想申請CS計算機(jī)專業(yè)，有些話想和你說

隨著新一輪大學(xué)申請季的到來很多同學(xué)都面臨選專業(yè)的問題：
比如這個專業(yè)是學(xué)什么的？
課程難度怎么樣？
我需要做什么準(zhǔn)備？
就業(yè)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(xué)院管理科學(xué)學(xué)士弗吉尼亞大學(xué)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(xué)、多倫多大學(xué)和喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)等機(jī)構(gòu)進(jìn)行會談并發(fā)表演講

出版及編輯近100份學(xué)術(shù)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(yè)是：

Computer Science(計算機(jī)科學(xué))

這可是目前最熱門的報考專業(yè)，對于這個專業(yè)我們的Dr Sarofian-Butin有什么看法和建議呢？一起來看看吧～I(xiàn)t 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(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)。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(jì)80年代的“計算機(jī)革命”以來，計算機(jī)科學(xué)還沒有如此備受新聞屆關(guān)注。例如，麻省理工學(xué)院將于今年秋季推出 Stephen A. Schwarzman（史蒂芬·艾倫·施瓦茨曼）計算機(jī)學(xué)院，這是自20世紀(jì)50年代以來該大學(xué)歷史上最大的變化。

在卡內(nèi)基梅隆大學(xué)，有6000多人申請計算機(jī)科學(xué)系的本科，而最終僅錄取了5％。最近的一項重大調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，北美所有計算機(jī)科學(xué)系的本科生入學(xué)人數(shù)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(lián)網(wǎng)，你的iPhone，還是人工智能已經(jīng)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(xué)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(xué)院。”

事實上，這點(diǎn)在就業(yè)數(shù)據(jù)中很容易體現(xiàn)：2016年-2026間，美國勞工統(tǒng)計局預(yù)計將增加20%-25％計算機(jī)科學(xué)研究相關(guān)的工作機(jī)會，如軟件工程師和開發(fā)人員。一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，目前美國有超過500,000個計算機(jī)專業(yè)相關(guān)的崗位空缺，但每年只有不到50,000名計算機(jī)專業(yè)的畢業(yè)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(jī)會：計算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)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(yōu)秀，公司為軟件工程師提供待遇可以和英格蘭足球超級聯(lián)賽中頂級前鋒的競價大戰(zhàn)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(yīng)該做什么準(zhǔn)備呢？最重要的一點(diǎn), 通過參加計算機(jī)科學(xué)高級入學(xué)課程——無論是 "AP 計算機(jī)科學(xué)原理" 還是 "AP 計算機(jī)科學(xué)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(xué)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(xué)習(xí)一種編程語言。你可以在你的高中課程中學(xué)習(xí), 或者在 MOOC 上學(xué)習(xí) (搜索一下 EdX, 它有許多這樣的課程), 或者通過 "編碼訓(xùn)練營", 再或者自學(xué)。C++、HTML 和 Python 是常見的幾種。(我在麻省理工念本科的時候，學(xué)校會要求學(xué)生把電腦語言作為你的 "外語" !)。

最后, 嘗試在高中結(jié)束前修完整個微積分序列 (AB 和 BC)。大多數(shù)頂尖計算機(jī)科學(xué)部門都強(qiáng)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(jī)科學(xué) (和任何領(lǐng)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(lǐng)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(jī)科學(xué)在現(xiàn)實世界中的工作方式, 這與通常的教學(xué)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(shù)計算機(jī)科學(xué)課程 "忽視了教授協(xié)作軟件開發(fā)和幫助學(xué)生發(fā)展關(guān)鍵專業(yè)技能的機(jī)會"。"專業(yè)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(xié)同工作, 以修改、改進(jìn)和糾正該代碼…..。

軟件開發(fā)小組的人員通常會將來自不同國家、不同時區(qū)。有效工作需要團(tuán)隊成員以不同的語言和不同的文化進(jìn)行良好的溝通。溝通、協(xié)作和編碼一樣重要都是成功的關(guān)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(shù)高中生, 可能對計算有一些興趣, 但還沒有完全準(zhǔn)備好進(jìn)入一個專業(yè)，所有都需要學(xué)習(xí)，從機(jī)器理論, 軟件工程, 硬件設(shè)計人工智能, 到參加所需的課程, 如 "面向?qū)ο蟮木幊? 和 "離散數(shù)學(xué)"。

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(dān)心, 你并不孤單"。近40% 的本科生在第一門入門課程結(jié)束后退出計算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)。我知道有一所大學(xué), 有400多名學(xué)生開始攻讀該專業(yè), 但每年畢業(yè)的學(xué)生不到20人。這不僅是因為計算機(jī)專業(yè)課程很難，還有因為大多數(shù)學(xué)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(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)的學(xué)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(lǐng)域 (垂直方向) 有深厚的知識, 并有能力在多個項目和領(lǐng)域 (水平方向) 進(jìn)行協(xié)作和擴(kuò)展。

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

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

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(jī)科學(xué)可能感興趣的高中生應(yīng)該做什么呢？我有三個建議。

01

Double Major?雙學(xué)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(xué)、IT 管理還是網(wǎng)頁設(shè)計--都需要了解廣泛的知識。獲得雙學(xué)位可以讓學(xué)生擴(kuò)大他們的知識面。第二專業(yè)可以是相關(guān)的 (如數(shù)學(xué)或電氣工程), 也可以是完全不同的 (如政治學(xué)或歷史)。關(guān)鍵是雙專業(yè)有助于學(xué)生更好地做好長期準(zhǔn)備。

02

Minor in Computer Science?輔修計算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)

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(jī)科學(xué)并不是真正意義上的計算機(jī)。這關(guān)系到我們?nèi)绾问褂眉夹g(shù)。而技術(shù)無處不在--從運(yùn)動員如何訓(xùn)練, 到我們?nèi)绾螏椭夏耆? 再到我們?nèi)绾螠p少全球變暖, 再到我們?nèi)绾卧诰W(wǎng)上購物。所以你真的不需要主修計算機(jī)科學(xué)就能在一個集成技術(shù)的領(lǐng)域工作。例如, 主修經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)或環(huán)境研究, 輔修計算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)的學(xué)生可以非常強(qiáng)大。

03

Create your own interdisciplinary major創(chuàng)建自己的跨學(xué)科專業(yè)

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

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(jī)科學(xué): 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(shù)相連的世界里, 正如麻省理工學(xué)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。