Should I switch to a math or physics major instead of computer science?

[counlin]

Hey there,

I'm now a Computer Science student (3rd year, 2 more to go) and so far I'm a bit unhappy with my course. Why? Well, I like programming and stuff, but all I'm seeing right now are classes with tons of concepts (Operational Systems concepts, Software Engineering Concepts, AI concepts, Programming Langauge concepts, etc.), it's all just a bunch of things to memorize and as soon as the year has ended I'll forget most of it. And it has been like that since I left the math classes behind (I had Calculus, Statistcs and Linear Algebra), which were way more practical, not to say fun.

I think I like math, physics and numbers the most, more than I like programming and pure logic. I was thinking about changing course, though I'm not sure if I should. I thought about physics, but the career prospects are not very good. I thought about Computer Engineer, which also have some of what I've studied so far, but a lot more math and hardware/electrical study (which I also find interesting). EE also came to mind, as well as Civil Engineering. Math is on the same boat as physics, the future career does not seem good to me.

I'm not asking for you to choose my course, or career for me, but I wanted opinions, and this seems like the right place to ask.

Oh, I'm now 20 years old. Sorry for any english mistakes, it is not my mother language,

Thank you in advance,

 

[SteamKing]

If you like handling a lot of numbers, switch to accounting.

It's really not clear why you chose to study Computer Science if you have no great interest in the subject. CS is more than just knowing how to program; it can involve the study of a lot of abstract concepts about how to organize the handling of information, the design of algorithms, etc.

 

[counlin]

When I started studying it I thought it was the right choice for me, though the time passed and I'm not sure anymore. I know CS is not only about making programs, I do like this part of thinking on the algorithms to solve a problem. I have taken courses like Graph Theory, Alghoritms Complexity and some othres that I found nice (they were also those with more math). I liked studying Introduction to Digital Cricuits, Computer Architecture and Organization.

You see, it is not that I'm not interested, it is just the fact that I miss the math, I miss solving problems using it, I miss seeing all those derivatives on the board. I liked that. I kept studying CS because I thought it could get any better, but I'm not seeing it going this way :/

 

[Locrian]

I'm honestly confused about what you're looking for. You say you want more numbers, but then you talk about writing diff eq on a board. I don't know what that leads to, and I'm not entirely sure your assumptions about what these fields entail actually jives with what people in the related careers actually do. University course material can be an awful predictor of actual job functions.

Instead of letting your major choose your work, why don't you choose some work you want to do, and then let your major help you get the job?

 

[symbolipoint]

If you like handling a lot of numbers, switch to accounting.

It's really not clear why you chose to study Computer Science if you have no great interest in the subject. CS is more than just knowing how to program; it can involve the study of a lot of abstract concepts about how to organize the handling of information, the design of algorithms, etc.

One of the necessary costs of figuring or determining what major field to choose is picking one which you believe is the most suitable choice and finding the choice to be a bad one for yourself, and then trying to choose something more suited. Hopefully, you do not spend more than a year at any single "wrong" major field.

 

[counlin]

Accounting is not for me anyway, I'm pretty sure.

What I mean by "more numbers" is basically more math. CS is based on math, I know that, but its only in the beginning, now I have only one class with actual math. Then I look to my friends who are studying engineering or physics (some already graduated) and they work with math, having to find structural resistance (An Civil Engineer ins this case), or calculating circuits (EE and COmputer Engineers). All this looks more interesting to me than program all day (like most of my computer scientists friends do) on a company. If I keep studying CS I think I'd have to go for the research field.

Unless anyone here can tell me that even graduating on CS I could make something on other fields (like math or physics), I'll stay unhappy. I know it is weird that I kept taking the major even thinking it was wrong, but during this time I was trying to find something I really liked, though as you can see I'm still not entirely sure, so I stayed on CS just in case I ended up deciding this was actually the right choice.

 

[Locrian]

Then I look to my friends who are studying engineering or physics (some already graduated) and they work with math, having to find structural resistance (An Civil Engineer ins this case),

That's something they're doing in school. The amount of math most Civ Es actually use on the job is pretty inconsequential. Lots of drafting, if that's your thing.

If you don't like what people with a CS degree usually do, that's fine. But it sounds like you're making your decisions based on coursework, and that's a bad idea.

 

[homeomorphic]

math != numbers

I think maybe equations would be a more suitable word for the type of stuff you are looking for.

Decide whether the stuff you don't like is small stuff or big stuff. If it's small stuff, you're probably going to find things just as bad if you switch to something else, so make sure it's really a fundamental problem before you do so. Every profession will have its down sides and every job will probably have things about it that you don't like that much.

From what you've said, my very strong hunch is that you would like EE the best (my qualifications there: studied EE for 3 years before switching to math, and now, oddly enough, turning to programming). The thing I like about the computer science curriculum, though, is that I love understanding how things work, including computers and software. I'm sort of ambivalent towards the software engineering side of it.

Unless anyone here can tell me that even graduating on CS I could make something on other fields (like math or physics), I'll stay unhappy.

I'm not sure what the job market is like for that sort of thing, but there are a lot of labs and stuff that need programmers, so there are possibilities.