learn a lot more.
What are some dark facts about Khan Academy?
To me, the popularity of Khan Academy unveils the Dark Side of the US education system. The adoption of Khan Academy among early elementary grades and how people say it's more effective than schools in the US show that the quality of math education in public schools here is alarmingly lacking. For grades K-3, the concepts are well-explained on Khan but the lessons are tedious, unnecessarily long, and repetitive. I watched the videos and I felt sorry for any K-3 students who have to watch these videos as their primary source of learning.My point is that there are more effective, succinct, and worthwhile ways to learn elementary math. If teachers here can't teach that in school, and little kids have to resort to Khan Academy, the popularity of Khan Academy shows the Dark Side of the US public education.Moreover, imagine if all children in the future think and solve problems like Sal Khan! In reality, there are many ways to solve a problem, but most of the times Sal provides only standard procedures without creativity. The technical fields and technological advancement need flexibility and variety of interpreting problems and problem-solving methods.Furthermore, more and more schools are adopting Khan technology to replace teacher assistants, and Khan is on a mission to get schools to adopt their model. What’s the point of going to school and then having your teacher tell you to watch Khan videos for 70% of your time in a math class? I’m not joking. This is what’s happening in many schools. We did the shadow day at Khan Lab School at their headquarters. The instruction was that kids bring their Khan Academy username and password to watch videos during the shadow day. My son protested, “But I don’t want to watch those videos!”Having said that, we saw a 4th grader watching logarithms lessons on Khan, in our local library, and we thought that was interesting. So if the reliance on Khan Academy to relearn basic concepts that kids can't understand in school shows and perpetuates the Dark Side of public education here, the use of Khan Academy to skip ahead to more advanced levels without getting stuck in the school-mandated grade-appropriate curriculums might be the bright side, providing freedom to kids to learn whatever and whenever they want to.