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Any questions about Computer Science or Software Development?

hehehe
edited April 2014 in General
Inspired by the PDP and Law school thread, I'm here to share my expertise. 

If you have any questions about Software Development or Computer science in general, post them here. 

I'm studying software systems at SFU Surrey. If you have any questions about that, I can help you as well. 


Comments

  • Whydoihavetoregister
    Can I still get that Microsoft Office Home Used Program if I'm not a CS student?
  • hehehe
    Here's how I got my Microsoft word.

    For your information - forward to your membership

    Hi sfu students,

    There is a great deal happening right now for Microsoft Office(Word, Power Point, Excel and etc) for only $11. There is no catch and you have to enter your SFU email in order for this promotion to work. Here is the link:

    http://www.microsofthup.com/hupca//home.aspx?programCode=4DE02E2B76&culture=en-ca&country_id=CA

    Your organization's Microsoft HUP Program Code is: 4DE02E2B76


    Alternately, if you are doing any CMPT course, you can get a lot of free software from Microsft (including word) . Just google "SFU MSDNAA" 
  • Whydoihavetoregister
    Nope, I tried the code and I kept getting the contact admin couldn't verify email error message, contacted Microsoft specially they told me to talk to the school and get a new code.  Obviously SFU wouldn't give us non-CS students access to the program as it's only for staff and the bookstore would be losing money selling copies of Office Student Edition (80 bucks)  I dug a little deeper and found the code was originally posted by CSSU (computing science student union) so there's no legit way I could get the Office now.
  • SimonSimon
    edited April 2014
    You can download some Microsoft Developer programs from here for free if you are a student:

  • hehehe
    I thought only CS students could access Dreamspark.

    Try Simon's solution and let us know if it works. 
  • vfl
    What are you planning to do with your SoSy CS degree after graduation? 
    What are some advantages of SoSy degree over general Comp Sci degree? 
    Thanks for answering!
  • hehehe
    What are you planning to do with your SoSy CS degree after graduation? 
    I'm planning on becoming a Software Developer on server-sided software. 

    What are some advantages of SoSy degree over general Comp Sci degree? 
    SoSy is a specialization of Computer Science. In CS, you'll learn about general programming theory and some applied programming. SoSy focuses more on software development and less on theory. 

    If you're planning on becoming a software developer, you can do either, Syso or CS, but I suggest Syso because you get more practical experience. 


  • KingdomOfJoy
    I am so mad at MS! I used that code before and bought MS Office which worked and was all fine when I had Windows 8. I upgraded to Win8.1 and no longer can download MS Office even though I paid for it :(
  • hehehe
    You must have gotten an email with the software download and product key. If you download it again and use the same product key, it should work. 

    If that doesn't work, contact Microsoft. I once had a problem with Microsoft office, and they fixed it fairly quickly. 
  • KingdomOfJoy
    It won't let me download it! 
    Yep, I will be contacting Microsoft.
  • iStudent
    Are you close to graduating? Did you do co-op or other full time jobs during university? If so, do you have anything to share about working in the industry and/or professional software development experience?

    Thanks
  • iStudent
    For anyone confused about software systems, check out this website:

    http://www.sfu.ca/surrey/programs/software-systems.html
  • hehehe
    I`m not even close to graduating, I`m still in 1st year university (I've been working for last year). I`m currently an internship at BlackBerry. 

    My advise to students is the following: 

    1. Do not do coop through SFU for Syso degree. It`s a complete waste of money and time. You don`t even get credits for it. SFU lies and tell you that you get 3 credits, but they don`t count towards your degree (basically useless). Only do coop if you are international student and need work visa. 

    2. I highly recommend working at least 2 semesters at a software company as an intern/coop. Again, don`t do this through SFU, find the job on your own and take time off school. 

    3. Software developers and testers are highly paid. Don`t do an internship for anything less than $20/hour (you can even get $40/hour at big companies). Full time developers: $40/hour ($60 if you're good). 

    4 Start programming! Do lots and lots of programming. Find programming puzzle problems online and solve them. 

    5. Grades don't matter. I can't emphases this enough. As long as your GPA is over 3.0 and you understand the basics of what your professors teach you, you're good. Focus more on programming in your free time than on school. For example, instead of studying for school hours/week, study for 20 hours/week, and hours/week on programming problems IN ADDITION to school assignments/projects. 

  • hehehe
    Oops, I forgot to add the number on the last part of the sentence

    For example, instead of studying for school 40 hours/week, study for 20 hours/week, and 20 hours/week on programming problems IN ADDITION to school assignments/projects. 
  • ryan
    I have a bit of a different opinion on things.

    I am a recent SoSy grad who is now working in the industry. I completed my degree in four and a half years and did three coop placements during that time.

    1. I strongly disagree with this. Coop is one of the most valuable things I took part in at SFU. Not only is there value in what they will teach you about resumes and interview skills, but their database of job postings gives you a big leg up over students not in Coop. As well there are some companies that will only hire you if you are in a Coop program. While you can get jobs on your own, doing it through the coop department is a lot easier, especially in a field like software development that has a generally high barrier to entry.

    2. I agree you should do as many coop terms as you can reasonably fit in. I would do it through the school though, unless you already have a job lined up (in which case I would consider a self directed coop). 

    3. This is a little exaggerated. From what I have heard from people doing internships in BC it is likely your first job will fall a little shy of $20. I wouldn't fret though since in the end it is the experience that really matters. I would always advise taking the better job with less pay over a worse job with higher pay. BlackBerry used to start Coop students out just above 20. If you go down to the US you can typically expect to be paid more. Your full time numbers are also a bit off. Many people in BC will start between 50-60k a year(~30 per hour). Again if you go to the US (or somewhere else that pays very competitive salaries) then you could be looking at 50-60 an hour.

    4. Programming is good. While having your own side projects is a bonus, don't forget about all of the programming you will do for school. When choosing your CMPT electives try to pick classes that are challenging and more programming focused. It will help prepare you for when you graduate.

    5. Grades do matter. Even you acknowledge that by saying as long as people have a CGPA >= 3 they are fine. A CGPA of 3 is a B average, which is not trivial for many people in computing. My experience with grades is that high grades can really help get you an interview, but they cannot get you a job. Sometimes getting the interview is the hardest part though, so having good grades is an advantage. Doing well in computing courses especially is important. As well when you take an easy elective, get a high grade. I don't understand people who take easy electives as an excuse to slack off because they will still end up with a C+. Why not take an easy course and get an A+? But that is another topic.

    Anyways I guess my ultimate advise is to do Coop and take school seriously. If you do that you should set yourself up for a very productive career.
  • hehehe
    Hi Ryan

    Please see my points below. 

    1. I agree that coop is valuable, but keep in mind that you need to pay $2200 + time and energy to officially do coop through school. This is not worth it, especially considering that you get most of the information for free through SFU workshops (like resume building and stuff). As for applying for jobs, just look at a companies website, most of them will hire students not doing coop through school. In my opinion, coop office don't help students a lot. 

    3. I've done extensive market research in software development jobs (also spoken to a ton of software developers). You can easily get $20/hour job as an intern. Furthermore, full time developers don't start with 50-60k. Those might be web developers, not server-sided development (which Syso prepares you for). Any good programmer shouldn't start under 75k/year. I know developers at blackberry who started at 85k. 

    5. One great point you brought up (i forgot to mention this) is that high grades can help you get an interview, but cannot help you get a job. I strongly agree with this. With most companies, you'll have a resume screening session where your grades will be used. When you get to the interview state, only your knowledge and skill as a programmer will determine if you get the job or not. 

    Ryan, what kind of software development are you doing? Which company? Can you share some more of your experience as a professional programmer? 
  • KingdomOfJoy
    I have to agree with Ryan. Co-op is the best part of doing a degree in CS. They have interesting job postings from companies that only hire students through co-op program. And how did you come up with $2200 number? I believe semester of co-op is around $600 plus SFU fees which include UPASS. Also, when u're doing co-op u are considered a full time student which is important if you need/have student loan.
  • ryan
    Getting a software job as a student usually isn't as easy as your are making it out to be. Plus being in a Coop program is an advantage to get the jobs that are out there. 20 an hour as an intern is definitely possible. It is not a guarantee though. I know a bunch of people who interned and were paid less than that. And trust me, the average Vancouver developer job will start at less than 75k. Just because BlackBerry might pay someone 85k doesn't mean companies in Vancouver will.

    I work at Microsoft in the Operating Systems group. In terms of details about my experience I'm not really sure what to say. I go to work and write code. It is quite enjoyable. If you have specific questions I can try and answer them.
  • kenny123
    Your GPA does not matter. What matters is that you perform in the interview. GPA is subjective to the school you went to and the classes you took and does not reflect on your capabilities well. I work at a top 5 global software company and can tell you I have seen people with 2.4 GPA out perform 4.0 GPA students in interviews and got the job. Especially if your interning.....companies are willing to take risks on students because they pay you less and its for short contracts usually.
  • hehehe
    @KingdomOfJoy 

    Coop fee: $720
    Student fee: $40. 
    Total: 780 per semester
    3 Semesters = 2340 (a little off my number). 


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