4
faesuu
6y

So I heard to get a job as a programmer you need a degree in computer science. I looked it up and apparently computer science includes alot of math courses. I'm not good at math and as far as I can see complex math is not needed to be a programmer. Is there any other degree I can take to get a job as a programmer that doesn't require as much math as a computer science degree does?

Comments
  • 6
    Just put "developer experience equivalent to a 4 year degree" in your resumé. It's just an HR filter, if you can convince whoever is giving you a technical interview that you're skilled, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of jobs that don't require any formal math education such as web development, barring projects that are doing non-trivial things.
  • 1
    It depends a lot on the company and possibly country.

    Many small startups does not care to much about degrees but mor on ability.

    Larger companies are often more strict in their recruitment.
  • 2
    I wish I was good at math, but I’m not, and I’m positive that being good at math will help you when developing in some domains. But math is not programming.

    I stumbled upon programming 5ys ago and wrote my first program in VBA (*autistic screeching*), after that I just knew that this is what I wanted to do every day.

    So I quit my job and took a two year software development course at junior college. Fokusing on _building stuff_, not so much CS theory. I’ve been employed ever since.
  • 0
    @beegC0de how do I convince them that I'm expirenced? Can I show them my codes?
  • 0
    @faesuu yes you need to be able to talk about projects you've worked on.
  • 1
    @faesuu Depends if you can respond to programming questions.

    If you get tossed a word and you're able to build context around it so well that you can vocally, explain it you most likely also understand the surrroundings.

    This shows skill.
  • 4
    In general, logic, reasoning and programming algorithms are needed, But as you go higher in any direction, you’ll be starting to need mathematics, because, accept it or not, all a computer can do is mathematics and all you have is programming concepts which are mostly abstract algebra concepts (data types, structures, objects) and many algorithms explicitly use discrete mathematics, and some other need physics.
  • 0
    @nanl what about for a web developer?
  • 2
    @faesuu most of the times you dont need it. Although last week Ive been working for a dynamic seatplan svg. All maths in there.

    But I know a lot of people who say they are not good in maths but when I explain fun maths they can do it and see things rather quickly.

    And maths and maths are completely different. Its like saying you are not good in programming because you dont know all languages. If I know one I can make a program, if I need to have a specific reason to learn a framework I can use my basic language skills to understand the framework.
  • 2
    If you want to get a degree in computer to become a programmer you but hate the math .. just like I do 😅 .. take your degree in Computer Information Systems or Management Information Systems. However, take a good look at their degree plan and see the programming courses they offer!

    I have a CIS degree from the USA and degree plan had a lot of web development courses.
  • 2
    @FahadAlt would highly advise anyone thinking about taking a CIS degree to look into the specific program. Mine has been around for many years but I only realized after 2 years that compared to many programs, mine is lacking in many areas.
  • 1
    @beegC0de yeah, the specific program is very important to put in mind .. I have seen programs that focus more on databases, management, or programming.

    Mine also has two parts networking “for some reason” and web development
  • 0
    When it comes to what other courses you could take,It really depends where you are .Some universities might offer very similar courses like information systems without much maths.
    Ive done 2nd year data structures,algorithms,p versus np problems,matrices etc.Alot of areas inside my computer science modules had maths and I passed those courses without problem.BUT I've been failing a calculus module a couple of times ( doing it again this year) .I don't know if I'm even allowed to advise you on maths at this point :) but you never know till you try.You might just reasonate with the maths and pass by working hard and by working on the areas you don't reasonate with.
    If you have a couple of years to experiment with,I would just go for it and apply for a Computer Science degree.Everyone is different.You might just pass the maths module by working hard.
    Go for it.Work hard and you'll probably have a cs degree In the near future.The degree is very valuable in the end.
  • 1
    Let’s talk frankly without nonsense. No, as long as you can count for loop, you’ve good to go!
    But code interview will include all sort of math problem, n they expect you solve them quickly using paper n pen.
    You might need to know regression n calculus but you don’t need them for frontend.
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