想申請CS計算機專業，有些話想和你說

隨著新一輪大學申請季的到來很多同學都面臨選專業的問題：
比如這個專業是學什么的？
課程難度怎么樣？
我需要做什么準備？
就業情況怎么樣？
針對這些問題，小編特別推出
特邀美國教授Dan Sarofian-Butin教授為大家答疑解惑

Dan Sarofian-Butin 教授MIT麻省理工學院管理科學學士弗吉尼亞大學教育博士

15年教授生涯教授了本科生及研究生近千人

曾接受過《洛杉磯時報》、英國廣播公司和《福布斯》雜志的采訪

與杜克大學、多倫多大學和喬治·華盛頓大學等機構進行會談并發表演講

出版及編輯近100份學術文章，包括7本書已被翻譯成三種不同語言

… 本期我們要聊得專業是：

Computer Science(計算機科學)

這可是目前最熱門的報考專業，對于這個專業我們的Dr Sarofian-Butin有什么看法和建議呢？一起來看看吧～It feels like everyone is doing it. Majoring in Computer Science, that is.感覺人人都在這樣做，即主修計算機科學專業。Not since the “computer revolution” in the 1980s has computer science been so popular or so much in the news. MIT, for example, will launch the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing this fall, the largest change in the University’s history since the 1950s. At Carnegie Mellon University, the Computer Science department admits just 5% of its 6,000+ undergraduate applicants. And a recent major survey found over 200% undergraduate enrollment growth across all Computer Science departments in North America.

自20世紀80年代的“計算機革命”以來，計算機科學還沒有如此備受新聞屆關注。例如，麻省理工學院將于今年秋季推出 Stephen A. Schwarzman（史蒂芬·艾倫·施瓦茨曼）計算機學院，這是自20世紀50年代以來該大學歷史上最大的變化。

在卡內基梅隆大學，有6000多人申請計算機科學系的本科，而最終僅錄取了5％。最近的一項重大調查發現，北美所有計算機科學系的本科生入學人數增長超過200％。

Why, you ask? In one way, it’s pretty simple: computing -- whether it’s the Internet, your iPhone, or artificial intelligence -- has become as much a part of our lives as the air we breath. MIT President L. Rafael Reif says it best: “As computing reshapes our world...we are reshaping MIT.” Indeed, this can be easily seen in job data: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 20-25% increase in computer science research jobs, such as software engineers and developers, between 2016 and 2026. One study found that there are over 500,000 computing jobs unfilled in the United States today, yet less than 50,000 computer studies graduates each year.

你問為什么？從某種意義上說，它非常簡單：計算——無論是互聯網，你的iPhone，還是人工智能已經成為我們生活中的一部分，就像我們呼吸的空氣一樣。麻省理工學院校長L. Rafael Reif（雷歐·拉斐爾·萊夫）說得很棒：“隨著計算重塑我們的世界……我們正在重塑麻省理工學院。”

事實上，這點在就業數據中很容易體現：2016年-2026間，美國勞工統計局預計將增加20%-25％計算機科學研究相關的工作機會，如軟件工程師和開發人員。一項研究發現，目前美國有超過500,000個計算機專業相關的崗位空缺，但每年只有不到50,000名計算機專業的畢業生。

It therefore seems like a slam dunk: major in Computer Science! Starting salaries in the US are around $65,000 and quickly climb above $100,000. And if you’re really good, company offers for software engineers can seem like bidding wars for a top striker in England’s Premier League.

因此這似乎是一個魚躍龍門的機會：計算機科學專業在美國的起薪約為65,000美元，很快就會超過10萬美元。 如果你真的很優秀，公司為軟件工程師提供待遇可以和英格蘭足球超級聯賽中頂級前鋒的競價大戰媲美。

So what should you do in high school to prepare? Most importantly, figure out if this is what you’re really interested in by taking an Advanced Placement class in Computer Science, whether that’s “AP Computer Science Principles” or “AP Computer Science A.” Either will help you figure out if that’s really what you want to major in. And if it is, make sure to take the AP test! Colleges look carefully at that.

那么, 你在高中的時候應該做什么準備呢？最重要的一點, 通過參加計算機科學高級入學課程——無論是 "AP 計算機科學原理" 還是 "AP 計算機科學A",?你都要弄清楚這是否是你真正感興趣的。而這兩者都會幫助你找出這是否真的是你想主修的。如果是, 一定要參加AP測試! 大學很重視這部分。

Also, learn a programming language. This could be through your high school course, online through a MOOC (check out EdX, which has many such courses), through a “coding bootcamp,” or on your own. C++, HTML, and Python are common ones. (MIT - where I was an undergraduate -- encourages students to take a computer language as your “foreign language” requirement!) Finally, try to take the entire calculus sequence (AB and BC) by the end of high school. Most top computer science departments highly recommend or require this.

此外, 學習一種編程語言。你可以在你的高中課程中學習, 或者在 MOOC 上學習 (搜索一下 EdX, 它有許多這樣的課程), 或者通過 "編碼訓練營", 再或者自學。C++、HTML 和 Python 是常見的幾種。(我在麻省理工念本科的時候，學校會要求學生把電腦語言作為你的 "外語" !)。

最后, 嘗試在高中結束前修完整個微積分序列 (AB 和 BC)。大多數頂尖計算機科學部門都強烈推薦或要求這樣做。

On a deeper level, computer science (like any field) has many layers, so do some research. Read a book (“Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” is great, as was the recent biography of Steve Jobs), job shadow someone in the field, or participate in a hackathon. What you’re really after is better understanding how computer science works in the real world, which is extremely different from how it is usually taught.

在更深層次上,?計算機科學 (和任何領域一樣) 有許多層面, 所以你可以做一些研究。閱讀一本書?(《生命 3.0: 人工智能時代的人類》很棒, 史蒂夫·喬布斯最近的傳記也不錯),?體驗這個領域的工作或者參加編程馬拉松。你真正追求的是更好地了解計算機科學在現實世界中的工作方式, 這與通常的教學方式有很大的不同。

As Alison Miller, the Vice President at Oracle says, most computer science courses “overlook opportunities to teach collaborative software development and help students develop critical professional skills.” “Professional software engineers,” she says, “almost always start with someone else’s code and work collaboratively in large groups to modify, improve and correct that code...It’s common for software development groups to include people from different countries, in different time zones. Working effectively requires team members to communicate well in different languages and across different cultures.” The key to success has as much to do with communication and collaboration as it does with coding. That’s a really important lesson to learn.

正如甲骨文副總裁艾莉森·米勒 (Alison Miller) 所說, 大多數計算機科學課程 "忽視了教授協作軟件開發和幫助學生發展關鍵專業技能的機會"。"專業的軟件工程師," 她說, "幾乎總是從別人的代碼開始, 并在大型小組中協同工作, 以修改、改進和糾正該代碼…..。

軟件開發小組的人員通常會將來自不同國家、不同時區。有效工作需要團隊成員以不同的語言和不同的文化進行良好的溝通。溝通、協作和編碼一樣重要都是成功的關鍵因素。這是非常重要的一課。

All of this may be great advice if you know exactly that this is what you want to do. But what if you’re not sure, like the vast majority of high school students who may have some interest in computing but are not quite ready to jump into a major that requires you to learn everything from machine theory to software engineering to hardware design to artificial intelligence and take required courses such as “Object-Oriented Programming” and “Discrete Mathematics.”

如果你明確地知道這就是你想做的事情, 以上這些都可能是很好的建議。但是, 如果你不確定, 像絕大多數高中生, 可能對計算有一些興趣, 但還沒有完全準備好進入一個專業，所有都需要學習，從機器理論, 軟件工程, 硬件設計人工智能, 到參加所需的課程, 如 "面向對象的編程" 和 "離散數學"。

The first thing I would say is “don’t worry, you’re not alone.” Close to 40% of all undergraduate students drop out of the Computer Science major after the first introductory course. At one university I know, over 400 students start in the major, yet less than 20 graduate each year. This is not just because Computer Science is hard. It’s because most students don’t really understand what they are getting into until they take that first course.

我首先要說的是 "不用擔心, 你并不孤單"。近40% 的本科生在第一門入門課程結束后退出計算機科學專業。我知道有一所大學, 有400多名學生開始攻讀該專業, 但每年畢業的學生不到20人。這不僅是因為計算機專業課程很難，還有因為大多數學生在上第一門課之前, 并不真正了解自己在做什么。

Second, there are many roads to get to your destination. I mean two things by this: tech companies are actually interested in hiring more than just Computer Science majors. In fact, ideal candidates are those that have “T-shaped” skills: they have deep knowledge in a specific area (the vertical stroke) and the ability to collaborate and stretch across multiple projects and fields (the horizontal stroke). Additionally, there are lots of places where you can get a great education in Computer Science. I reviewed multiple “top 5” lists, and they were all different. One included the US Naval Academy, the University of Michigan, and UNC-Chapel Hill; another had MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon University; a third list had Harvey Mudd College, the Stevens Institute of Technology, and Harvard. What does all this mean? It means that there are lots of great programs out there above and beyond the few that everyone knows and talks about.

其次, 通向你的目的地的路有很多條。我指的是兩件事: 科技公司實際上招聘的不僅僅是計算機科學專業的學生。事實上, 理想的候選人是那些擁有 “T 形" 技能的人: 他們在特定領域 (垂直方向) 有深厚的知識, 并有能力在多個項目和領域 (水平方向) 進行協作和擴展。

此外, 還有很多地方可以讓你接受很好的計算機科學教育。我查看了多個 "前 5名" 錄取名單, 他們（的學校）都不一樣。

其中包括美國海軍學院、密歇根大學和聯合國教堂山;另一個是麻省理工學院、斯坦福大學和卡內基梅隆大學;第三份名單是哈維·穆德學院、史蒂文斯理工學院和哈佛大學。這一切意味著什么？這意味著, 除了每個人都知道和談論的那條路, 還有很多很棒的項目（可以幫你實現）。

So what should a high school student do who may be interested in Computer Science??I have three suggestions.

那么,一個對計算機科學可能感興趣的高中生應該做什么呢？我有三個建議。

01

Double Major?雙學位

Computing -- whether it’s cryptography, IT management, or web design -- requires understanding a broad range of subjects. Getting a double major allows students to expand their knowledge. A second major could be related (such as Mathematics or Electrical Engineering) or completely different (such as Political Science or History). The key is that a double major helps better prepare students for the long-term.

計算--無論是密碼學、IT 管理還是網頁設計--都需要了解廣泛的知識。獲得雙學位可以讓學生擴大他們的知識面。第二專業可以是相關的 (如數學或電氣工程), 也可以是完全不同的 (如政治學或歷史)。關鍵是雙專業有助于學生更好地做好長期準備。

02

Minor in Computer Science?輔修計算機科學專業

In the end, Computer Science isn’t really about computers. It’s about how we use technology. And technology is everywhere - from how athletes train to how we help the elderly to how we reduce global warming to how we shop online. So you don’t really need to major in Computer Science to work in a field that integrates technology. Majoring in Economics or Environmental Studies, for example, with a minor in Computer Science can be incredibly powerful.

最終, 計算機科學并不是真正意義上的計算機。這關系到我們如何使用技術。而技術無處不在--從運動員如何訓練, 到我們如何幫助老年人, 再到我們如何減少全球變暖, 再到我們如何在網上購物。所以你真的不需要主修計算機科學就能在一個集成技術的領域工作。例如, 主修經濟學或環境研究, 輔修計算機科學專業的學生可以非常強大。

03

Create your own interdisciplinary major創建自己的跨學科專業

Maria Klawe, the President of Harvey Mudd College, recently said that many of the jobs we see today “are just going to disappear” within the next few decades due technological advances, and therefore, “interdisciplinary education is more important than ever.” It is becoming more and more common for undergraduates to build their own majors, combining courses from across multiple departments. While this certainly takes more work, students can graduate with incredibly powerful degrees that combine Computer Science with other topics they care and are passionate about.

哈維·穆德學院院長瑪麗亞·克拉維最近表示, 由于技術的進步, 我們今天看到的許多工作 "即將消失", 因此, “跨學科教育比以往任何時候都更加重要”。越來越多的大學生通過結合多個部門的課程建立起自己的專業, 雖然這的確需要更多的努力, 但學生畢業時卻能擁有的十分有競爭力的學位——結合了計算機科學與他們關心和熱愛的其他專業。

In the end, I think of Computer Science this way: you absolutely need to understand it and be exposed to it even if you do not end up majoring in it or making a career out of it. We live in a technologically-connected world and we must, as MIT’s President said, understand what shapes us if we are to shape our world

最后, 我這樣看待計算機科學: 你絕對需要理解它, 并接觸它, 即使你最終不主修它或通過它找工作。我們生活在一個技術相連的世界里, 正如麻省理工學院主席所說, 如果我們要塑造我們的世界, 我們必須了解是什么塑造了我們。