What Skills Should Computer Scientists Have?
The skills required of a Computer Scientist vary depending on their specialization.
A Computer Scientist specializing in theoretical computer science will need to understand: data structures and algorithms, the theory of computation, information theory, coding theory, programming language theory, and other formal methods. Work in this field focuses primarily on mathematical techniques.
A Computer Scientist who focuses on computer systems will need to understand: computer architecture and engineering, computer performance analysis, concurrency, distributed computing, networks, security and cryptography, and artificial intelligence.
A Computer Scientist specializing in computer applications will need to understand: computer graphics and visualization, user experience and user interface design, scientific computing, and artificial intelligence.
A Computer Scientist focusing on software engineering should be proficient in applying engineering principles to software development and programming languages.
Most Computer Scientist positions expect candidates to know the basic tools used in the industry for daily operations, including version control software like Git, project and team management tools, and developer tools.
Learn the Skills You Need to Become a Computer Scientist
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Coding
Coding is another way to say computer programming. It is how humans "instruct" computers through the process of designing and building a functioning computer program. Computer and web programs are built using coding languages like C, Python, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, and more. Coding can be used to create desktop, mobile, or web applications.
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Computer Science
Computer science is the study of the principles and use of computers. Computer science is the most common 4-year degree for Developers and Engineers. It involves studying theories, methods of processing information, and the designing and building of hardware and software.
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Java
Java is a class-based, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language that was designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. Java is used by Software Engineers to create computer applications. Java can also be used to build modules and applets for use within a web page.
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Developer Tools
Developer tools are tools typically created by developers to do tasks like debug code, edit code more efficiently, test code, test interface, and more efficiently build websites and applications.
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Git
Git is a distributed version control system that is standard in software and web development. Git allows multiple developers to work on the same project at once or a single developer to keep track of changes. It also creates a simple environment to conduct A/B testing. Git is designed to optimize speed, data integrity, as well as distributed and non-linear workflows.