Want to be a CS major but don't think i'm smart enough

[TM101]

I just took some edu.x courses and I couldn't hack it after 2 hours of studying a day for a couple months . I tried doing the assignments after practicing and I still couldn't make Huffman trees correctly or add up complementary bits. And I was just going to fall behind so there was no point in continuing when I can't grasp the basics then try yo learn more on top of that.

Honestly, I think the reason is that my math skills are really bad because a lot of the time the assignments want you to understand something that isn't explicitly taught, and that drives me insane.

So I've been thinking about just starting math over from square one, but there's also the doubt that I'm just not that good at math and that I shouldn't be wasting my time with it. I remember in school those kids who were naturally talented, I mean I 've seen guys solve week long math assignments in 10 minutes with my own two eyes, or students who could do calculus homework during a lunch break while it'd take me hours to finish the same aassignment. guys who can rationalize answers to IQ tests where I just see numbers without a relationship.

And I know it's not a race thing either because I've know black people with that natural talent for math. I just understand the whole idea that anyone can do what they want if they put their mind to it is a lie sold to people so that they can cope with their deficiencies

I'd like to do a trade if it doesn't work out, but my mom won't let me, which is a considerable obstacle because she just wants me to code but she doesn't understand that I have to pass math heavy classes to get a CS degree, I can't just graduate through coding ability.

I'm not looking for pity, just wanted opinions outside of my conscious.

 

[TM101]

Where the responses at?

I'm just a young cat looking for guidance

 

[Spiritual Stratocaster]

@Liu Kang

I think is a mod...can you move this thread to the IT Careers thread?

You'll get more knowledge in that thread...

 

[YvrzTrvly]

you want a response. stop being a lazy piece of shyt.

anything is attainable if you want it enough. im back in school at 28 studying engineering and i had to start at basic algebra. now i got to a top 50 engineering school in the country.

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

Start here: www.khanacademy.com

Once you've gotten up to speed, go here:

http://www.thinkaloudacademy.com/algorithms.html​

 

[brick james]

I just took some edu.x courses and I couldn't hack it after 2 hours of studying a day for a couple months . I tried doing the assignments after practicing and I still couldn't make Huffman trees correctly or add up complementary bits. And I was just going to fall behind so there was no point in continuing when I can't grasp the basics then try yo learn more on top of that.

Honestly, I think the reason is that my math skills are really bad because a lot of the time the assignments want you to understand something that isn't explicitly taught, and that drives me insane.

So I've been thinking about just starting math over from square one, but there's also the doubt that I'm just not that good at math and that I shouldn't be wasting my time with it. I remember in school those kids who were naturally talented, I mean I 've seen guys solve week long math assignments in 10 minutes with my own two eyes, or students who could do calculus homework during a lunch break while it'd take me hours to finish the same aassignment. guys who can rationalize answers to IQ tests where I just see numbers without a relationship.

And I know it's not a race thing either because I've know black people with that natural talent for math. I just understand the whole idea that anyone can do what they want if they put their mind to it is a lie sold to people so that they can cope with their deficiencies

I'd like to do a trade if it doesn't work out, but my mom won't let me, which is a considerable obstacle because she just wants me to code but she doesn't understand that I have to pass math heavy classes to get a CS degree, I can't just graduate through coding ability.

I'm not looking for pity, just wanted opinions outside of my conscious.

the fact is that not everyone can be everything they want to be... but there is only one way to find out breh

 

[TM101]

you want a response. stop being a lazy piece of shyt.

anything is attainable if you want it enough. im back in school at 28 studying engineering and i had to start at basic algebra. now i got to a top 50 engineering school in the country.

This sounds interesting. Tell me more! Did you use books or online resources? Did you self teach or have a tutor?
C'mon breh, this is your chance to say you mentored someone!

 

[88m3]

 

[OsO]

Whether you think you can,
or think you can't,
either way you are correct.

 

[Liu Kang]

@TM101, please read (or participate in) those two threads :
- http://www.thecoli.com/threads/it-certs-and-careers-lets-discuss-it.9043/
- http://www.thecoli.com/threads/developer-programming-information-and-careers-thread.116488/
Plenty of info and knowledge being given, you can ask your questions there too if you feel like it.

Also, you can specifically ask for @kevm3, @Type Username Here or @Data-Hawk (on top of my mind, but there are many others too) who are pros in the field and would be able to advise you better.

 

[kevm3]

The problem is you are starting with something too advanced. Start with something easier. go to codecademy.com and work through some of the tracts there. html/css, javascript, python, ruby, etc. Pick one.

One thing you don't want to do is jump into the deep end when starting off because you won't understand anything. Start off simple and build your way up.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Calculus is all just memorizing steps

 

[Kritic]

I just took some edu.x courses and I couldn't hack it after 2 hours of studying a day for a couple months . I tried doing the assignments after practicing and I still couldn't make Huffman trees correctly or add up complementary bits. And I was just going to fall behind so there was no point in continuing when I can't grasp the basics then try yo learn more on top of that.

Honestly, I think the reason is that my math skills are really bad because a lot of the time the assignments want you to understand something that isn't explicitly taught, and that drives me insane.

So I've been thinking about just starting math over from square one, but there's also the doubt that I'm just not that good at math and that I shouldn't be wasting my time with it. I remember in school those kids who were naturally talented, I mean I 've seen guys solve week long math assignments in 10 minutes with my own two eyes, or students who could do calculus homework during a lunch break while it'd take me hours to finish the same aassignment. guys who can rationalize answers to IQ tests where I just see numbers without a relationship.

And I know it's not a race thing either because I've know black people with that natural talent for math. I just understand the whole idea that anyone can do what they want if they put their mind to it is a lie sold to people so that they can cope with their deficiencies

I'd like to do a trade if it doesn't work out, but my mom won't let me, which is a considerable obstacle because she just wants me to code but she doesn't understand that I have to pass math heavy classes to get a CS degree, I can't just graduate through coding ability.

I'm not looking for pity, just wanted opinions outside of my conscious.

hi, i'm one of those black kids you say was "naturally talented" in math and guess what... there's no such thing. i wasn't out doing stupid shyt. it was studying 24-7. just like anything else, ppl who are good at anything have been doing it since they were kids.
it's also a family thing... ppl tend to do shyt their parents were. and my dad is in the IT field with a strong math background. so i had so jump on the math bandwagon as a kid.
the house was more like library. everyone hustling.. everyone reading... when we slept up and watched tv it was taken away. to this day i don't even fuq with tv because as a kid we never had a tv.

so you simply just had to disconnect yourself from society and get to study, period. that's what nerds to. and that's why they're good at what they do. you won't see a nerd out there doing stupid shyt like going to the bar everyday or keeping up with every distraction thrown at society.

as for your computer classes... most nerds study the class ahead of time. my mom (both parents nerds ) used to keep us a little ahead of the class. a lot of the nerds who enter a new class are already familiar with the class. class is just to cement shyt. and after class it's back to reading. when you go to your campus library it's nerds in there. not dumb fuqs. if you want to be a success mimick success. don't worry about gangsta rap or sports or none of that shyt.


i'll share a crazy college experience with you. we had an open book econ exam. i didn't know it was open book. day of the exam i just walked in there like and when time to start everyone pulled out their books . i just knew i'd blown it.
i did the best i could.
results come in and i was 2nd in the whole exam. i couldn't believe it. how do people have the book right infront of them and couldn't body it?
the guy who beat me was a super nerd from kenya called ali. i'll never forget that bytch nicca. he took my crown. he didn't beat me by much. i would've bodied him if i had the book. but i did well cause i studied 24-7 so it didn't even matter than i didn't have the book. but it just blew my mind how i was #2 and we had a pretty big class obviously mostly of white folks.
ali was my dude though. he was a short very humble dark skinned dude. i switched majors and never saw him again.


as for your major you just have to take something lighter. if you don't have a strong math background i don't know what to tell you.

 

[PYRRHUS 88]

One thing I can tell you is that with any mathematical discipline, you have to learn to walk before you can run. If your Algebra isn't rock solid, then you're basically dead in the water when it comes to anything past that. You CAN learn this shyt, you just can't have any ego about it. You might have to go back and study shyt that 14 year olds are learning in school before you can progress to more difficult stuff. Prereqs are prereqs for a reason, so don't even bother looking at any course where you can't honestly say you've mastered all the listed prereqs.

Like with most skills, there's no substitute for dem fundamentals. On the plus side, if you put in a year or two getting levelling up your math fundamentals, you can be one of the "gifted" dudes in University who understands shyt easier than your classmates.

I recommend TTC video lecture courses Algebra I, Algebra II and Precalculus. That's how I got my weight up. You can find the torrents pretty easily.

Source: dropped out of an Arts degree, spent a year learning math via self study, now doing Theoretical Physics at a top 5 program here in the UK.


Btw, even if there is such a thing as a natural born math genius, (ie. a John Von Neumann), even the best CS graduates are closer to being below average in natural mathematical ability than they are to being a Von Neumann. So don't worry about not being that. Just have the foundations in place and put the work in.

 

[theworldismine13]

hmmm a lot of stuff to respond to

1) if you were having trouble with edu x courses its more likely that you jumped in the deep end, huffman trees and complementary bits arent basic CS, its more like intermediate CS, basic CS is more like doing bubble sorts, so unless you had the prerequisite courses which is about 2 years worth of basic math, basic science and basic CS classes you probably had no business taking those edu x courses

2) lets be clear about why its important to take math, math isnt important because there is some secret knowledge in math that helps you in CS, the fundamental reason to take math is because it teaches you to manipulate abstract concepts in your head

someone said in this thread that calculus is just about following rules, that is incorrect, calculus is really about abstract concepts like limits and derivatives, if you take a calculus class and the only thing you get out of it is how to follow rules for integration and derivatives you did not fully get what you were suppose to get, cuz anybody can look up the rules, what is important is to understand and manipulate in your head the abstract concepts of calculus, not whether you can follow the rules

that being said i would recommend this course https://www.coursera.org/course/maththink

then after that just take the required math courses step by step, you just have to go up to calculus, if you are having trouble just get a tutor http://wyzant.com

there is no "crazy math" in CS, the "crazy math" that you are referring to is not something that you learn in math classes, instead what they are are just abstract concepts that you have to learn, math class is where you take baby steps in learning and manipulating abstract concepts

so to sum it up, its not about math per se, its about learning how to manipulate abstract concepts in your head

3) somebody mentioned Khan academy http://kahnacademy.com

lets be clear about what khan academy cuz a lot of people are fooled by and are using it the wrong way

khan academy is a great reference tool, but the reality is it doesnt teach math as defined in #2 above, (math being the ability to learn and manipulate abstract concepts) you can only learn real math by doing problems and doing homework, where you spend hours just thinking

all khan academy does is start you on the right path by giving you the basics, but it cannot make up for real math classes or make up for not having a proper math background

the best use for kahn is actually AFTER you have taken your math classes or DURING your math classes when you need to refresh your memory or need a different perspective or explanation of a particular concept

3) CS and IT/Networking or 2 very different things, if you want to get into IT/networking all you need is experience and or certs, CS is an actual academic programs that leads to a BS, MS or phd and you take all kinds of general ed and extra math and science coursework

4) if you want to code and dont want to or dont have 5 years to spend in college, the best choice is to attend a coding boot camp http://www.thecoli.com/threads/web-era-trade-schools-feeding-a-need-for-code.258450/#post-10477366

5) overall, the notion that you have to be some kind of math genius to be a programmer is silly, just take the required courses step by step, if you get stuck in any class go to your teacher and get a tutor, at the end of the day anybody can be a programmer

6) and just an FYI, programming pays good money but programming is boring and tedious