prealgebra level?

In the UK you need Alevel maths qualification to do computer science at university, and to do that you need to have had a good grade at GCSE level

(I study computing at AS level myself and have looked into this in detail for when i go to uni)

Rather than doing computer science (quite a bit of mathematical theory) she may be better off doing one of the many applied programming courses (mainly practical work which is assesed).

In my field of Software Engineering, even though math comes easy for me, I never really needed very high-level math. I can take an equation and develop the code to compute the answer. In a sense, the equation is the description of the problem, and that's generally easily converted into code. But in graphics, math is relatively important -- you're always dealing with geometry and algebra. But on a team, you generally get the part of the project you're good at. If that's not math, that part goes to someone else.

As for female and age, should not be a problem.

Stressful or laid back? Yes. It can be both. As with any industry, when you have deadlines, there can be long hours and stress. At the beginning of projects it can be laid back, hectic, fun. Lots of good mental work figuring out the best way to handle the project, then design it. Then the coding starts.

>> 3) What is the demand for software engineers like and average starting salary?
depends on where she lives. and it might vary in the same city. The industry is pretty saturated -- many jobs in USA are being outsorced to places like India and Japan where labor is cheap.

>>4) Should she persue a degree in computer science or engineering and what will she need a bachelor's or master's?
bachelor's will do, but master's will provide better chance of landing a pretty good and well-paying job. Computer programmer's are a dime a dozen today, so the more education the better.

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies so far. It's great to have some input from people who are knowledgable in IT. She has her heart set on computer engineering/software development but I explained to her that she will probably need to develop her math skills. People have told me that you need to be well versed in calculus, trigonometry and algebra as well as linear math to do software development, so I don't know how true that is.

Outsourcing IT jobs, really? I thought the job prospects/security was good in the US for this field.

It's interesting to hear the standards in the UK, what made you decide to persue this field? Personally, for myself, I just like to dabble with computers. I believe that you have to be really cut out for this field, but I'm not in any position to discourage anyone from their dreams.

One thing she is looking for is good job security and from your description doesn't sound to secure and very competitive.

in the uk theres tough competition
my dad works in IT and he knows his company wont take anyone without a 1st class degree

The calculus and triginomertry are essential for games development but most other programming just needs an understanding of operator precedence and algebra

>1) What are the prospects for a female in this field and will her age be a hinderance, meaning to old to start?
Age and gender are irrelevant. The big killer will be her lack of mathematics skills. While some programmers can get away with basic arithmetic, programming is inherently based on algebraic concepts and notations. At the very least, a programmer should be familiar with algebra. Game programmers will have better luck with a strong foundation in geometry, calculus, and trigonometry because that's one of the more demanding fields.

>3) What is the demand for software engineers like and average starting salary?
Good developers are always in demand. The starting salary varies on the region, but in Atlanta an entry level programmer can expect to start around $40K.

>4) Should she persue a degree in computer science or engineering and
>what will she need a bachelor's or master's?
At least a BS is computer science will help immensely in getting a job. Naturally, the more education and experience she has, the better off she'll be. But time is usually an issue as well, so she'll have to use her judgement on when to stop taking classes and start learning from actually doing the work.

>5) Is the field highly stressful or laid back?
It depends on the field and the employer. My employer lets us be laid back, but the work is extremely demanding. It's good stress because it keeps us at our best without giving us health problems.

>6) What has been your ecperience in the field been like and what kind of advice would you offer?
My advice is to get used to being in a constant state of confusion.

Absolutely right. I have been working for my employer for about 8 years now and we have completely re-written the program three times due to hardware changes (upgrades with new os versions). And we are about to do it again in a couple months.

Good thing programmers are extremely adept at plagerism.

Thanks for the input, I will pass along the information....Justine