[Motivational] Computer Science in Context: What you can achieve after taking this course!
Welcome to... COMPUTER SCIENCE IN CONTEXT!
Welcome to the amazing world of Computer Science! On this very moment you are embarking on a journey to one of the most amazing disciplines in our current and future world.
Computation, programming and Computer science are essential in our daily lives.
I hope this post will give you the context you need to visualize where you can go with what you’ll learn in this course, what you can create and how amazing it can be to learn computer science.
FIRST, LET ME TELL YOU THIS: EVERYTHING YOU LEARN IN THIS COURSE WILL BE VITAL FOR YOUR FUTURE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. THIS COURSE TEACHES THE PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO ALL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES, AND THE THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS YOU LEARN IN THIS COURSE CAN EASILY BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER TECHNOLOGIES.
Do not give up when you can’t figure something out immediately. Instead, try to break down the problem into smaller components and a solution will soon come to your mind.
You may have come here out of curiosity for the world of programming, you’ve watched TV shows, you’ve been amazed by technology you own, or you may feel like computers are incredible tools that can transform the world.
Throughout this course you will learn the basics of programming and at the end of the course you will have the necessary foundations to go anywhere you’d like with your programming skills.
Let’s discuss what you can do with the skills you’ll learn in the course:
- Web development: everything you are interacting with right now is the product of web development. There are two main components in this discipline: Front-End and Back-End. Front End deals with everything you can see right now, how information is presented to the user and how interactions occur. JavaScript is the programming language used for this purpose.
Back-End web development deals with everything related to storing and processing data and delivering it at the proper moment to the user. JavaScript, Python and PHP are programming languages that can be used for this purpose.
Can you imagine creating a web app? Just Picture the moment!
- Android development: android is the most popular operating system in our current world. With what you learn in this course, you can start learning Java, the programming language used for Android development.
Can you imagine deploying your first app to the Android store? Picture the moment!
- Data science: you will be learning Python, a programming language used in scientific computing for statistical analysis. You can analyze data and processes by creating simulations in Python that display data visually to better understand phenomena like population dynamics or virus spread, or perhaps global warming, you name it and I’m sure it can be modeled with Python!
Can you imagine analyzing data for a company with scientific simulations YOU developed? Picture the moment!
- Bioinformatics: a field that combines mathematics with computer science to model biological processes. Amazing discipline!
- Robotics: the future will be CODE! Robots and autonomous vehicles need software to understand the world they are surrounded by and how to respond to external stimuli. YOU could be the next software engineer for an autonomous vehicle!
All these disciplines require the foundations of programming you will learn in this course, and this is an incredibly important step in you ladder to the world of computer science. I am constantly amazed by the depth of this field, about how complex it can be and amazing as well.
Every minute spent in understanding a bug, a better algorithm for your solution or even better commenting skills will not be wasted, for you will be one step closer to your goal!
Read this context when you feel stressed, frustrated or when you feel you can’t learn programming, and I’m sure that if you truly want to succeed in this field, you will do what it takes to master these concepts, even when things get hard.
Don’t think of bugs as a failure. Think of them as an opportunity to learn, to correct, to become a better programmer. Go at your pace. Understand the concepts, and if you feel like you need help, simply ask in the forums. Community TAs and you classmates will always be there to help you.
You are not alone in this, there are thousands of students all over the world embarking on this journey with you at this very moment.
Use every resource you can find. Learn to read documentation (It can be daunting at first but you’ll learn it’s your best ally because it truly gives you the power to create anything you can imagine)
With this being said… I wish you luck!! I’m sure you will have so much fun with the challenges presented in the course.
Thank you all so much for your kind words.
Estefania.
How can I follow this course from beginning to end? I"m new to Python and this site looks incredible to assist me with my learning. I would like to start from the beginning and move forward. Is there an easy way to do this?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you very much for your very kind words : ) Welcome to the course and to the amazing world of Computer Science. First of all, you can register for the course on edX https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-mitx-6-00-1x-11 . On this blog you can browse tutorials for each week of the course by clicking on the tags that you can find on the "Find Posts by Week or Topic" section located to the left hand size of the screen. Each tutorial has a tag that corresponds to the week of the course it belongs to and you can also find these tutorials on the course discussion forums on edX. I really wish you good luck during the course and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask on the forums :)
DeleteWhat an inspiring perspective! Thank you so much Estefania...I appreciate your effort in writing this to inspire others.
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ReplyDeleteGreat Blog,
ReplyDeleteI have question about what's next after finishing "Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python" how i can continue my learning journey using MOOC and other resources.
thanks,
This is a very nice structure:
Deletehttps://github.com/ossu/computer-science
I needed this reminder today! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic. So simple, lucid and inspirational. Thank you so much!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting but I'm very much confused that from where should I start my course
ReplyDeleteHello, I found out that this course is instructor paced. I am entirely new to programming. What technique can I adapt to make me move at the same pace with this course considering that I am a new bee into the world of programming.
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a day do I need to put in to ensure that I succeed in passing this course
Hi Estefania,
ReplyDeleteYour post motivates me to work harder n harder n harder to become master in the Computer Science field, Thank you so much for your post and I appreciate your work _/\_ _/\_ _/\_.
You use the word "amazing" five times in your post, so I have a lot to look forward to I think. I've bookmarked this in case I get stuck.
ReplyDeleteThank you Estafania for your motivational words! I really needed today! The course is getting harder for me since I am total beginner in programming and it is not exactly easy to combine it with a job I am currently doing. But I really want to keep doing and find IT related job one day. :) And your blog is just great, thank you!
ReplyDeleteEstefania,
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us a great start in understanding this program and the possibilities and beauty in it. Thanks for the motivation!! I will certainly return here for further inspiration and clarity.
Estefania, thank you so much for taking the time to encourage and support us newbs--I will be checking back here often--thanks again. Cheers and good learning!
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