Computer Engineering Language

Question

Computer Engineering Language

jzhang172 (Computer)

(OP)

24 Aug 12 15:31

Hello, I have a computer engineering degree or soon to be in a year. I got this degree because I wanted to pursue communication between distances between people. I know IT is more related to this but I discovered this half way through the year and by then it was too late.

I'm not really interested in the Hardware part of engineering, creating computer chips and such, I was wondering what your opinions are on what I can do with this degree with my goal.

Are there any computer languages that I should learn that is specific for this goal? I'm almost completely well versed in C, C++ and Java. But I see Pearl, PHP and others everytime I see job applications all the time, is this relevant for me?

THANKS TO ANYONE THAT POSTS :D

IRstuff (Aerospace) · Answer 1 · 2012-08-24 15:47:43

I don't see how anyone can answer your question without knowing what you want to do.

Nonetheless, the more languages and facilities you know, the better off you'll be.

TTFN
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jzhang172 (Computer) · Answer 2 · 2012-08-24 15:51:13

I want to pursue developing or improving software to help communication between people.

MikeHalloran (Mechanical) · Answer 3 · 2012-08-24 16:20:34

It's important that you develop an understanding of how computer languages work. That much is transportable. ... by which I mean that language structures, e.g., nested loops tend to look the same and behave the same regardless of the language.

At the bleeding edge of computer languages, it seems like at least two completely new ones appear every year. Most of them fade into obscurity quickly. The really effective bug generators, like C and its progeny, will be around for a while, because of all the labor they burn.

Regardless of how well you understand the principles, you will need to keep up to date with the latest fads, which means buying a couple of expensive textbooks a year, so you have a chance of surviving the next interview.

As for helping communication among people, well The Web was supposed to do that. All of its implementation languages were written by either people who understood computer languages or people who understand human languages. No computer languages have been written by people who understand both, which explains the flow of fads and the resulting apparent full employment for people who can keep up.

I.e., don't bank on achieving your stated goal, but you can make a decent living trying.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

IRstuff (Aerospace) · Answer 4 · 2012-08-24 16:21:27

What, aside from glossy brochure speak, does that really mean?

I mean, you go to work, you sit down, and you do WHAT?

TTFN
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xwb (Computer) · Answer 5 · 2012-08-24 17:55:52

Try having a look at https://www.modelica.org/ and http://www.3ds.com/products/catia/portfolio/dymola. It is often used as a form of communication between experts of differing disciplines.

LiteYear (Computer) · Answer 6 · 2012-08-26 21:15:20

Yep, should have done Software Engineering, Computer Science or Information Technology. Nonetheless, you should never let your schooling interfere with your education. There's plenty you can do to influence your skill development.

Definitely learn a web language. Ruby on Rails is a great place to start, but there are plenty of others like PHP, ASP.NET, etc. And yes, you should at least have a familiarity with Perl.

Most importantly, write something. Write an Instant Messaging client or build a web forum. Get it out there and get feedback. Participate in Wikipedia or an open source project - start contributing to the community of communication.

Come Join Us!

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Computer Engineering Language