Is Computer Science Hard to Get Into: 3 Myths Debunked

In today’s evolving digital world, more people are now interested in breaking into the field of tech, with a surge of career opportunities present in the post-pandemic era. According to recent findings, “...there’s a big demand for the skill set around high performance computing, around programming and the manipulating and storage of data” (ABC News 2021). However, many may still ponder whether or not studying computer science is the right career choice for them, believing it is difficult to learn for the average person. The truth is, learning computer science is easier than you think. Anyone can get started in computer science, if one has the willingness to learn, regardless of the background and perceived stereotypes.

Here are three common misconceptions about computer science to let you know that getting started in this discipline is not as hard as you might think. 

#1 You need to be excellent at math to succeed in Computer Science

It can be easy to get turned away from something you may feel a little intimidated by. To remind yourself, everyone starts as beginners, in some shape or form… and to reassure yourself, you do not need to be excellent at math to succeed in computer science.

As long as you are willing to learn and grasp the fundamental concepts and ideas, this should be more than enough for you to pick up certain aspects and languages such as programming. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, rest assured that there are many short courses such as CS101 and videos such as TED Talks tailored to explore beginner levels of computer science.

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#2 Coding is difficult for those who do not have a programming background

Whilst it may be true to some extent that coding can be difficult to grasp at the early stages, if you haven’t had any experience before, it is not true that you won’t be able to understand the concepts once you start learning how to code. As one of our industry experts of CS101 had mentioned, “Keep practising using the concepts you learn and don’t be afraid to make mistakes” in our recent blog of best CS advice.‍

If you scour the internet these days, you will find that there are even short courses and activities for children to learn how to code at beginner level. Seeing lines of codes, random characters can be illegible to the untrained eye - but after some time of practising, you will be able to overcome this hurdle easily.

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#3 Computer Science is predominantly for men, geeks and nerds

It can be discouraging to hear that a particular area of discipline has gender disparity associated with it. Even though this may be true to a degree, interestingly it has been shown that computer science still remains a male-dominated field in the United States (ComputerScience.org 2021). Despite this, there has been an increase in movements to dispel these stereotypes and to close the gap between genders and perceived categories of who may want to pursue in the field of computer science.

In response, there has been an increase in online communities, short courses and changes to appeal more to females such as Code Like A Girl, a social enterprise that empowers girls and women to equip themselves with the tools and knowledge to enter and flourish in the world of coding. On this message, anyone can learn computer science, regardless of their gender, habits and cultural stereotypes, and break into the world of tech!

What next?

There are tons of other resources online that can help you throughout your Computer Science learning journey. If you’re keen to learn more about CS101, subscribe today to our newsletter to get the latest updates.

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