Tell me more ×
Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 9 down vote favorite
4

The reason why I ask this is because, when I read articles such as Wikipedia's HCI or reports on A.I., I find that much of what it talks about is actual design theory. Is this what most of Computer Science touches on? They say there's a difference between being a Coder and a Computer Scientist. Is this like the difference between an Architect and a Draftsman?

share|improve this question
1  
No, it's not like the difference between an Architect and a Draftsman. It's more like the difference between an architect and a cabinet maker, but that is still a very poor analogy. When done well, programming is a mixture of writing mathematics and writing prose. Some will get to the gist of the problem and produce clear and concise code rather quickly, while others produce a comparative mess. – kevin cline Sep 28 '11 at 1:32

migrated from stackoverflow.com Sep 28 '11 at 1:19

5 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

There are trending answers here which sound great but I'll try to be more elaborate in answering your questions.

Is this what most of Computer Science touches on?

Well technically, yes.

They say there's a difference between being a Coder and a Computer Scientist.

Yes, there is a difference between a Coder and Computer Scientist but more often than not there is an overlap in terms of people. They tend to be both.

If I speak from my (limited) experience most business application will not require one to have good computer science skills.

On the other hand, when you see a good computer scientist there is a good chance they were good programmers earlier on (and maybe still are) in life.

As far as jobs go there are mostly two kind of jobs:

  1. Jobs which require programming skills but don't really require you to have Computer Science knowledge.
  2. Jobs which do require some Computer Science knowledge (specifically algorithms, data structures, etc. but may be not Turing machines, etc.) alongside good programming ability.
share|improve this answer
up vote 17 down vote

Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.

Edsger W. Dijkstra

share|improve this answer
2  
I wasn't aware your friend was an instance of Dijkstra. – BlackJack Sep 28 '11 at 1:29
+1! I had suspected that he was a clone of someone else, but I my search didn't turn up anyone. I'll correct that. – Thomas Levine Sep 28 '11 at 1:31
up vote 6 down vote

Is this like the difference between an Architect and a Draftsman?

No. Computer Science and Programming is like Architect and Carpenter.

Or like Chemist and Chemical Lab Tech. Or like Electrical Engineer and a factory assembly tech.

The point is that theory involves programming. Programming may (or may not) involve any theory. Some programmers -- as evidenced by questions on Stack Overflow -- have a limited grasp of computer science.

share|improve this answer
up vote 1 down vote

I'm in my Senior year as a Computer Science major, and unfortunately my programming skills are rather weak.

I know a lot of theory but the implementation portion of it is something I still need to work on.

I hope that helps!

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

It largely depends on the specific school you go to. At the university I attended, there was a heavy focus on theory. Programming languages were just a necessary tool to build a solid understanding of that theory. Many colleges (esp. trade colleges) will focus almost entirely on practical application and learning to use a few common languages and frameworks.

If you're thinking of pursuing a degree in Computer Science, I'd suggest you take time to ask this question of the professors at the schools you might attend, to make sure their program fits with your aspirations.

share|improve this answer
1  
I would like to become a computer scientist, not a programmer if that helps. I mean, I enjoy programming, but there's much more that interests me besides just simply programming. – about blank Sep 28 '11 at 2:50

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.