Should I go into computer science?

我該不該進入計算機科學的領域？

Are you comfortable learning a lot of languages?

你對學習語言能應付自如嗎？

I already know Spanish and American Sign Language.

我本身會西班牙文和美國手語

You have to learn Java, Unix, JavaScript, C, C++

你需要學Java、Unix、JavaScript、C語言和C++

That sounds like you’re talking about your grade in Geography.

聽起來好像在說你的地理成績

You need to become comfortable with lifelong learning, because you’ll have to keep up

你必須樂於終身學習 因為你必須跟上

with changes to the software languages you know and the new languages you’ll have to learn.

原本會的程式語言的變遷 以及學習新的語言

Based on the movies, hacking looks like a pretty cool use of my talent.

就我看過不少電影而言 當駭客感覺很酷

The biggest growth in IT is in IT security, though criminals do manage to make money via hacking and malware.

在資訊業裡 成長最快速的是資訊安全 而犯罪者的確會駭進電腦和使用惡意軟體來賺錢

You have to be able to protect it from threats with tools like the firewall, manage buffer overflows and train users on recognizing social engineering.

你必須利用像是防火牆、控制緩衝溢出 和訓練使用者認識「社會工程學」作為保護措施

My father says I shouldn’t become a code monkey, because the work is getting replaced by software libraries and coders in India.

我爸爸說我不應該變成菜鳥工程師 因為這類的工作正在被印度的工程師取代

Software libraries are just modules of code.

函式庫裡面包含很多模組化的程式碼

It still takes a talented person to connect them, and more importantly, debug them.

這還是需要一個有天分的人來連結他們 更重要的是要會偵錯

Learning a few software languages isn’t hard.

學習程式語言並不困難

Computer science majors should understand computer architecture from the hard drive to the network.

主修計算機科學的人 從硬體到網路都應有所了解 要對電腦的架構相當熟悉

And you have to set up cryptography to encrypt data sent by your computer, manage keys,

另外 還需要設立密碼來對電腦所傳送的資料進行加密、管理密鑰

maintain password files and set up authentication methods.

管控加密文件和建立認證機制

Why bother with encryption anymore? Then NSA has all the keys.

為什麼要加密呢？這樣美國國家安全局就有所有的密鑰了

You also need to build up a portfolio of your work.

你還需要建立自己的作品集

I am going into computer science, not computer graphics.

我要做的是計算機科學 又不是電腦繪圖

A computer science degree says you took classes. Computer science graduates need software portfolios

計算機科學的學歷只能說你有修過課 而計算機科學系的畢業生需要有軟體的作品集

like projects, code portfolios and websites to show to prospective employers.

像是專題 程式作品集和網站來 給未來的老闆看

It sounds like computer science is becoming as regimented and complicated as every other engineering degree.

這樣聽起來 計算機科學已經和其他工科一樣嚴謹和複雜了

That’s why computer science is often part of the engineering department.

這就是為什麼計算機科學常常歸類在工學院裡面