A very useful job to put a computer science degree to is visual effects programming. Where I work we have some fantastic programmers working in a variety of different languages (C++, Python, Perl, Maya's MEL, and so on) to create a variety of plugins and utilities for artists and animators working on big budget VFX films (i.e. Harry Potter, Troy, etc). Of course, if you don't like math it's not going to be the job for you!

Regards,

Martyn

(note: personal bias below; beware!)

The use of computers, and the programming and development of software and systems, is so broad and so pervasive that a CS degree prepares you only for some small aspects of it. Still, like degrees in almost everything except maybe medicine or law, the degree is just a small part of what you need to be GOOD at a field.

Back in the 70's when I was in college (!), San Francisco State was just starting to put together its CS program. The Math department championed it, because the business department and nursing/education department already had computer classes, and the math department looked down their nose at those departments. So, they wanted CS to be 'elite' and not for those fools taking MBA's or becoming nurses. Thus, the math department offered a CS major that was all of three CS classes and a dozen math classes. Sigh.

It has improved a lot since then, but I think CS departments have been mugged by math departments and tend to ignore a lot of 'real world' issues. That's fine, because there is a place for all that theory, as 'movielad' points out.

There are, however, many many jobs where you develop software full time and never use math beyond high school level. Where efficency is measured in human terms, not in machine terms. Where quality of a product is defined by how much money it makes or saves, and not by how many bugs it has. Where your value as a software engineer is measured in terms of how well you communicate, not in how complicated your code is.

I imagine CSCGal has done more good and learned more by working on this forum than on any class in school.

Just my humble opinion....

My high school has a book titled 'Intro to PASCAL for 1986' sitting on the bookshelf. Computers can never be taught in schools the way they should be. Dang :-(.

I never studied at the university so I can't realy say computer science is good or bad, but from what I've seen during the few years I've been working is that computer science graduates have a very good understanding of computing. Though it doesn't mean that they do anything related to computers that well, it shows that they have a good understanding of the logic associated with it and that they can learn whatever they need to learn to achieve the set goal.

Here in Sweden we have computer science at university level just liek yuo do but we also have a lot of courses focused on preparing you for a certain job. I myself studied a year to be a network administrator and it focused on networking and on windows systems. It gave me everything I needed to start a job like it(though no one wants to hire a network administrator with no working experience). a few years of working as a technical support specialist I got the job I wanted as a network technician. If I'd studied computer science at the university I'd probably been able to get this job as well, but i'd have had to studied more focused(maybe just from a book and then get certified) afterwards. After working as a network technician for two years I spent two years in the school bench to become a project manager. Now I'm back to being a network technician again but now I'm prepared for the next level, so to say.

Anyway, my point is that if you can put in the time it takes then the computer science degree is really good to have, as long as you focus on something afterwards and don't expect it to be enough.