Computer science is everywhere nowadays. Even simple users are also computer specialists. We download and install applications. We find mistakes and inform developers about them. And finally, we buy new keyboards and monitors and tune them without any help. Are we computer programmers or computer engineers? In fact, according to the list above, we are both of them. But if you decide to choose any of these sciences as a profession, you must discover their likeness and differences to make a balanced decision. You are right if you think that computer science is not simple at all and you need to spend a lot of extra time to be good in your chosen field.
But let’s return to programming and engineering that are the brightest samples of computer science and rediscover them.
What is computer programming? Who are the programmers?
To make the explanation simpler, let’s list some professions from the programming sphere.
- Software programmer
- Java developer
- Data scientist
- System analyst
- Web designer
As you see, all these specialists work with software, write code, and test it on existing computer languages and work with interfaces. They are also responsible for basic cybersecurity, data structures, and algorithms. They don’t care about the speed of server or device compatibility. They are far from the inside components of the PC.
What is computer engineering? Who are computer engineers?
- Network engineer
- Computer architecture developer
- Computer engineer
- Quality control engineer
These guys are more about hardware. They know all about microcircuits and how they work with each other. Computer architecture is also their specialization. They can build their PC or server. They work with a wide range of software and can predict global problems.
Now we hope you understand the difference between these professions. Any of them is not better or less worthy, and you need to feel what is closer to your mind.
Do colleges and universities separate Computer Programming and Computer Engineering?
There is no one correct answer to this question. Different universities have different programs and teach students according to their understanding. Some of them give mostly the same courses to students because they believe that their goal is to acquaint students with all spheres and the goal of students is to learn specialties of the profession themselves. Other universities separate students from the beginning because their goal is to make narrow specialists who will learn general information themselves. You can understand the style of teaching only when you ask a direct question to a university. Both ways have a right to exist, and you must decide what is close to your style of studying.
How to understand what is better for you?
You can skip this paragraph if the answer is obvious to you. But if you are one of those who doubt, we have two ways for you.
- Before starting higher education work (maybe for free) as an assistant of a professional. You will spend some months on such experiments, but you will find out what is close to your lifestyle and preferences. It might be hard to find such a job but try your best because your future depends on it. It is good to warn the employer that it is testing but people who understand your problem of choice will help.
- Enter universities that don’t make a deep difference between these two directions of computer science. In that case, you can make a decision only at the end of studying and change a faculty if it is necessary. Even if it is impossible and your diploma will not meet the requirements of the profession of your dream, the good news is that it is not necessary. Computer specialists are unique in this question. Majority of them don’t have a diploma at all however take high positions in IT companies. This business is much more about personal skills and self-development than diploma proofs.
In any of these both cases, you must remember that official studying is only for you but not for your future employer. The best computer specialist is a person who never stops studying himself and all the time. Sometimes these two processes of working and studying are difficult to distinguish. But for these professions, the one year pause is close to returning to a newbie.
The main thing when you choose a future profession is to remember that you will live with this choice for a lot of years and the goal is to make these years comfortable and happy. You can’t become a great specialist if you will hate or even dislike what you do. The only way to success is to adore what you do and add a piece of soul to every product. Every computer profession is about a good salary but if sitting in front of the monitor the whole life is not what you want, forget about possible money. But if the computers are already part of you, we hope that we added some understanding to your future choice and you will be happy when you decide which door to success is yours.
Be ready to ask for Computer Science assistance
For what it’s worth, no matter what way you choose, you will most probably need some help. Of course, you may think that you will be able to deal with everything on your own, but our experience shows that it is better to be more realistic and prepared. Writing and programming tasks can become overwhelming at some point, and you need a solid plan on how to deal with them, without burning out and risking your academic advancement.
The good thing is that there are a lot of services that help you with any request. If you are a good programmer, you are always busy with some exciting task, or dream about hiring an online programming tutor who can help with your assignments in any language to get a good score. AssignmentCore is one of such solutions for Computer Science students of all academic levels. It is a great practice that helps you to proceed with your studies without academic depts and study only the topics you find truly useful for your future career.
