Computer Science v. Computer Information Systems

http://www.humboldt.edu/~csdept/programs/index.html

has a couple of programs, Computer Science and Computer Information
Systems.

Which program should I take in order to understand what you guys are
talking about??

I know Robert W. is self taught.  Do most programmers have some
academic background.  It fascinates me but I have no clue what you're
talking about.

:)

It doesn't matter. If you want to know about computers, take every
course you can get your hands on--univeristy, community college,
whatever. Learn all the languages, learn all about hardware, take
networking. Learn about mainframes as well as PCs. The more you know,
the better you look to a prospective employer.

Perth wrote:
> http://www.humboldt.edu/~csdept/programs/index.html
>
> has a couple of programs, Computer Science and Computer Information
> Systems.
>
> Which program should I take in order to understand what you guys are
> talking about??
>
> I know Robert W. is self taught.  Do most programmers have some
> academic background.  It fascinates me but I have no clue what you're
> talking about.
>
> :)
>

Superficially, CIS is for relatively normal people who have to use
computers, and CS is for nerds who actually *like* computers.  Imagine
yourself on a business trip:  Are you wearing a suit, flying business
class, with a spreadsheet open on your laptop?  Then CIS is probably for
you.  On the other hand, are you flying in the back of the plane,
wearing jeans, and reading a science fiction paperback?  Then you'll
want to enroll in CS.

But what if you're not sure?  Ideally, you'd be able to take a class or
two before having to commit yourself to one program or the other.  I
looked at the web page, and it looks like "Introduction to Programming"
is in CIS but not CS, which seems odd.  Ditto for "Computer Architecture
and Assembly Language," "C++ Programming," and "Data Structures in C++,"
which also seems strange.

But you say you want to know something about COBOL.  CS 335,
"Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms," discusses the history
of programming languages, and your instructor will probably mention
COBOL in one lecture along with ALGOL, FORTRAN, PL/I, and Pascal.  Do
not miss this lecture.  Stay awake.  Ask questions.  Your classmates
will be absent, asleep, or bored, while *you* make a good impression.
But be careful not to show *too* much interest in these languages,
especially COBOL, or you will start to scare people.  Whatever you do,
don't make it too obvious that your instructor has never actually
programmed in COBOL (or FORTRAN, etc).  You can always intimidate people
later, *after* you have your CS degree.

Stick around.  You will learn lots of things here.

Louis

She's here because she's trying to learn how to hack into others
systems.  Makes threats to do so on the boards & via email regularly.

Google "Connie Sunday", if you have the time and inclination, fun
reading if you're into interesting internet personalities.

Louis Krupp wrote:
> Perth wrote: 
>
> Superficially, CIS is for relatively normal people who have to use
> computers, and CS is for nerds who actually *like* computers.  Imagine
> yourself on a business trip:  Are you wearing a suit, flying business
> class, with a spreadsheet open on your laptop?  Then CIS is probably for
> you.  On the other hand, are you flying in the back of the plane,
> wearing jeans, and reading a science fiction paperback?  Then you'll
> want to enroll in CS.
>
> But what if you're not sure?  Ideally, you'd be able to take a class or
> two before having to commit yourself to one program or the other.  I
> looked at the web page, and it looks like "Introduction to Programming"
> is in CIS but not CS, which seems odd.  Ditto for "Computer Architecture
> and Assembly Language," "C++ Programming," and "Data Structures in C++,"
> which also seems strange.
>
> But you say you want to know something about COBOL.  CS 335,
> "Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms," discusses the history
> of programming languages, and your instructor will probably mention
> COBOL in one lecture along with ALGOL, FORTRAN, PL/I, and Pascal.  Do
> not miss this lecture.  Stay awake.  Ask questions.  Your classmates
> will be absent, asleep, or bored, while *you* make a good impression.
> But be careful not to show *too* much interest in these languages,
> especially COBOL, or you will start to scare people.  Whatever you do,
> don't make it too obvious that your instructor has never actually
> programmed in COBOL (or FORTRAN, etc).  You can always intimidate people
> later, *after* you have your CS degree.
>
> Stick around.  You will learn lots of things here.
>
> Louis