The one computer science course I did take was selected on a whim, a simple space-filler for my senior year schedule. Science and math were enjoyable enough, and tech seemed like the next unexplored realm. But I was also on the edge of taking a random biotechnology elective, zoology class or just leaving the space free to take extra naps. There was little to no initiative — or requirement — to learn about computing other than the fact that I found phone apps addictive and played around with Scratch when I was a kid. AP Computer Science had the same weight as my elective journalism or strings classes, not AP Chemistry or AP Language and Composition.
Yet, upon coming to Cornell (and I’m sure this is true of other universities), there is a seemingly never-ending abundance of computer science majors. Every which way, the phrase “I’m majoring in computer science,” or some variation of it, pops up. I’ll acknowledge, I’m guilty of saying this phrase every time there’s a new icebreaker on the horizon. The people I come into contact with on a daily basis are skewed to be more interested in tech. But as high computer science engineer salary, you are rarely exposed to tech, one of the largest fields coming into university and industry as well. The common core found in high schools does not actively reflect our job market, or even the fields of interest as they are in university. There is too much emphasis on general and theory-filled subjects and too little focus on more application-based topics like ‘how to write a check’ and ‘how to calculate a tip.’ The common core is outdated and begging for an upgrade. Why is it that computer science is one of the largest majors at Cornell, but is rarely explored before university?
No comments:
Post a Comment