- #1
Jeeb
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Hello everyone!
I have recently decided that I want to pursue a career in software engineering, but the problem is that I haven’t taken many courses in it. I’ll briefly describe where I’m at now:
I’m a senior physics major, and I had originally planned on doing some sort of medical physics or biophysics career. After participating in an REU in biophysics, I decided that I research in general wasn't for me, though I still have some interest in medical applications. Upon more soul searching I realized that I enjoyed programming much more than anything I had previously tried; in particular, I enjoy the creativity and analytical skills that are involved in programming.
So far I’ve only taken one programming class which taught FORTRAN and emphasized its use in solving scientific problems. I’ve taken classes in introductory biology, organic chemistry, the standard physics and math sequences, and the advanced physics classes (e.g. quantum 2, E&M2, modern optics), and I did another REU in photonics/optoelectronics in a previous year. This semester I am finishing up my physics requirements and taking a C/C++ class in the CSE department.
I want to be eligible for jobs in software engineering by the time I graduate in the spring, so my question to you all is what sort of steps should I take to prepare myself for programming in general? For example: what classes can I take in the spring semester that would be most useful, would CSE research be a good idea, are there any books you would recommend, etc.?
Thank you for your time!
I have recently decided that I want to pursue a career in software engineering, but the problem is that I haven’t taken many courses in it. I’ll briefly describe where I’m at now:
I’m a senior physics major, and I had originally planned on doing some sort of medical physics or biophysics career. After participating in an REU in biophysics, I decided that I research in general wasn't for me, though I still have some interest in medical applications. Upon more soul searching I realized that I enjoyed programming much more than anything I had previously tried; in particular, I enjoy the creativity and analytical skills that are involved in programming.
So far I’ve only taken one programming class which taught FORTRAN and emphasized its use in solving scientific problems. I’ve taken classes in introductory biology, organic chemistry, the standard physics and math sequences, and the advanced physics classes (e.g. quantum 2, E&M2, modern optics), and I did another REU in photonics/optoelectronics in a previous year. This semester I am finishing up my physics requirements and taking a C/C++ class in the CSE department.
I want to be eligible for jobs in software engineering by the time I graduate in the spring, so my question to you all is what sort of steps should I take to prepare myself for programming in general? For example: what classes can I take in the spring semester that would be most useful, would CSE research be a good idea, are there any books you would recommend, etc.?
Thank you for your time!
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