As an undergraduate CS student, you want a roadmap to success

Issue: There are many components to success in CS:◦ Curricular Activities (Courses)◦ Co-Curricular Activities◦ Preparation for Post-Undergraduate Life◦ Overall Planning

◦ Curricular components Course and Program Selection Studying / Course Work Grades

Many major courses decided for you Choices

◦ CS Electives – how to choose? Explore current interests, possible areas of specialization Take courses useful for likely jobs Take courses to help prepare for graduate school (e.g. CS 450)

◦ CS Comprehensive - ENGL 305 or ENGL 308 or CJ 202? ENGL 305 – Communicating Scientific Subjects to General Audiences

(communication –writing) Also counts toward GE 3xx-level requirement (Three 3xx-level courses)

ENGL 308 – Scientific Communication for Expert Audiences (communication – writing) Also counts toward GE 3xx-level requirement (Three 3xx-level courses)

CJ 202 – Fundamentals of Speech (communication – speaking)◦ GE Courses – Strategies and Tactics

Take courses that you’re interested in Take courses that fit best with your major (and minor) program(s) Take courses that meet multiple requirements to free up other slots

Which major?◦ Computer Science – Comprehensive (63 cr.)

Broadest array of computer science courses More mathematics, required Physics for science lab sequence Requires some other courses (communication, ethics) under GE

◦ Computer Science – Software Engineering (39 cr.) Similar amount of computer science to CS-Comp.

Only differences: not CS 462 (Networks), one less CS elective Less mathematics, required Physics for science lab sequence Requires minor (24 cr.)

◦ Computer Science – Computer Engineering (68 cr.) A computer science degree with an emphasis on computer hardware

and engineering issues Useful for working in computer hardware industry, positions including

hardware verification and testing◦ Computer Science – GIS (68 cr.)

Combination of computer science + study of geographic information systems

Which minor, if needed?◦ Information systems

Complementary to CS, added understanding of business

◦ Mathematics Additional problem solving tools for toolset, some

practical applications (e.g. probability and statistics, digital signal processing)

◦ Any area that you can combine with computer science E.g. Biology, Physics, Criminal Justice (Forensics),

maybe Materials Science in future?◦ Any area that you’re interested in

E.g. Music, Foreign Language, others…

Read assigned materials◦ Several computer science instructors work primarily with

PPT slides; don’t forget how to read technical material! Review periodically

◦ Helps anchor and integrate material Important with comprehensive nature of CS

Study with others (at least some of the time)◦ Especially if you’re not well-disciplined at studying on

your own◦ Try to study with others at or above your level – this helps

you to rise to their level Study actively

◦ Try to ask “what if” questions, e.g. Does this algorithm really work (correctly / efficiently)? What other approaches are there here? Is there a better approach possible?

Participate in class actively◦ Ask questions◦ Comment where appropriate based on your own

experience Understand what the instructor is looking

for◦ Read carefully, solve the problem asked, not the

problem you would like to see asked Be complete, thorough and organized Use a variety of problem solving techniques

(more later)

GPA review◦ How is GPA calculated?◦ How is GPA used?

Honors for semester, degree Internship and full-time job applications

Perhaps the most important factor!

Team Exercise◦ Effect of bad first year◦ Effect of one bad course on semester GPA

C if averaging B’s F if averaging B’s

◦ Effect of one bad semester after three good semesters

How to get good grades in CS courses?◦ Complete all assignments◦ Do your share of the work (or more) on team

assignments Team projects will often ask for each member of the

group to anonymously evaluate all members’ participation

◦ Make sure you learn the material; don’t leave unanswered questions Computer Science is very comprehensive!

◦ Co-Curricular Activities Club participation / leadership Part-time work Study abroad Internships Job Search

Computer Science clubs◦ Student ACM

ACM = Association for Computing Machinery, primary professional organization for computer scientists

Student club – social, service, educational, networking with other students, possible employers

Professional organization – separate student membership, access to magazine and CS literature

◦ WITS (Women In Technology and Science) Similar – social, service, educational, networking All interested students welcome

Benefits of membership◦ Meet other CS students◦ Activities◦ Opportunity to run for and be a club leader, help guide

club in future year(s)

Benefits◦ Generate funds for school

But remember your primary goal – education Work should never be an excuse for not doing well in

school◦ Obtain additional CS-relevant experience (if a job that

utilizes CS skills: system administrator, web developer, help desk staff, etc.)

Issues◦ Can interfere with course work, especially group

meetings Overall

◦ Make sure part-time work is compatible with your course work

Benefits◦ Learning about another culture◦ Experiencing the diversity of the world

Issues◦ In past, often just GE credits◦ Now, are some institutions that offer CS courses that

may transfer Recommendations

◦ Talk to your adviser early (freshman year) if you are interested in study abroad

◦ Second-semester sophomore year is the best semester for study abroad Required course: one elective (CS 268 or CS 278) that can

be taken another semester, doesn’t interfere with prerequisite chain

Temporary work (often full-time during a summer, possibly including another semester) with an employer◦ Can be for pay, credits, both◦ Often summer after junior year, but can be after sophomore or even

freshman year if you have experience that matches employer needs Benefits

◦ One of the important accomplishments in the eyes of companies hiring for full-time positions

◦ A good experience (from the employer’s perspective) on an internship is often the gateway to a full-time job offer

Opportunities to explore internships◦ CS Career Breakfast and UWEC Career Fair (late September)◦ Internship Mania (February)◦ Through Career Services online listings

Prerequisites◦ Have a resume prepared, reviewed by CS faculty and Career Services

Often WITS workshops on this in fall before UWEC Career Fair◦ In some cases, minimum GPA requirements (e.g. 3.0)

If want credit, must work with Dr. Jack Tan (CS Internship Coordinator) – do this in advance

Necessary to be pro-active◦ Can’t wait for employers to come to you

Same opportunities as for internships:◦ CS Career Breakfast and UWEC Career Fair (late

September)◦ Internship Mania (February)◦ Through Career Services online listings◦ Also other contacts:

Employers speaking at CS 396 (Junior Seminar) Employers met through talks, club events, etc. Personal contacts

◦ Prerequisite Again, having a good resume is key Also want strong recommendations from faculty May be minimum GPA requirements (e.g. 3.0) here too

◦ Options: Job in CS Graduate School in CS or other area Job in another area

Many different possibilities Consider areas previously discussed

◦ Application vs. systems Major CS employers

◦ Marshfield Clinic (Marshfield, WI)◦ Great Lakes Higher Education (Madison/Eau Claire, WI)◦ Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Wausau)◦ Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company (Milwaukee)◦ 3M Corporation (St. Paul, MN)◦ IDEXX Systems (Eau Claire)

Other employers of CS students◦ IBM (Rochester, MN)◦ Menards / Midwest Manufacturing (Eau Claire)◦ McKesson Surgical/Medical (Minneapolis)◦ C.H. Robinson (Minneapolis)◦ Silicon Logic Engineering (Eau Claire)◦ Many others…

Approximately 5-10% of CS students go directly on to graduate school in CS

Worth considering if interested in teaching, research, or advanced/focused work

See: http://www.cs.uwec.edu/~wagnerpj/talks/GradSchool.ppt for more information (Student ACM talk given by Dr. Dan Ernst and Dr. Paul Wagner of UWEC CS)

Will need recommendations from faculty

Always possible to use CS as a supplement to a job in another field

Students have gone on to jobs such as:◦ Teaching English in foreign countries◦ Document translation◦ Web design

Issue◦ Easy to get stale technically, may limit future

options◦ However, CS knowledge is always helpful

◦ Planning includes: Considering options Making choices Being an active participant in your undergraduate

education Organizing your time Thinking ahead

Choices are made out of all available options

Make sure you don’t limit your options Examples:

◦ Student not attending class and not doing well◦ Student not attending class but doing well in class

– later issues◦ Student not attending class but not officially

dropping Goal: leave yourself more options where

possible

Carefully consider each option for:◦ Advantages◦ Disadvantages◦ Other implications

Consciously choose and act on the option you prefer◦ Ownership translated to success

How you can you be active in your CS education?

Many ways:◦ Active participation in class◦ Active consideration on choices for major, minor,

CS electives, GE courses◦ Active consideration of co-curricular options

While making sure that all choices reasonably fit within your schedule

◦ Talk to instructors, understand the course requirements What accomplishments expected? What participation expected?

Treat studying and review like a class◦ Set aside standard periods of time each week to

work on your courses For team projects, communicate with team

members to identify common times to meet regularly◦ Requires flexibility and cooperation

Budget time for everything, including co-curricular interests

Your undergraduate career is a “knapsack problem”◦ Knapsack problem – famous CS optimization problem

Many objects of different weights and values (not proportionate); all have some value...

How to determine the optimal set of objects to put in your knapsack/backpack that will give you the most value while staying within a given weight limit?

We really need a “forward advising” system to supplement degree audits◦ Backward advising – how does what you’ve done fit into

a degree plan?◦ Forward advising – what should you do and when should

you do it to successfully complete a degree program?

Putting it all together◦ Consider your options regularly◦ Develop a plan early, but be ready to change it if

necessary (and reconsider it regularly)◦ Develop the discipline for completing course

work, participating in class, and active learning that will allow you to succeed in CS

◦ Make sure you keep your options open Don’t back yourself into a corner with no/few options

Key Timeline Items – Sample Schedule◦ Freshman year

Do well in your courses! Consider exact major, minor, clubs, work, study abroad, act on some…

Join SACM and/or WITS◦ Sophomore year

Continue to do well Develop your resume Study abroad 2nd semester if desired Run for office in club

◦ Junior year Continue to do well Update resume, investigate internship possibilities Apply for internships Do internship – summer

◦ Senior year <you get it…> Update resume, investigate full-time job possibilities Apply for full-time job Graduate, start that job…