[Riv]

Hi everyone I am going to be applying to university next year and I just want to know what courses should I take to get me ready to go into that field. I know a lot of math is required but I just want to know like what kind of math should I really concentrate on? Also about programming do they go deep into programming topics in an IT field?

[Nykc]

IT != Programming Field.

IT at least in my part of the universe is mostly a focus on Networking, Computer Technology, Server Administration and Desktop Support.

[gibson.nathan]

Nykc, on 20 May 2010 - 10:15 AM, said:

IT != Programming Field.

IT at least in my part of the universe is mostly a focus on Networking, Computer Technology, Server Administration and Desktop Support.

haha if they dont know programming they dont know what '!=' means..... or is that universal?

[macosxnerd101]

If you're on a programming forum, then we're not making too big a leap in assuming you can figure out the != operator, given the context.

@OP: The best thing I can suggest if you want to take programming in college is to pick up a high level language to prepare you for a programming intro class. The two most common languages in such a class are Java and C++, with Python following close behind. I personally would suggest Java if you have never taken programming before, as it is high level enough to allow you to focus on algorithm development without worrying about lower-level concepts like memory management and pointers. It also all but forces you to work in OOP for programs of any real complexity. For more information on what language to pick up and why, check out this thread.

This post has been edited by macosxnerd101: 20 May 2010 - 05:56 PM

[nooblet]

macosxnerd101, on 20 May 2010 - 04:53 PM, said:

If you're on a programming forum, then we're not making too big a leap in assuming you can figure out the != operator, given the context.

This is a bad assumption to make. I'm sure there are a lot of noobs here (base on my observations). I understand but I'm sure others might not base on some of the discussion topics I've seen people post on here.

[SpeedisaVirus]

Same here. The closest major we have to IT is probably MIS. They only have 2 required programming courses in VB and an HTML course. The rest is business, databases, and networks. They hardly program at all.

[Riv]

SpeedisaVirus, on 20 May 2010 - 06:50 PM, said:

Same here. The closest major we have to IT is probably MIS. They only have 2 required programming courses in VB and an HTML course. The rest is business, databases, and networks. They hardly program at all.

Thanks alot your answer helped alot. Also I just need to know is there alot of math involved?

[macosxnerd101]

It depends on the route you go. A business IT degree requires some basic math, but not a lot, as business applications are generally inventory or accounting driven. However, if you go the CS route, many curriculums have a math minor built in. The CS people are usually in the engineering departments at many schools, and as such, will have to take Calc I, II & III, Differential Equations, Combinatorics, Vector Geometry, Linear Algebra, and Discrete Math at least.

[Riv]

Well, time to learn Java

[SpeedisaVirus]

Here they require business type maths. A few statistics and accounting classes with at least one math class above calculus 1. Can't speak for other schools.

This post has been edited by SpeedisaVirus: 21 May 2010 - 04:23 PM

[Autocrat]

Riv, on 21 May 2010 - 07:03 AM, said:

Thanks alot your answer helped alot. Also I just need to know is there alot of math involved?

Depends. Obviously, the guy who is going to program apps like Firefox, Thunderbird is not going to use the Newton Raphson Algorithm in his app, is he? But yes, in the game programming field, there is math involved and the main thing is vectors. You need to master these before you get into game programing. Also, programming apps like MS Excel requires math.

Alternatively, server side languages like PHP, MySQL involve basically statistics.

The complex mathematical algorithms that you use while learning programming languages are not actually used in professional programming (with the exceptions mentioned above). They are just meant to remove the rust on your mind so you can think logically (and programming is all logic).

[macosxnerd101]

The amount of math you will use in programming depends on what field you are writing the program for. If it is for math, physics, chemistry, accounting, economics, game programming, etc., you'll need a fair amount of math. If it is a general business application, probably not so much. Programming is a unique field in that programmers have to know everything, not just a couple things. If you are a physicist or a chemist, you have to know math as it applies to your field. If you are an accountant or economist, you have to know statistics. If you are a programmer, you have to know programming, math, physics, accounting, etc. so you can write a coherent and functional program for the clients. If you don't know the subject, how can you write a program for it?

[macosxnerd101]

The amount of math you will use in programming depends on what field you are writing the program for. If it is for math, physics, chemistry, accounting, economics, game programming, etc., you'll need a fair amount of math. If it is a general business application, probably not so much. Programming is a unique field in that programmers have to know everything, not just a couple things. If you are a physicist or a chemist, you have to know math as it applies to your field. If you are an accountant or economist, you have to know statistics. If you are a programmer, you have to know programming, math, physics, accounting, etc. so you can write a coherent and functional program for the clients. If you don't know the subject, how can you write a program for it?

Edit: Database errors caused my double-post

This post has been edited by macosxnerd101: 31 May 2010 - 10:33 AM