where to look to get well educated in computer science

[Steven]

I'm currently attending computer science in hbo (a kind of collage) in the
netherlands and I was just curious where you guys attended to aquier the
skills or knowledge in computer science such as java.

Steven

 

[Jacob]

I'm currently attending computer science in hbo (a kind of collage) in the
netherlands and I was just curious where you guys attended to aquier the
skills or knowledge in computer science such as java.

Java is not computer science. Java is a programming
language. Learn Java as you go, but remember that
Java is not the knowledge; Java is the tool.

Computer software science is a branch of mathematics.
Have a few years on university to learn maths and
computer science to get you going on the subject.
Many universities will suit your needs.

American employers focus a lot on which university
you earned your degree (MIT whould probably sell well).
European employers care more about your true skills
and experiences.

 

[Steven]

I'm currently attending computer science in hbo (a kind of collage) in the

It's kinda focused upon making computers work for bank employers etc. and
some simple software development (including java) with databases and UML.

netherlands and I was just curious where you guys attended to aquier the
skills or knowledge in computer science such as java.

What kind of degrees did you earn and could you guys find some place to work
and make a living after you earned a degree?

Anyone of you attended more (heavy) math oriented or anyone of you attended
classes that are more advanced such as Cognitive Science. (psychology, logic
and math) -> Prolog etc.

 

[Brad BARCLAY]

It's kinda focused upon making computers work for bank employers etc. and
some simple software development (including java) with databases and UML.

Focussing on how to use specific technologies (like Java and UML) isn't
really the focus of Computer Science. Computer Science is, as another
poster pointed out, really a branch of mathematics.

If you're looking at being able to use specific technologies, than
you're probably already in the right place. If you want to be able to
_create_ such technologies, and be able to manipulate the mathematical
laws and properties behind them, then Computer Science is the better way
to go.

What kind of degrees did you earn and could you guys find some place to work
and make a living after you earned a degree?

I have my B.Sc. (Honours) in Computer Science from Brock University
(http://www.brocku.ca), which in in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Any decent University with a Computer Science program, however, should
suffice. I was hired to work at IBM's Toronto Software Lab (which I
left early last year) immediately upon graduation.

One metric you can look for is to see if a University you're interested
in is following the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery --
http://www.acm.org) curriculum guidelines. To determine this, you'll
probably have to contact the head of the Computer Science department at
the University you're interested in. Note that not following these
guidelines doesn't necessarily make for a bad program (nor does
implementing it automatically make for a good program...), but it is
something you can use as a potential guide.

Anyone of you attended more (heavy) math oriented or anyone of you attended
classes that are more advanced such as Cognitive Science. (psychology, logic
and math) -> Prolog etc.

I did a more math heavy program by choice. It was just short of the
requirements for a combined Math/Comp.Sci. degree, but taking the extra
math courses was a huge benifit for me in the long run (IMO).

HTH!

Brad BARCLAY