Computer Science or Software Engineering

[FrostElite]

Well, I am currently a senior in High School and I am now looking for colleges to go to. Now I know that I want to program applications and software but I'm not really sure on which Major would fit that and would be best for me in the long run between Computer Science and Software Engineering. In the past I believed that Computer Science and Software Engineering was the same thing but I was incorrect. Could someone explain to me what the difference is and which one would be best for me in the long run ?

 

[jMerliN]

Software Engineering, Not Computer Science

 

[Negata]

No question Software Engineering is what companies want from their employees, as promoted in the above article. However that may not be what you want to study. jMerlin himself switched Computer Science to Math if I remember correctly, and from what I've picked up, he seems to be doing quite fine as a software specialist.

Where I study, we enroll to Information Technology (a university of technology), and Software Engineering and Computer Science are Master's level Majors. I'm pretty much taking them both, and I'm loving my combination. My thirst for knowledge would not be satisfied being "just an engineer" with lesser understanding of the principles.

Here, some companies value university-level software engineering (being somewhat theoretical) so much they practically don't even interview engineers who graduate from a 4-year polytechnic. This doesn't really say that CS is great though, actually quite the opposite. If you can do something in the middle, like me, I'm guessing you're optimizing your worth and flexibility.

My take? Look for some course catalogs for a university and compare the courses belonging to SE and CS. In the end the only way to really know which one you like is trying.

 

[FrostElite]

No question Software Engineering is what companies want from their employees, as promoted in the above article. However that may not be what you want to study. jMerlin himself switched Computer Science to Math if I remember correctly, and from what I've picked up, he seems to be doing quite fine as a software specialist.

Where I study, we enroll to Information Technology (a university of technology), and Software Engineering and Computer Science are Master's level Majors. I'm pretty much taking them both, and I'm loving my combination. My thirst for knowledge would not be satisfied being "just an engineer" with lesser understanding of the principles. [...]

Thanks for the answer Negata, the University in which I am most interested in and have made the most progress on applying to has Game Programming (but has classes of Software engineering in it). What's your opinion on that ? think I have a good chance at landing a job after College with a degree like that ?

 

[jMerliN]

Thanks for the answer Negata, the University in which I am most interested in and have made the most progress on applying to has Game Programming (but has classes of Software engineering in it). What's your opinion on that ? think I have a good chance at landing a job after College with a degree like that ?

My experience with game-oriented degrees is hit or miss. Some schools do well and require you have a pretty rigorous math curriculum and a solid understanding of the fundamentals of computer science (algorithms and common data structures etc). The ones that throw you at XNA or some D3D or OGL engine or framework and basically serve as a tutorial on how to make things .. not so good. The real difference in a game degree, CS, and engineering is and should only be specialization. Instead of studying operating systems (which is still probably important for 2/3 of these) or compiler design or artificial intelligence or image processing your electives and upper level courses are centered around topics that are relevant to that field.

Though I find pure computer science is closer to mathematical theory than practice. The principles in engineering, which is essentially applied computer science (we have an applied math too) are also very useful if you actually ever want to get things done.

 

[FrostElite]

My experience with game-oriented degrees is hit or miss. Some schools do well and require you have a pretty rigorous math curriculum and a solid understanding of the fundamentals of computer science (algorithms and common data structures etc). The ones that throw you at XNA or some D3D or OGL engine or framework and basically serve as a tutorial on how to make things .. not so good. [...]

Thanks for the reply JMerlin, the University in which I am speaking about is well renowned for Game Programming. It's a very rigorous and well respect program so I have no doubt on how intense/good their curriculum is. What I wanted to know was if the Game Programming business is a field in which is starting to boom and and is it a business in which I will have a good opportunity in being employed in once I complete college or, should I just look for another University which offers Software Engineering/Computer Science Degrees.

 

[jMerliN]

Either or. Look at the courses, determine what you'd want to take and do that. When companies say "Bachelors degree in CS or related field" that's meant to let you know that it didn't matter too much that you got it in a specialization because they mostly have the same core and you could easily learn that curriculum in practice.

Learn what you want to learn. That includes self-study as well. You may not be able to say you have a degree for it but you come out a lot more competent for it.

 

[FrostElite]

Either or. Look at the courses, determine what you'd want to take and do that. When companies say "Bachelors degree in CS or related field" that's meant to let you know that it didn't matter too much that you got it in a specialization because they mostly have the same core and you could easily learn that curriculum in practice.

Learn what you want to learn. That includes self-study as well. You may not be able to say you have a degree for it but you come out a lot more competent for it.

Thanks again jMerlin, I really appreciate the help.

 

[Negata]

Learn what you want to learn. That includes self-study as well. You may not be able to say you have a degree for it but you come out a lot more competent for it.

Oh yeah, this is what I meant to say, too. It's not all about what reads on your degree, but also what you do on your free time. If you're really interested in a certain field, don't expect everything to be served to you in a university, but read and do stuff on your own. Not only will it help you in your studies, but having something of your own, however small, to show in a job interview is a huge edge over the average first time applicant.