Hello everyone, I address this to the board members of this section.

Now, I'm conversant with the computer basics but will like the take my computer education a step further. I'm currently saddled with a variety of options to choose from but I'd like some advice on the option to choose from or start with, what it entails and the reasons.

The options include;
Java
Oracle
Sol server
Web design
ccna
A+
Network
Visual Basic
Auto cad
Archicad
Mos
Linux

Your feedback is highly needed.
Thanks

Have you ever just considered a degree in computer science or computer engineering? That would get you where you need to be

Fulaman198:
Have you ever just considered a degree in computer science or computer engineering? That would get you where you need to be

For naija ?,with all due respect bro, formal education is overrated , some comeputr science students dont even know html, when all lecturers do os write on the board(except for some few schools,all i am saying is he doesn't hav to get a degree to acquire all thos knowledge,the internet has made life easy.

Donald3d:
For naija ?,with all due respect bro, formal education is overrated , some comeputr science students dont even know html, when all lecturers do os write on the board(except for some few schools,all i am saying is he doesn't hav to get a degree to acquire all thos knowledge,the internet has made life easy.

I'm sorry but the fact that you believe that formal education is overrated gives me a sense that you have not experienced difficult problems firsthand. HTML imho can't be considered a programming language, it's a shame that some students don't know it, however the majority should. If a Computer Science student is serious they should do well. Fortunately for me, I did my Comp sci stuff in the United States where professors know how to teach before coming back here.

The internet may make some things easier but you don't have professors giving you difficult assignments requiring linear algebra to solve difficult problems. Most people who just learn online don't know the stuff going on behind the scenes. Computer Architecture classes are for that, as well as a Compiler theory class.

I believe that a 4 year degree in Computer Science is very important (same with Comp Engineering). I just feel that Nigeria needs to redesign its programme and hire professors that are qualified. There are so many great Universities in the U.S. for example that teach Comp Sci correctly. M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, John Hopkins, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of California, UPenn, etc. etc. Hundreds of good engineering schools in the United States.

I don't think it's fair to say that Computer Science isn't needed. If that was the case, would Google maps exist today and be as good as it is? Would the Google search engine be as robust as it is with recursive search algorithms? would V.R. exist today? No, Computer Science and Comp. Engineering are more than worth it.

Fulaman198:


I'm sorry but the fact that you believe that formal education is overrated gives me a sense that you have not experienced difficult problems firsthand. HTML imho can't be considered a programming language, it's a shame that some students don't know it, however the majority should. If a Computer Science student is serious they should do well. Fortunately for me, I did my Comp sci stuff in the United States where professors know how to teach before coming back here.

The internet may make some things easier but you don't have professors giving you difficult assignments requiring linear algebra to solve difficult problems. Most people who just learn online don't know the stuff going on behind the scenes. Computer Architecture classes are for that, as well as a Compiler theory class.

I believe that a 4 year degree in Computer Science is very important (same with Comp Engineering). I just feel that Nigeria needs to redesign its programme and hire professors that are qualified. There are so many great Universities in the U.S. for example that teach Comp Sci correctly. M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, John Hopkins, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of California, UPenn, etc. etc. Hundreds of good engineering schools in the United States.

I don't think it's fair to say that Computer Science isn't needed. If that was the case, would Google maps exist today and be as good as it is? Would the Google search engine be as robust as it is with recursive search algorithms? would V.R. exist today? No, Computer Science and Comp. Engineering are more than worth it.

i didn't say html is a programming language,i just used it as the closest and probably the simplest thing close to programming,besides when i said over rated, i was referring to Naija schools ,u are lucky u got ur education in the states, i was talking to some Computer science students,i started using some terms they couldn't speak or comprehend,they are over dependent on what they are taught in class,and most naija(not all) institutions still use ancient curriculums,when i said over rated,i didn't mean it is unimportant,i just meant it is given more value than it actually has.

Donald3d:
i didn't say html is a programming language,i just used it as the closest and probably the simplest thing close to programming,besides when i said over rated, i was referring to Naija schools ,u are lucky u got ur education in the states, i was talking to some Computer science students,i started using some terms they couldn't speak or comprehend,they are over dependent on what they are taught in class,and most naija(not all) institutions still use ancient curriculums,when i said over rated,i didn't mean it is unimportant,i just meant it is given more value than it actually has.

That I don't necessarily agree with.

Would you trust someone performing a surgery on you if all they did was look it up somewhere online and saw a YouTube video of it? I'd rather receive surgery from someone who went to school for it and learned it.

In the realm of computing if I was having someone design the underlining of an operating system, or a great search engine like Google, or a remarkable Virtual Reality system, would I hire someone who just Googled stuff online and learned via YouTube or someone who got the formal training/education for it? I wouldn't want some serious malfunction to occur in the Google search engine where all of a sudden it's extremely slow with queries because someone who programmed it doesn't have an in-depth understanding of Recursion and different search and sort algorithms.

Whilst one can definitely learn some great material online, it doesn't come close to near what one can learn in school. In fact, often I tell people to supplement their school learning with online learning and their online learning with school learning. Being really robust is important.

Fulaman198:


That I don't necessarily agree with.

Would you trust someone performing a surgery on you if all they did was look it up somewhere online and saw a YouTube video of it? I'd rather receive surgery from someone who went to school for it and learned it.

In the realm of computing if I was having someone design the underlining of an operating system, or a great search engine like Google, or a remarkable Virtual Reality system, would I hire someone who just Googled stuff online and learned via YouTube or someone who got the formal training/education for it? I wouldn't want some serious malfunction to occur in the Google search engine where all of a sudden it's extremely slow with queries because someone who programmed it doesn't have an in-depth understanding of Recursion and different search and sort algorithms.

Whilst one can definitely learn some great material online, it doesn't come close to near what one can learn in school. In fact, often I tell people to supplement their school learning with online learning and their online learning with school learning. Being really robust is important.

now you are talking,but u still cant compare programming with medicine bro

Thanks to @fulaman198 and donald3d for the replies. Actually I just completed a degree in a science related field and i have at least six free months of doing nothing and I decided to plug it in computer studies. There is this institute of computer studies that offers a variety of courses so that's why I opened this thread for some advice on the necessary step to take. As for a degree in computer studies who knows what the future holds. Never say never you know.

Donald3d:
For naija ?,with all due respect bro, formal education is overrated , some comeputr science students dont even know html, when all lecturers do os write on the board(except for some few schools,all i am saying is he doesn't hav to get a degree to acquire all thos knowledge,the internet has made life easy.

I dont know html. I dont need to know. Markdown and marked, and I'm covered.

Fulaman198:


That I don't necessarily agree with.

Would you trust someone performing a surgery on you if all they did was look it up somewhere online and saw a YouTube video of it? I'd rather receive surgery from someone who went to school for it and learned it.

In the realm of computing if I was having someone design the underlining of an operating system, or a great search engine like Google, or a remarkable Virtual Reality system, would I hire someone who just Googled stuff online and learned via YouTube or someone who got the formal training/education for it? I wouldn't want some serious malfunction to occur in the Google search engine where all of a sudden it's extremely slow with queries because someone who programmed it doesn't have an in-depth understanding of Recursion and different search and sort algorithms.

Whilst one can definitely learn some great material online, it doesn't come close to near what one can learn in school. In fact, often I tell people to supplement their school learning with online learning and their online learning with school learning. Being really robust is important.

What will you advice someone that graduated from mechanical engineering and really want to learn programming as a career. I can't start going to the university again neither can I afford abroad studies. An advice will be helpful.

@fulaman198 not to dispute the fact that one needs BSc, but remember, its not all that will have the mental capacity for programming, let alone algorithm, thats the highest, knowing and implementing it is no child's play, when i leart programming first, it was spoonsored by a Company that is vested in tech, we were 49 in class, but today we are less than 8 that code professionally for a living, some stopped even before graduation, one told me point blank that he can't. There is a speculation in US that by 2o2o there will be more 1million programming jobs than programmers, and am very sure that its not all programmer will do core algorithm!

Raypawer:
@fulaman198 not to dispute the fact that one needs BSc, but remember, its not all that will have the mental capacity for programming, let alone algorithm, thats the highest, knowing and implementing it is no child's play, when i leart programming first, it was spoonsored by a Company that is vested in tech, we were 49 in class, but today we are less than 8 that code professionally for a living, some stopped even before graduation, one told me point blank that he can't. There is a speculation in US that by 2o2o there will be more 1million programming jobs than programmers, and am very sure that its not all programmer will do core algorithm!

You are absolutely correct. Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering are all extremely difficult fields of study. Sometimes people underrate it/ (I'll use an American term) low-ball it and try to push it off as easy. The truth of the matter is that it is NOT!

Programming requires time to become decent at it.It's not something that can be learned overnight unless if you are some exceptional genius. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become adept at it. Sometimes you will feel like quitting and start to second guess yourself if it is for you, that is when you push yourself harder to try and understand it better.

Understanding the science behind algorithms is what differentiates a good programmer from a bad one. No one is going to ask you to implement an ArrayList or Linked List at work, but it's important to know. No one is going to ask you to implement a Binary search at work, but it is still important to know.

Good job for continuing with your studies!

brandable:

What will you advice someone that graduated from mechanical engineering and really want to learn programming as a career. I can't start going to the university again neither can I afford abroad studies. An advice will be helpful.

I advise that you look for good MOOCs (Online learning with programming assignments, lecture videos and discussion forums). The best websites i know for Computer Science MOOCs are edX.org and coursera.org.

They are much cheaper than attending a school in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, or wherever you reside.

aventura:
Hello everyone, I address this to the board members of this section.

Now, I'm conversant with the computer basics but will like the take my computer education a step further. I'm currently saddled with a variety of options to choose from but I'd like some advice on the option to choose from or start with, what it entails and the reasons.

The options include;
Java
Oracle
Sol server
Web design
ccna
A+
Network
Visual Basic
Auto cad
Archicad
Mos
Linux

Your feedback is highly needed.
Thanks

Programming with C. From there others.

[quote author=aventura post=46818029]Hello everyone, I address this to the board members of this section.

Now, I'm conversant with the computer basics but will like the take my computer education a step further. I'm currently saddled with a variety of options to choose from but I'd like some advice on the option to choose from or start with, what it entails and the reasons.

The options include;
Java
Oracle
Sol server
Web design
ccna
A+
Network
Visual Basic
Auto cad
Archicad
Mos
Linux



Programming with C. From there others.

Get a CS degree!

brandable:

What will you advice someone that graduated from mechanical engineering and really want to learn programming as a career. I can't start going to the university again neither can I afford abroad studies. An advice will be helpful.

The reason you need (preferably) a science degree is just so people trust your skills, nevertheless...if you studied a science related course in the university such as Mech. Eng, Petr Eng, Mathematics e.t.c, you're still good to go. Why: lemme explain,

You must have heard about the Big O notation as a science student most especially maths student. In Mathematics; It describes how a given function is closely approximated by a finite series, usually in asymptotic expansion. In computer Science; It is used to group algorithms based on their response to changes in input size, like how the speed or 'processing time' of an algorithm changes as the problem becomes really large. In summary, It is used to analyze algorithms.

So with the knowledge of Big O notation from a Maths background, coming into/learning a computer-science related field only means you need to think of Big O notation differently because you most definitely have played with algorithms same with the Mech Engineers. All you need to do is think differently and what you know in your various fields can be channeled into computer science related fields without a degree. Alot of developers I know don't have a CS degree but will murder any given task, interview or project and come out with a high-performative, robust and maintainable end product.

So I second @booyakasha, you don't need a CS degree before becoming a world class dev (let people like Bill gates and Zuck inspire you), it will only make things easier and faster for you. If you feel you need a CS degree, please don't get it in Nigeria , you'd just add to the "build any kind of website for N5,000" crew.

Fulaman198:


I advise that you look for good MOOCs (Online learning with programming assignments, lecture videos and discussion forums). The best websites i know for Computer Science MOOCs are edX.org and coursera.org.

They are much cheaper than attending a school in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, or wherever you reside.

Thank You very much for the advice, just started introduction to computer science CS50 on edx.org.and it has been going good.

DanielTheGeek:


The reason you need (preferably) a science degree is just so people trust your skills, nevertheless...if you studied a science related course in the university such as Mech. Eng, Petr Eng, Mathematics e.t.c, you're still good to go. Why: lemme explain,

You must have heard about the Big O notation as a science student most especially maths student. In Mathematics; It describes how a given function is closely approximated by a finite series, usually in asymptotic expansion. In computer Science; It is used to group algorithms based on their response to changes in input size, like how the speed or 'processing time' of an algorithm changes as the problem becomes really large. In summary, It is used to analyze algorithms.

So with the knowledge of Big O notation from a Maths background, coming into/learning a computer-science related field only means you need to think of Big O notation differently because you most definitely have played with algorithms same with the Mech Engineers. All you need to do is think differently and what you know in your various fields can be channeled into computer science related fields without degree. Alot of developers I know don't have a CS degree but will murder any given task, interview or project and come out with a high-performative, robust and maintainable end product.

So I second @booyakasha, you don't need a CS degree before becoming a world class dev (let people like Bill gates and Zuck inspire you), it will only make things easier and faster for you. If you feel you need a CS degree, please don't get it in Nigeria , you'd just add to the "build any kind of website for N5,000" crew.

I appreciate your advice Daniel.

brandable:

I appreciate your advice Daniel.

You can bank on it, no problem.

brandable:

Thank You very much for the advice, just started introduction to computer science CS50 on edx.org.and it has been going good.

Very good, there are many great universities on that site

100 LEVEL FIRST SEMESTER DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTION

COURSE CODE CMP 111: Introduction To Computer Systems (2 UNITS)

History of computers, Classification and types of computers, computer application in commercial and scientific environments, characteristics of computers, Functional components of computers. Introduction to software, Input/output peripheral devices, their advantages and disadvantages, Problem solving, binary system and number components, symbolic names, array subscript, expression and control statements, data representation, number representations, Boolean algebra, data storage, file management, algorithms, and relational databases



COURSE CODE CMP 112: Comparative Programming Languages ( 3 UNITS)

Current issues in programming languages, language topics include; imperative, functional, logic and object oriented programming. Other programmable applications such as symbolic manipulations and simulation. Concepts such as; binding, scope, looping, branching, sub-programs and parameter parsing, tasks and concurrency.

COURSE CODE MTH 111: Algebra And Trigonometry (3 UNITS)

Real number system. Simple definitions of integers, rational and irrational numbers. The principle of mathematical induction. Real sequences and series. Elementary ratios of convergence of geometric, arithmetic and other simple series. Theory of quadratic equations. Simple inequalities: absolute value and the triangle inequality. Identities: partial fractions- sets and subsets: union, intersection, complements. Properties of some binary operations of sets distributive, closure, associative, commutative laws with examples. Relatives in a set equivalence relation. Properties of set functions and inverse set functions. Permutations and angles of any magnitude. Addition and factor formulae. Complex numbers. Algebra of complex numbers, the Argand diagram, De Moivre’s theorem, nth root of unity.



COURSE CODE MTH 112: Calculus (3 UNITS)

Elementary function of single real variable and their graphs, limits and the idea of continuity. Graphs of simple functions polynomial, rational, trigonometric, etc. rate of change, tangent and normal to a curve. Differentiation as limit of rate of change of elementary functions, product, quotient, function of function rules. Implicit differentiation, differentiation of trigonometric, inverse trigonometric functions and of exponential functions. Logarithmic and parametric differentiation. Use of binomial expansion for any index. Stationary values of simple functions: maxima, minima and points of inflexion, area of surface revolution. Integration as an inverse of differentiation. Integration of harder functions. Integration by substitution and by parts. Definite integrals: volume of revolution, area of surface of revolution.



COURSE CODE PHY 111: Introduction To Mechanics (3 UNITS)

Measurements, Rectilinear Motion, Vector Space, Kinematics and Dynamics, Work, Energy and Power, Conservation Laws, Momentum and Conservation of Momentum, Elastic Properties of Material, Surface Tension, Adhesion, Cohesion, Capillarity, Projectile Motion, Pressure, Newton’s Law of Gravitation, Satellite, Escape Velocity, Circular Motion, Periodic Motion, Velocity and Acceleration of a Sinusoidal Oscillation, Force Oscillation, Resonance, Propagation and Behavior of Waves, Types, Classes and Properties of Waves, Light Waves, Mirror and Lenses, Temperature, Heat, Gas Laws, Thermodynamics Laws, Kinetic Theory of Gases.



COURSE CODE PHY 119: Experimental Physics I (1 UNIT)

Quantitative Measurement, Measurement of Errors, Experiments and Graphical Analysis.*Note: The students are expected to carry out minimum of Eight ( practical in the area of mechanics, waves, optics, thermal and electricity for the academic session.

See as Them day yab My beloved Computer Science I don't know if a CS degree is needed or not in Nigeria but I know for a fact that a serious CS student can never be broke in life that's if they know what they doing and are Good doing it. You take the course in the university you don't expect the lecturer to spoon feed you with everything that's why most lecturer would tell you to go do more research so you would get more knowledge in the field one of the core course you would learn as a CS student is DataStructure and algorithm you would also learn C++, Java, Assembly Language and Php Database management system like MySql. So you are already grounded not saying you can't learn all this off school but in school you learn both theory and practical in details.