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> I really think that if I had had to learn programming with that course, I would never have learned it This is one of the most common misconceptions in genera

> I really think that if I had had to learn programming with that course, I would never have learned it This is one of the most common misconceptions in general with educational institutions and the general software engineering job market. Programming is not Computer Science. Computer science teaches you how computers work, concepts of how encryption works, concepts of security, concepts of memory management, and so forth. More recently computer programming has been added as a part of Computer Science degrees, but actually just a decade or so ago (when I was going through it), you could graduate with Computer Science degree without programming experience at all. There is no doubt that learning computer science makes you a better programmer, but it is different and it is possible to be a good programmer without it. Programming is one of the practical applications that benefit from strong computer science knowledge. Just like how taking a human anatomy course or a biology course doesn't train you to become a doctor. But it's pretty important knowledge needed for doctors to be good at their jobs (so much so that we don't let people practice medicine without it).

BossingAround 4y ago
Quoting someone else in this thread: > Harvard’s course seems to be aimed at people who are coders or want to be better at coding, so you learn about different languages, algorithms/data structures, SQL and such. CS50 is definitely somewhere between "comp sci course" and a "get coding quick" bootcamp.
scott_s 4y ago
What Computer Science programs were you aware of where someone could graduate with no programming experience? I am unaware of any.
- l33t2328 4y ago
  I’ve never heard of one. I refuse to believe a self respecting CS program would let people through without taking some kind of computer organization/low level programming type class where you _at least_ program in some C.
  - wawjgreen 4y ago
    this whole "low-level" thing and C-elitism is very off-putting to the smart folks like us--who are not stuck in the past and want to get on with the future. You don't need low level details to program well--you need a good language like APL, to truly learn how to program.
    - l33t2328 4y ago
      > smart folks like us--who are not stuck in the past and want to get on with the future The future has pointers and memory allocation, even if you want to pretend it’s to there and leave the complexity to other smart folks. > You don't need low level details to program well--you need a good language like APL, to truly learn how to program We’re not talking about a programming degree. We’re talking about a computer science degree.
      - wawjgreen 4y ago
        @l33t2328 programming IS the language and method of expression in computer science. I agree that pointers and mem alloc is necessary if you want to do research in CS and will continue to be so in the future, but as far as programming (post 2022) is concerned, I don't see why any sane person would want to "get down to bare metal", given the improvements in hardware and language design.
wawjgreen 4y ago
programming is not computer science--but it is the language of computer science.

BossingAround 4y ago

Quoting someone else in this thread: > Harvard’s course seems to be aimed at people who are coders or want to be better at coding, so you learn about different languages, algorithms/data structures, SQL and such. CS50 is definitely somewhere between "comp sci course" and a "get coding quick" bootcamp.

scott_s 4y ago

What Computer Science programs were you aware of where someone could graduate with no programming experience? I am unaware of any.

l33t2328 4y ago
I’ve never heard of one. I refuse to believe a self respecting CS program would let people through without taking some kind of computer organization/low level programming type class where you _at least_ program in some C.
- wawjgreen 4y ago
  this whole "low-level" thing and C-elitism is very off-putting to the smart folks like us--who are not stuck in the past and want to get on with the future. You don't need low level details to program well--you need a good language like APL, to truly learn how to program.
  - l33t2328 4y ago
    > smart folks like us--who are not stuck in the past and want to get on with the future The future has pointers and memory allocation, even if you want to pretend it’s to there and leave the complexity to other smart folks. > You don't need low level details to program well--you need a good language like APL, to truly learn how to program We’re not talking about a programming degree. We’re talking about a computer science degree.
    - wawjgreen 4y ago
      @l33t2328 programming IS the language and method of expression in computer science. I agree that pointers and mem alloc is necessary if you want to do research in CS and will continue to be so in the future, but as far as programming (post 2022) is concerned, I don't see why any sane person would want to "get down to bare metal", given the improvements in hardware and language design.

wawjgreen 4y ago

programming is not computer science--but it is the language of computer science.