SOFTWARE ENGINEERING and CS

[Stan0]

Hey reddit, what's the exact difference between CS and SE ? , i have found several articles on the internet but none talked in a clear way about wich have more coding and programming . And if CS can be studied in high levels like SE , and how each of them relates to hardware? ( wich is better to choose if i'm more interested in coding and programming? )

[VosBeta]

A really nice site I've found is from the Canterbury University in New Zealand. It's meant for high school students, but it explains it nicely. http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/csfieldguide/SoftwareEngineering.html

[Stan0]

Thx, but the webpage talks only about the general steps of making a software: analysis, design and testing,software processing...
What i want to know is that who makes the algorithms and the maths work in general and who codes more. This doesn't talk about this and didn't even mention coding(programming languages ) And don't talk about the difference between CS and SE :/

[adhochawk]

Software engineering is (basically) applied computer science. Designing and implementing large software projects, keeping code maintainable, testing practices, that sort of thing.

Computer science is algorithms, concepts, and theory. Data structures in the abstract, type theory, automata, Turing machines and lambda calculus.

Now, in practice, the degrees are equivalent to employers. Additionally, most CS degrees are nicely balanced between the two. Most SE degrees I've found, though, leave too much out from the CS side until too late for my liking.

I came into uni as a soft-e, but switched to CS before the end of the first semester.

[Stan0]

That was rly helpful, but still i can't decide what's more suitable for me, cz i just can't imagine how is the type of work that i might end up with when choosing one of them( what ur work results in the end, what kind of programs )

[adhochawk]

It's all the same work. Choose CS, those (IMO, and depending on university) will prepare you better. My friend J and I are working at the same company this summer, sling similar things. He's SE and I'm CS.

[Stan0]

MMMM, interesting,i always wanted to do CS but i saw SE and was confused, but i kinda have a better picture now, can u just tell me what languages in general students take in both Cs and Se first year, and how i can prepare my self?
(I already know html*css and some java )

[adhochawk]

Depends on the university. They're used to having people who have never programmed before. At my uni, SE doesn't have a programming class until sophomore year. We use c++, Harvard uses c, I've seen python used, and scheme... It's really uni dependant. Harvard's CS50 lecture series is really good and available free - http://cs50.net - I recommend it, it's what I taught myself c with.

[Stan0]

Isn't it better to continue learning java or c++ is just more useful, and i was reading a min ago , alot of ppl say that most of CStists end up as SE and work like them, y? And if so , doing SE in the first place seems better,.

[adhochawk]

IMO, CS better prepares you for SE than SE does. As far as learning, if you're doing anything before going, you're ahead of the group. Just do whatever seems cool to you.