What do computer science engineers do?

[geekynerd]

i am a first year computer science student and i dont know what i am going to do at my work. what kind of work i do. rn i am learning c and python. i my college they are teaching python and c but by learning algorithm and stuff how can i use it. what can i build with it. i am to blank somebody help me

 

[Hornbein]

I recommend you talk to some working engineers and find out what they do.

 

[geekynerd]

i dont know anyone. i am new to this field and in my family circle there are no computer engineers thats why i approached this platform to know what they do

 

[DaveC426913]

I'm kind of curious why you went into a field without having any clue what it is.

 

[Filip Larsen]

Learning to program in any language is an universal and essential entry skill into computer science, so right now you are on track for everything the field has to offer.

Regarding your possibilities, well considering that pretty much any coordinated human activity on the planet today needs computers with software and sometimes loads of data, and someone has to innovate and design all that (and maybe even implement and maintain it), the possibilities are, as the saying goes, nearly endless. That doesn't mean you cannot end up in a corner of an industry or part of the technology stack that you don't like, so planning ahead is indeed prudent. But since you are just starting expect to go wide for a while for broader knowledge which at the same time should clue you in where that particular aspect may lead.

And if you want an impression of what is in need right now and what resume that requires a general trick is to go search for job postings that you feel is relevant for you.

 

[geekynerd]

I'm kind of curious why you went into a field without having any clue what it is.

i have no idea about colleges and degrees in high school so i randomly chose a course iin college. and this course has higher placements than any other so i joined this course

 

[geekynerd]

Learning to program in any language is an universal and essential entry skill into computer science, so right now you are on track for everything the field has to offer.

Regarding your possibilities, well considering that pretty much any coordinated human activity on the planet today needs computers with software and sometimes loads of data, and someone has to innovate and design all that (and maybe even implement and maintain it), the possibilities are, as the saying goes, nearly endless. That doesn't mean you cannot end up in a corner of an industry or part of the technology stack that you don't like, so planning ahead is indeed prudent. But since you are just starting expect to go wide for a while for broader knowledge which at the same time should clue you in where that particular aspect may lead.

And if you want an impression of what is in need right now and what resume that requires a general trick is to go search for job postings that you feel is relevant for you.

ok thanks!!!!

 

[jbriggs444]

i am a first year computer science student and i dont know what i am going to do at my work. what kind of work i do. rn i am learning c and python. i my college they are teaching python and c but by learning algorithm and stuff how can i use it. what can i build with it. i am to blank somebody help me

Experiences will vary. For me it was never about setting out to build something. It was always "We need to do this. How can we do it?"

User needs a reporting tool to prepare NASA 533 reports. We have a Fortran compiler. So I write it in Fortran.

We wanted to do chargeback accounting for disk space based on top level directory. A directory tree search was impractical (way too many head seeks) so I designed a one pass scan on the index file (Files-11 ODS2). Fortran again.

We needed to retrofit Cisco LAN switch configuration for perimeter defense (smart cards and 802.1x). So I wrote a script to parse switch config, discern the connected devices based on port configuration and create an updated switch configuration.

We needed to audit LAN switch configuration. So I tweaked the script and reused it.

We were using a third party application to do maintenance management. The application was performing poorly. Without the benefit of documentation, I realized that the application has an interpreter that operates by doing random access within the program file on disk. There was no caching. So every GOTO in the code resulted in 20 ms or so latency for seek time on the disk heads. I had no access to the application. But I did have the ability to turn on global buffers. This will work as long as the file is held open. I could hold the file open by installing it as a known file. And reinstall at system startup. This resulted in at least a ten fold improvement in performance. The vendor was amazed.

We needed to arrange for routing symmetry because we had two data centers, each with a firewall. Traffic passing between security layers (we started with eight layers and ended up with about fifty) must pass through a firewall. Having passed forward through that firewall, it must return through the same firewall. Ordinary routing protocols are not naturally symmetric. Our MPLS vendor had the ability to process routing preference encoded in BGP community tags (a list of 32 bit numbers associated with a routing table entry). So I design route-maps to apply to inbound and outbound routing table updates so that symmetry is assured. That scheme lasted for over ten years and multiple data center migrations.

We needed to configure data center switch ports using Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure. If one is familiar with classic router configuration, this is a massive paradigm shift. Instead of configuring ports, one configures applications and then associates ports with the application. So I write a script that prompts the user for details about the attached device and creates a [pair of] XML update files suitable for posting to the infrastructure.

We need to figure out what ports a particular system is plugged into. Or figure out what system a particular port feeds. So I write a script to parse the XML configuration and allow for either query.

I've never been a coder for a large project. Always a bit of a lone wolf. So I do not know what it is like to do check in, check out, code review, unit testing, integration testing, etc.

 

[phinds]

i have no idea about colleges and degrees in high school so i randomly chose a course iin college. and this course has higher placements than any other so i joined this course

Then you are quite likely doomed in that profession since you will be competing against people who are in the profession because they very much WANT to be in the profession and because their presumed love of programming will likely make them better at it than you because they WANT to study it.

 

[jackjack2025]

Mostly fix bugs that other people have left behind :)

 

[Hornbein]

Then you are quite likely doomed in that profession since you will be competing against people who are in the profession because they very much WANT to be in the profession and because their presumed love of programming will likely make them better at it than you because they WANT to study it.

I hated programming but was better at it than most of the people who loved it.

 

[Hornbein]

i dont know anyone. i am new to this field and in my family circle there are no computer engineers thats why i approached this platform to know what they do

I've found that people are willing to talk to young strangers about careers. I'd go to your college and have them get you in touch with some alumni. I'd also try to get an internship or something where you can see what it's like. You will be investing years of your life, you don't want it to end up with a bust.

 

[phinds]

Mostly fix bugs that other people have left behind :)

That would be funny if it weren't so true

NOTE: to be fair, it IS an exaggeration (but an exaggeration of a very real phenomenon)

 

[berkeman]

i am a first year computer science student and i dont know what i am going to do at my work. what kind of work i do. rn i am learning c and python. i my college they are teaching python and c but by learning algorithm and stuff how can i use it. what can i build with it. i am to blank somebody help me

To add to the great reply by @jbriggs444 ...

When I was in undergrad, my program was actually a combined EE/CS curriculum. I specialized more on the hardware EE side, but took a fair number of CS software and theory classes. After you graduate you may well be part of a large team of CS engineers designing and maintaining large pieces of software (think of the large Microsoft/other applications that you use now), or you may specialize in some corner of CS.

In either case it is good to take (and do well in) courses like Data Structures, Operating Systems, Compilers, etc., and program in several different types of computer languages (low-level assembly, structured non-object-oriented languages like C, object-oriented languages like C++, etc.). I also took a couple theory classes that were recommended to me by my advisor, but those have not been all that useful in my career (Discrete Math [1], CS Theory [2], etc.).

I would also encourage you to start using Version Control software to manage your software projects: software like GitHub or CVS/SVN, etc. [3]. You will most likely need to use such Version Control software in your work projects, so it's good to start to get comfortable with them from the start.

You should try to do some GUI coding early on as well, since it lets you see the results of your coding in a more impressive way. It also helps you to start thinking about how to best design a User Interface to make it intuitive to the user -- there is definitely an art to that.

Have fun!


[1] https://cs.ucdavis.edu/schedules-classes/ecs-020-discrete-mathematics-computer-science
[2] https://cs.ucdavis.edu/schedules-cl...pics-computer-science-computer-science-theory
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_version-control_software

 

[DaveC426913]

I would also encourage you to start using Version Control software to manage your software projects: software like GitHub or CVS/SVN, etc. [3]. You will most likely need to use such Version Control software in your work projects, so it's good to start to get comfortable with them from the start.

:shudder:

Requesting a new PF feature.

The new feature has exactly the same function as the "spoiler" tag - to hide a block of text - but is called "Warning: Trauma Trigger - This text contains words that some viewers may find disturbing".


Yes, get comfortable with version control systems.

 

[WWGD]

Why don't you go to some of the main job sites : LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, etc. , and do a job search using terms ' Computer Science', ' Python', see the search results you get?

 

[berkeman]

After you graduate you may well be part of a large team of CS engineers designing and maintaining large pieces of software (think of the large Microsoft/other applications that you use now), or you may specialize in some corner of CS.

As a special case of this, you may end up working at a small innovative company on the software that drives new products and new software features in existing/newer products. I recently searched on a senior finance executive that I had worked with for a number of years to see what she was up to, and she's currently a VP at this smaller innovative company in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area:

https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/

This is one type of software that you could be working on with a new CS degree. When you first get out of college, you will be helping at the periphery of these kinds of systems, but as you get more experience, you may one day be heading up the software team designing such innovative and useful software packages.

As you go through your CS classes and work experience, think about how you would plan out and carry out the software for such a system. How would you design it top-down? How would you design the GUIs for the main stations and the hand-held server devices? How would you conduct the Focus group sessions to fine tune your product? How would you run the product life cycle of your software group's product?

(Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in this company, but I'm glad that my friend linked up with such a good group.)

 

[CrysPhys]

@geekynerd . I majored in physics, not computer science. But I'll pass along this anecdote that has bearing on what you should avoid. Before I retired, I worked for almost 10 years as a patent agent in a small law firm. Most (~6) of the patent attorneys I met there had undergrad degrees in computer science. I asked them why they had decided to go to law school and become patent attorneys.

Their stories were all similar. After completing their undergrad degrees, they went to work in industry, with expectations of challenging, creative, fulfilling work. Instead, they ending up writing line after line of mind-numbing code. The creative work on new algorithms was done by more senior people, often with more advanced degrees. For whatever reason, they decided to pivot to law school, rather than grad school.

My experience is in the US. Your profile has your country listed as India. India has become home to low-cost coding mills, to which companies in the US and other countries farm out routine, mundane work. You probably want to avoid these mills. Find out the path (including potential grad studies) for more creative work.

 

[geekynerd]

@geekynerd . I majored in physics, not computer science. But I'll pass along this anecdote that has bearing on what you should avoid. Before I retired, I worked for almost 10 years as a patent agent in a small law firm. Most (~6) of the patent attorneys I met there had undergrad degrees in computer science. I asked them why they had decided to go to law school and become patent attorneys.

Their stories were all similar. After completing their undergrad degrees, they went to work in industry, with expectations of challenging, creative, fulfilling work. Instead, they ending up writing line after line of mind-numbing code. The creative work on new algorithms was done by more senior people, often with more advanced degrees. For whatever reason, they decided to pivot to law school, rather than grad school.

My experience is in the US. Your profile has your country listed as India. India has become home to low-cost coding mills, to which companies in the US and other countries farm out routine, mundane work. You probably want to avoid these mills. Find out the path (including potential grad studies) for more creative work.

thanks for the reply. I never knew there was a job called patent attorney i will really look into it. But the placement cell in our college promotes those kind of "IT Mills". i will try to avoid them most

 

[geekynerd]

Experiences will vary. For me it was never about setting out to build something. It was always "We need to do this. How can we do it?"

User needs a reporting tool to prepare NASA 533 reports. We have a Fortran compiler. So I write it in Fortran.

We wanted to do chargeback accounting for disk space based on top level directory. A directory tree search was impractical (way too many head seeks) so I designed a one pass scan on the index file (Files-11 ODS2). Fortran again.

We needed to retrofit Cisco LAN switch configuration for perimeter defense (smart cards and 802.1x). So I wrote a script to parse switch config, discern the connected devices based on port configuration and create an updated switch configuration.

We needed to audit LAN switch configuration. So I tweaked the script and reused it.

We were using a third party application to do maintenance management. The application was performing poorly. Without the benefit of documentation, I realized that the application has an interpreter that operates by doing random access within the program file on disk. There was no caching. So every GOTO in the code resulted in 20 ms or so latency for seek time on the disk heads. I had no access to the application. But I did have the ability to turn on global buffers. This will work as long as the file is held open. I could hold the file open by installing it as a known file. And reinstall at system startup. This resulted in at least a ten fold improvement in performance. The vendor was amazed.

We needed to arrange for routing symmetry because we had two data centers, each with a firewall. Traffic passing between security layers (we started with eight layers and ended up with about fifty) must pass through a firewall. Having passed forward through that firewall, it must return through the same firewall. Ordinary routing protocols are not naturally symmetric. Our MPLS vendor had the ability to process routing preference encoded in BGP community tags (a list of 32 bit numbers associated with a routing table entry). So I design route-maps to apply to inbound and outbound routing table updates so that symmetry is assured. That scheme lasted for over ten years and multiple data center migrations.

We needed to configure data center switch ports using Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure. If one is familiar with classic router configuration, this is a massive paradigm shift. Instead of configuring ports, one configures applications and then associates ports with the application. So I write a script that prompts the user for details about the attached device and creates a [pair of] XML update files suitable for posting to the infrastructure.

We need to figure out what ports a particular system is plugged into. Or figure out what system a particular port feeds. So I write a script to parse the XML configuration and allow for either query.

I've never been a coder for a large project. Always a bit of a lone wolf. So I do not know what it is like to do check in, check out, code review, unit testing, integration testing, etc.

sounds so complex but exiting to read. the job you work sounds so cool and i wish i work on a job like that

 

[geekynerd]

Then you are quite likely doomed in that profession since you will be competing against people who are in the profession because they very much WANT to be in the profession and because their presumed love of programming will likely make them better at it than you because they WANT to study it.

I dont have idea of my field that dosent meak i cand develop passion on it.

Then you are quite likely doomed in that profession since you will be competing against people who are in the profession because they very much WANT to be in the profession and because their presumed love of programming will likely make them better at it than you because they WANT to study it.

 

[geekynerd]

As a special case of this, you may end up working at a small innovative company on the software that drives new products and new software features in existing/newer products. I recently searched on a senior finance executive that I had worked with for a number of years to see what she was up to, and she's currently a VP at this smaller innovative company in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area:

https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-pos/

This is one type of software that you could be working on with a new CS degree. When you first get out of college, you will be helping at the periphery of these kinds of systems, but as you get more experience, you may one day be heading up the software team designing such innovative and useful software packages.

As you go through your CS classes and work experience, think about how you would plan out and carry out the software for such a system. How would you design it top-down? How would you design the GUIs for the main stations and the hand-held server devices? How would you conduct the Focus group sessions to fine tune your product? How would you run the product life cycle of your software group's product?

View attachment 361139

View attachment 361140

(Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in this company, but I'm glad that my friend linked up with such a good group.)

to work in the small and emerging startup like this and with a good idea needs a good skill and a lot of experience a after completing my degree it is less possible for me to work in the job straightaway like this [but i would definitely love to do this job]. if you are willing can you share is instagram id so i can look into him track is progress and if any major doubt i can approach him. thanks for replying to this forum and this thread really helped me a lot. any you have anymore information or advice for me please say to me every bit of information will be useful for me. and is there any company or startup i need to look for internship or keep an eye on them so it will help my future.

thank you

 

[berkeman]

if you are willing can you share is instagram id so i can look into him track is progress and if any major doubt i can approach him.

My friend is in finance with lots of experience at startups as well as large companies.

 

[geekynerd]

My friend is in finance with lots of experience at startups as well as large companies.

is it possiblw to get his contacts. It would help me a lot

 

[berkeman]

is it possiblw to get his contacts. It would help me a lot

No. Please don't make phishing requests like that here at PF.

 

[WWGD]

to work in the small and emerging startup like this and with a good idea needs a good skill and a lot of experience a after completing my degree it is less possible for me to work in the job straightaway like this [but i would definitely love to do this job]. if you are willing can you share is instagram id so i can look into him track is progress and if any major doubt i can approach him. thanks for replying to this forum and this thread really helped me a lot. any you have anymore information or advice for me please say to me every bit of information will be useful for me. and is there any company or startup i need to look for internship or keep an eye on them so it will help my future.

thank you

Why don't you just install the likes of SqlServer with SSMS or Python Jupiter and explore? We can help you here? Edit: If you're not experienced, Just installing and using will be a fun challenge.

 

[CrysPhys]

thanks for the reply. I never knew there was a job called patent attorney i will really look into it. But the placement cell in our college promotes those kind of "IT Mills". i will try to avoid them most

Careful, India is also home to patent mills. The point of my post was not to direct you to a career as a patent attorney specifically. I just wanted to point out that some fresh computer science majors got so demoralized by their first jobs that they dropped out of the field for good. So try to find out what the proverbial "a day in the life of [an employee in a specific position in a specific company]" is like, before signing on. This applies to any field, not just computer science.

 

[geekynerd]

Careful, India is also home to patent mills. The point of my post was not to direct you to a career as a patent attorney specifically. I just wanted to point out that some fresh computer science majors got so demoralized by their first jobs that they dropped out of the field for good. So try to find out what the proverbial "a day in the life of [an employee in a specific position in a specific company]" is like, before signing on. This applies to any field, not just computer science.

ok. I didnt mean to divert my profession to patent attorney. i was just exicted that computer science engineers can adapt any kind of job. so i said i would look into the job.

 

[geekynerd]

Why don't you just install the likes of SqlServer with SSMS or Python Jupiter and explore? We can help you here? Edit: If you're not experienced, Just installing and using will be a fun challenge.

i'd try it definitely. hope its intresting

 

[geekynerd]

No. Please don't make phishing requests like that here at PF.

ok. I am still learning how to use public forums. i dont know the proper rules and guidelines. sorry if i broke any of the guidelines and rules of this forums. and i will not do this mistake again

 

[sbrothy]

That would be funny if it weren't so true

NOTE: to be fair, it IS an exaggeration (but an exaggeration of a very real phenomenon)

Don't get me started about "refactoring" (a de facto euphemism for "complete rewrite")....

 

[Death Metal]

i my college they are teaching python and c but by learning algorithm and stuff how can i use it. what can i build with it. i am to blank somebody help me

For starters, learning C and a pragma-oriented language like Python are good things. With that basis, you can do anything.

My recommendation is time-honored: (1) find a charity and volunteer, and (2) consider contributing to open-source projects.

You will want to learn operating systems, networking/telecommunications (yes the latter is still useful), and bare hardware at some point. You will specialize.

But people need tons of stuff done, and any of it can lead you to make things by learning first to fix things. Walk before you run IMHO.

 

[geekynerd]

ok thank you for the reply so much. And a help. if you are currently working on a open source project can you reccomend me that which is begineer friendly and actually useful for us. and again thank you for the reply

 

[sbrothy]

For starters, learning C and a pragma-oriented language like Python are good things. With that basis, you can do anything.

My recommendation is time-honored: (1) find a charity and volunteer, and (2) consider contributing to open-source projects.

You will want to learn operating systems, networking/telecommunications (yes the latter is still useful), and bare hardware at some point. You will specialize.

But people need tons of stuff done, and any of it can lead you to make things by learning first to fix things. Walk before you run IMHO.

Though we agree overall, a little warning about "contributing to opensource projects" though:

In reality you risk running into dysfunctional "teams" trying to maintain a program whose user base is (or managers or developers are) either non-existent, dwindling or misaligned with the project's original intent.

Or you risk running into some pensioned CS professor desperately trying to make random programmers make his failed idea succeed after his students gave up long ago.

As you might have guessed I speak of personal experience, and I have more examples. Not that opensource cannot be a rewarding experience, you just need to go into it with open eyes and not commit fully before you've had a good look and understanding of the underlying social dynamics.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[DaveC426913]

Though we agree overall, a little warning about "contributing to opensource projects" though:

In reality you risk running into dysfunctional "teams" trying to maintain a program whose user base is (or managers or developers are) either non-existent, dwindling or misaligned with the project's original intent.

Or you risk running into some pensioned CS professor desperately trying to make random programmers make his failed idea succeed after his students gave up long ago.

As you might have guessed I speak of personal experience, and I have more examples. Not that opensource cannot be a rewarding experience, you just need to go into it with open eyes and not commit fully before you've had a good look and understanding of the underlying social dynamics.

Just my 2 cents...

You sound like you might be in a position to make some good recommendations to the OP.

 

[sbrothy]

i have no idea about colleges and degrees in high school so i randomly chose a course iin college. and this course has higher placements than any other so i joined this course

This choice might seem devious now but it may backfire later on if you find that you learned something (however easy it came to you) that you realize later you don't want to use.

Best advice is to follow what interests you, specifically something you can see yourself doing 20 years from now...

Sorry if that sounds cynical.

(EDITED: broken idiom)

 

[TensorCalculus]

Both my parents are CS engineers and have been for 20-30 ish years, and have worked in many different companies over the years...
One thing that A lot of aspiring software engineers (I know a few) do not know of but that my parents both 100% agree is true is that even in a technical job like a software engineer, you need to be able to talk well. They say communication is like 80% and the technical stuff is just 20% - that might be something to keep in mind.

 

[CrysPhys]

Both my parents are CS engineers and have been for 20-30 ish years, and have worked in many different companies over the years...
One thing that A lot of aspiring software engineers (I know a few) do not know of but that my parents both 100% agree is true is that even in a technical job like a software engineer, you need to be able to talk well. They say communication is like 80% and the technical stuff is just 20% - that might be something to keep in mind.

I'm not a computer scientist, but I worked with many of them across a broad spectrum of positions in the telecommunications industry. I agree that for any technical job (not just software engineering), communications ability (not just verbal, but also written and visual) is also necessary, not just technical ability. But the split (communications - technical) needed for success varies widely with the position. E.g., if you're hired into a funded research position, it might be ~80% technical - 20% communications [this assumes, e.g., that you communicate well enough to be hired in the first place, and communicate well enough to successfully interact with peers and management, but are not responsible for acquiring funds for the research]. On the other hand, if you're providing engineering support to a marketing team, e.g., the split might be ~80% communications - 20% technical.

 

[sbrothy]

Both my parents are CS engineers and have been for 20-30 ish years, and have worked in many different companies over the years...
One thing that A lot of aspiring software engineers (I know a few) do not know of but that my parents both 100% agree is true is that even in a technical job like a software engineer, you need to be able to talk well. They say communication is like 80% and the technical stuff is just 20% - that might be something to keep in mind.

I can recognize this. A huge part of every software project (especially the larger ones) is an endless stream of meetings. And that's not even counting communicating with the customer!

 

[TensorCalculus]

oh, and this communication skill... along with emotional intelligence, these skills are going to become more and more important as AI starts doing those more mediocre tasks like entry level coding... or at least that's what my parents think.

 

[geekynerd]

This choice might seem devious now but it may backfire later on if you find that you learned something (however easy it came to you) that you realize later you don't want to use.

Best advice is to follow what interests you, specifically something you can see yourself doing 20 years from now...

Sorry if that sounds cynical.

(EDITED: broken idiom)

yeah. actually i was looking into the field of the computational physics and i am working on it. i dont have any specific plans for future but i will look into it. thanks for the repy

 

[sbrothy]

I'm not a computer scientist, but I worked with many of them across a broad spectrum of positions in the telecommunications industry. I agree that for any technical job (not just software engineering), communications ability (not just verbal, but also written and visual) is also necessary, not just technical ability. But the split (communications - technical) needed for success varies widely with the position. E.g., if you're hired into a funded research position, it might be ~80% technical - 20% communications [this assumes, e.g., that you communicate well enough to be hired in the first place, and communicate well enough to successfully interact with peers and management, but are not responsible for acquiring funds for the research]. On the other hand, if you're providing engineering support to a marketing team, e.g., the split might be ~80% communications - 20% technical.

Communication skills and emotional intelligence is probably important whichever profession you decide upon. An insurance salesman needs both, as do programmers or physicists writing a paper with 20 coauthors. Heck, even a drug-pusher will probably get "offed" if he/she doesn't master social situations.

In fact, completing a job interview without a basic mastery of both will probably get you nowhere.