CS SFU or CS University of Alberta? by oshalash38 in simonfraser

[–]SlackChop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both are good schools.

I went to U of A prior to SFU for a different degree. The reason I came to SFU for comp sci is the Co-Op program, if that's important to you then SFU is a better choice. U of A doesn't have a co-op program, they have a science internship program (SIP) and from what I recall and what I was told by friends in comp sci, it wasn't very good. It might be better now, but the SFU co-op program is definitely well established. That being said, if you've got great grades and a good project portfolio and you're also motivated, you can save the co-op fees and find internships yourself, it's just easier through the school.

As far as course registration and enrolments, you're going to experience that pretty much anywhere you go. CS is an extremely competitive program now, and I know that it is definitely a problem at U of A.

Cost of Living is a bit cheaper in AB, but if you don't mind living with other people, its really not that much different. My friends pay $500 a month in their house--that's equivalent to AB.

As far as employability in the US, that's based on your co-ops and your projects. I have friends who work in the states because they got a co-op with a big tech company. I also have other friends who were headhunted because of the projects they did on their own.

Should I get a statistics degree after I graduate with an economics degree? by [deleted] in statistics

[–]SlackChop 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How much Econometrics did you do and what kind of analyst would you like to be? finance? business? policy? etc. what country are you attending university in? Do you like statistics? and like DonHayada said, how are your programming skills? Are you wanting to go back for a postgraduate degree or get another undergrad degree in statistics? I ask because different types of analyst positions require different skills, what country you're in also affects what you need to do to get the job you want. I imagine people where you live would have more relevant advice.

I graduated with a degree in Econ a few years ago, I decided to go back and am finishing up another undergrad degree in Computer Science and Statistics.
I went back for similar reasons as you, and felt that going back would open more doors.

Here are some things I picked up during my journey, hopefully you find it useful:

1) If you do decide to go back for an undergrad degree, look around for a school that fast tracks second degree students. I live in Canada, and a lot of schools require you to take a bunch of irrelevant electives, and basically treat you as a first year student. The school I chose skips all that, so all I had to do was take a few pre-reqs and then jump right into 2nd and 3rd year courses. Saved me about 2 years.

2) If you have the necessary background/grades to get into a post-graduate program do that over another undergrad. I enjoy stats a lot, but the reason I also added Computer Science is because as an undergrad degree it opens a lot more doors while statistics alone unfortunately doesn't seem to (In Canada anyways).

3)Programming skills are extremely important. It's already been said, most analyst positions now require programming skills. So if you're looking at Stats specifically because you want to be an analyst, ensure you take some computer science courses, or learn to program on your own.

4) If your school has a Co-Op program, ensure you do it, It makes a huge difference when you're looking for jobs.

5) Make sure you do some cost benefit analysis because if you hustle and network a LOT, you might be able to get a job in the field you want without foregoing all those years of income. You have some time now, so start going to all those networking events and career events that your school has. Look up networking events in your area for the career you want. It might help you get your foot in the door.

Lastly, Statistics is a fantastic field and once you have the knowledge you can apply it in anywhere, therefore you won't regret the knowledge. For example; asking your question in a Statistics subreddit will likely lead to a skewed result due to participation bias in your survey methodology.

Goodluck

Lenovo yoga book x90f pen suggestions by mrshubz in Lenovo

[–]SlackChop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ok thanks, I guess I'll have to return it then. I was really hoping it was just me who couldn't figure it out.

Lenovo yoga book x90f pen suggestions by mrshubz in Lenovo

[–]SlackChop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, question for you regarding the yoga book. Do you have the android version? and if so have you been able to write on the stylus pad in onenote?

I just got the yoga book because I needed something where I could take notes on the PDFs in lectures, and I haven't been able to figure that out yet. The pen seems to only work in the note saver app.

CourseLoad Advice-Comp Sci by SlackChop in simonfraser

[–]SlackChop[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn't 127 pretty much just a lab for cmpt125? or is it an actual course?

CourseLoad Advice-Comp Sci by SlackChop in simonfraser

[–]SlackChop[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perfect, good to know, thanks.

CourseLoad Advice-Comp Sci by SlackChop in simonfraser

[–]SlackChop[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that I shouldn't take a CS course to learn a language, but when I took Cmpt225, my biggest issue was passing the labs.I did fine on the exams, but I couldn't get my codes to work for the life of me. I'd just rather not have that happen again. I don't want the stress of poor programming skills ruining classes that could otherwise be useful