Dana, Tampa,FL asked Sayari Ghosh, QuickApplyLoan (Gobdu Corporation)

AddedSunday, March 20, 2016 at 10:39 PM

I'm a freshman in a community college and my major is not decided yet

Hi Dr. Sayari. I'm a freshman in a community college and my major is not decided yet. I'm thinking about majoring in computer science. I know you didn't study computer science but I thought you would give me some advice. I have many concerns: I'm afraid that I'm not smart enough to study computer science, because as you know people who major in computer science are pretty smart. and I hear a lot about how hard it is and how only geniuses can study it so I'm really afraid that I might not be successful at it. My second fear is: that I'm going to be a minority in CS since because I'm a female right? how did you deal with that? am I ganna face any discrimination because I'm a female? I feel like I wouldn't be as successful and smart as other men who have been programming for years!! was obtaining a degree in CS very hard like people say? Please Advice. Thank you.
  • Sayari Ghosh , QuickApplyLoan (Gobdu Corporation)
    Answered Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 10:39 PM
    Hi Dana! I really appreciate your questions. (And as a matter of fact, I did study Computer Science in both BS and MS.) Let me address your concerns one by one -
    1. wondering if you are smart enough - remember what the famous scientist Edison said about genius? "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration". I want to remind you of that. If you are thinking about a major in CS that means you are interested and if you work hard on top of that, there is no reason why you won't do well. For my own self, I can tell you I am no genius. Neither are the people in the software industry I am working with for the last 7 years are. They are smart and they work hard. 
    2. Yes you will be a minority. I am still a minority in my work meetings where I am, in many cases the only woman in the room. The more senior you become, the more minority you would be in the technical fields. But don't let that stop you. Take that as a challenge. If we fear of being a minority and shirk away, we would always remain a minority, right? In order to have more women in the software industry, we need more women deciding to choose CS as a major. 
    3. Facing discrimination - yes, you may face it. But don't assume it is just men who discriminate against women. Women can be very hateful too. Personally, I have never faced any discrimination at work and my managers and peers (men and women) have been very helpful. A few offending remarks are expected in life in general. You will have to be confident to ward off those people. 
    4. On being successful - you are just about to start programming. So wait till you also have a few years of experience under your belt before comparing your success to other men who have been programming for years :) If you learn, practice and stay in touch with programming, I see no reason why you should not be successful. 
    5. Difficulty in obtaining a CS degree - any degree is difficult to obtain. You will have to work hard, study hard, maybe even sacrifice hanging out with friends to submit assignments on time. But I don't see why CS would be any harder than the others. 
    
    In general, here's my suggestion - CS is nothing like a science fiction movie where you see geniuses walking around creating technical miracles. It is a branch of engineering and is very, very interesting. Don't make it scare you. In your spare time, read about a computer language (say Java, I would suggest the Head First series books to start with) or try your hand at an app development (it isn't as hard as it sounds. There are tons of step by step guides online) and see how you slowly get interested. And here's my advice for your life in general - do what interest you. Don't worry about anyone else! Feel free to reach out to me with any questions/concerns/things that are frightening and we will work out a solution! Good luck :)