Wanting to study Computer Science but have a math disability

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FullMetalAspie
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12 Jun 2015, 5:57 pm

Is it possible to get a computer science degree if you have a severe learning disability in math?
I'm a 23 year old who dropped out of a four year university, I have worked full time the last two years at a back breaking job. I want out of my current job and I'm looking at going into community college for computer repair.
I will have to take one math core to graduate but it will be sort of a remedial or developmental math course because of my disability.

My question is: outside of my single math core how, will my how will my poor math skills affect me in my regular
computer science cores. Will my computer science classes be math heavy?


This would be my schedule

Fall Semester

CIT 105 Windows O/S , Administration, and Troubleshooting 3
CIT 107 Excel 3
CIT 111 Help Desk Concepts 3
CIT 117 Microsoft Applications 3
CIT 123 A+ Hardware Essentials 3

Spring Semester

CIT 184 A+ networking and software 3
CIT 207 Computer Applications Support 3
CIT 220 Unix/Linux 3
ENG 101 College Composition I 3
HPE Elective 1
MATH Mathematics Core Requirement 2



lordfakename
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13 Jun 2015, 5:51 pm

I don't know that much about computer science, but from what I understand it's very much that it follows a similar logic and structure to pure maths. In this sense, if your problem is with manipulating numbers, but you have good logical skills, it may be fine. If, on the other hand, you are doing a course that requires physical modelling you are going to have to use numbers. I also suspect that an Excel course will require decent mathematics skills, but I have no way of knowing for sure.



FullMetalAspie
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13 Jun 2015, 7:23 pm

^^
I'm not sure what you mean by good logical skills. sorry I'm such a newb. :?
thanks for the input.



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14 Jun 2015, 5:21 am

Difficult to explain. Computers are very silly and just do exactly what you tell them. So you need to give very clear and precise instructions in their language. Are you good at creating and following instructions like that? Can you spot and recognise even the smallest of mistakes?

No need to apologise :)



FullMetalAspie
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14 Jun 2015, 10:18 am

I guess I don't know for sure, I've never done anything with computer languages.
I hope I can do it. I don't have any other skills, and I cant do customer service jobs because I'm so awkward.
It feels like the only jobs left for me are manual labor. :(



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15 Jun 2015, 11:17 am

It's a cliche, but you never know until you try



bookworm360
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15 Jun 2015, 11:29 am

It really depends on what you want to do. If you're mainly interested in working with/installing/fixing hardware then it's not a huge issue, it could be if you were more interested in programming, but even there I don't think it would necessarily be a disqualifying issue.

I'm not a computer programmer, but my best friend is one and I've taken some programming courses, so I don't have in-depth knowledge but a little bit of experience and exposure. From what I've seen the need for math skills in programming is largely dependent on the types of projects you want to do and the programming languages you use. Something that's not mentioned often that a lot of the early computer programmers weren't mathematicians or engineers but rather English and Philosophy majors as a lot of programming is manipulating a controlled syntax and vocabulary within a logical system.

Some languages require little to no math (html, php, etc), but generally if you want to do deeper programming, get behind the curtain sort of stuff, then it becomes more valuable. Depending on the language Logic (big L is intentional, logic as field of philosophy is different from what most people think--again peeking behind the curtain) and the ability to effectively use language can be more important. Places where mathematics would take precedence is likely in computer modeling/simulation and graphics.



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15 Jun 2015, 6:41 pm

does anyone have a suggestion as to where on the internet I could go to look into and learn more about these languages and skills so I can get an idea if it is for me?



SocOfAutism
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26 Jun 2015, 10:54 am

You're really not likely to run into any kind of hard math and little if any previous knowledge will be required.

I wasn't allowed to go to school when I was a kid, so when I was 15 I paid a kid I knew to teach me how to divide. I took the GED soon after that and went on to college. I have an AAS, a BS, a BA and am finishing a MS. Since I didn't learn math until I was an adult and totally missed out on things like geometry, I had to learn everything from scratch. I just put my head down and tried to learn. When I didn't get it, I just got someone different to explain it to me or I found explanations online. I've probably taken something like 10 math classes in my life, all required, but I got an A in each one.

It really won't be that bad, especially with the program you selected.



Nick009
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12 Aug 2015, 11:55 pm

khanacademy.org

This website serves as a free math tutor. It allows you to train yourself to become good at math. I spent my entire life assuming that I was bad at math due to my upbringing and "education". After finding out about this website I've gone from college level prealgebra to precalculus in 5 months while working a fulltime job.

I obviously don't know what I'm talking about, but I suspect your math "disability" may be nothing more than a lifetime of educational deficiency. Not your fault, and something that you can correct yourself with adequate free time.



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21 Aug 2015, 8:41 pm

I don't know much about your schedule, but if you do run into problems, I'd deal with them one at a time.

Specific difficulties (side-effects of your math disability) can be dealt with over the internet on educational and math-focused websites.


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23 Aug 2015, 10:55 am

i tried to do computer science but i had to quit because in the program you are forced to do programming.


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FullMetalAspie
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23 Aug 2015, 1:35 pm

Thanks for the input everyone but I decided not to go to school (at least not for the fall semester).
I know some of you are always going to say I made the wrong decision and that school is always the answer, but you have to understand I already tried four year college for 5 semesters and now I'm 16 thousand in the hole for a degree I don't have. But the main reason I'm not going to school this year is because I got hired on to a new position/department at work that is a lot less physically strenuous. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to take this new job because I wasn't expecting them to hire me anyway heck during most of the interview questions I didn't even have an answer I just said I don't know, so it was really nice of them to give me a chance. I fell like for me taking 4 or 5 classes at a time never worked for me , if I went back to school it would be too much of a gamble to sign up for 5 classes put more money on the table and just see if I sink or swim. If went back to school it would be 1 or 2 (max) classes at a time and it would be about me learning more about something I'm interested in not just to have a degree to hang on my wall.



krampus
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15 Sep 2015, 2:50 am

Try applied computer science or information Science. I'm a DBA and make as much or more than most programmers. You don't need strong math skills in a lot of IT jobs.