Hi, this question is going out to those who are expirienced programmers/good at math/comp sci students in university or college I''m always hearing how key it is to excel in math if you want to program for a living (specifically games). I''m pretty much a novice programmer (read the C for dummies books, have read some things off the internet and flipped through some Lamothe books) and I''ve really enjoyed it and have been facinated about what I''ve learned so far. Anyway my story is that I graduated from high school two years ago and hated math. I got 57% in Math 11 (I''m from BC Canada, just in case anyone is familiar with the curriculum), and I elected not to take Math 12. I recently took a Math 12 course to see how I would do, as I am interested in attending a local college''s comp sci program, which requires a B (73%) in Math 12 for admission. Anyway, I got 67%, which I didn''t think was too bad considering I hadn''t done any math in over two years (or any school in a year and a half for that matter) and absolutely used to abhor it. I think if I take the course again I think I have a really good shot at getting a B. So my question (finally!) is; Even if I barely got a B in the Math 12 course, is it worth it to go into comp sci, or should I not bother? The reasoning being that if I had that much trouble just getting a B in Math 12, I''ll have even more trouble when I get to discrete mathematics and calculus later on, and that if I''m not totally comfortable with math, perhaps I should look in another direction for a potential career that isn''t so math intensive. Thanks

If you stick with the mathematics you will get better at it. Like most subjects though, if you don''t enjoy it, you''re unlikely to put in the effort required to excel at it. If programming is something you really want to do and you don''t mind a bit of hard work, then certainly take on the maths. You''ll find it a great reward when one day you see a mathematical technique for the first time and understand it immediately!

You don''t need to be a good mathematician to be a good programmer, but it can''t hurt!

Cheers and good luck,

Timkin

Since I, too, am a product of the BC education system, perhaps I can shed some light on this issue

University-level computer science involves a *lot* of math. Over the past two years (my first two at UVic) I''ve taken six math courses of varying degrees of difficulty. Some of it isn''t really relevant to game development, but topics like linear algebra and D.E''s certainly are.

I would highly recommend that you take a calculus course (or at least do some learning on your own) before hitting a Math 100-level course at University. It seems to be somewhat of a "brick wall" for many students, and the dropout/failure rates are extremely high. If you can wrap your head around calculus, you should do ok.

In the end it boils down to how bad you want it. The first 3-4 Calculus courses are not that hard if you are able to sit down and do the work. Personally, I find that many Computer Science students get frustrated with the prescribed math courses simply because they think that they''re "useless" and not applicable to "what they want to do" when they graduate.

A B.Sc. in Computer Science, or any University degree for that matter, will only give you a taste of the field. The most important thing you can take away from your University is the ability to learn .

Again, if you want it bad enough then you should go for it. If you''re not comfortable with math but want to go into Computer Science then I can only say this: hit the toolshed. Yes, it would be a shame to waste the last month of summer playing catch up, but you have to start somewhere. If you''re willing to sit at a computer and learn about silly things like DirectX and the Win32 API then you can certainly afford to spend some time reading up on algebra and the basic mathematical techniques which were covered in your previous math courses.

Or, you could give up and spend the rest of your life talking about it.

Computer science is just that, a *science. It just so happens that computer science is fundamentally math intensive, and most people who bomb their CS college career usually drop because of the math combined with the intense course loads. You should probably have taken calc in high school like most CS majors did. Calc is pretty easy, the biggest hurdle for most students in calculus is the *ALGEBRA. Its amazing how that one skill is so important.

There are many important math classes you will be taking at any school worth its weight.

Calc 1,2
Calc 3 + Vector Calculus
Linear Algebra
Discrete Math
Differential Equations
Engineering Stats
etc.

Thats just for starters, this doesnt include everything, especially the CS courses that use this stuff heavily.


If you want to be a programmer, buy a book, its cheaper that way. CS is no different that any traditional engineering major, its tough, its stressful, it hurts, and in the end it may or may not be worth the trouble and you might not make it through. You might even be 30 pounds heavier....I was :-P

P.S. If you are truly dedicated, you''ll get through it, just put yourself in an academic mindset and surround yourself with motivation to learn and take it very very seriously if you are not a strong student. You may just be lazy and that may be the reasoning behind your scores, but you cant be lazy if you want to graduate, so get serious. I would try it for a semester or two, and then make up my mind. P.P.S, try that nice little thing called an "audit" if you have to and preserve your grades for a different major if need be.

Thanks for your replies everyone

Since highschool I have definitely matured academically, and improved my self discipline tenfold. I also feel I think much more logically now when approaching mathematical questions. I definitely enjoy math more than I used to, and respect it a great deal now, so I think I''ll give it another try. The class is only a semester, so I''ve got nothing to lose if don''t make the grade.