If you’re looking into learning computer science to get a job, and not just because you have a love of all things computer, the most important thing you should know is that computer science is not just about learning how to write code. People normally learn computer science as a stepping stone to a career, like software or data engineering, backend development, game development, or any other job that touches computers. So, in a pithier way, computer science is the study of how to make computers do the thing you want them to do. I mean, the Wikipedia page for computer science is roughly 50% hyperlinks. The problem with this definition is that every other word also needs to come with a definition for you to really get a sense of what computer science means.

It is a broad field that encompasses the study of algorithms, programming languages, software engineering, computer architecture, and artificial intelligence. Slightly boring but necessary answer first: Computer science is the study of computation and information. With the right tools, plan, and attitude, you can learn computer science in six to nine months. Short answer: computer science is hard, but not too hard for you. This article is written for people who are thinking about getting a job in backend development or software engineering and want to know if computer science is too hard to learn without a degree. How comfortable are you stretching your comfort zone?.How much do you enjoy practicing things?.Do you like thinking about and solving thorny problems?.Do you know anything about programming?.Increasing your salary by moving from entry-level data analyst to one of the jobs I mentioned above.įor all those cases, the answer is “Yes, computer science is hard – but not too hard.” Beyond just your goal, the difficulty of learning computer science comes down to a few factors.

Learning programming languages like Python or JavaScript.Becoming a backend developer, game developer, or data engineer.You want to know if having to learn computer science is going to be a real obstacle in your way to achieving your goal. You don’t want to know if computer science is hard. Yes, computer science is hard, but you already know that.

What is a computer science degree