Do you have to be good at math to be successful in Computers

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I have a question for you all, I am an aspie who has an extreme fascination for computers. However, I am horrible at math, getting mosly C's and D's. The question I wanted to ask is, is it possible for an aspie who is terrible at math to obtain a Bachelors degree in Computer Science, and as well, to become proficient in Algebra and Calculus at the same time?

Do you want to be a programmer ?

To get a Bachelor Degree, math are not easy.

You can be a good coder without math but you should have a good logic. However a lot of area required to be good in math.

I you're not good in Math, instead of become a programmer you can go into network, a lot of professional certifications who don't required math exist.

I'm thinking about going into programming. What's involved in networking? If its good maybe I'll consider that as a possible career plan

I am horrid at math, but I am very good with computers. If you like to work with your hands and like chalanges, you can get into the repair end of it. Repair and troubleshooting is quite fun. Although some situations are common, there will be problems that are not common. Those keep it intresting.

Networking is pretty easy. I do not know everything about it, but I find the most of it boring.

Domestic network could be very easy, but it doesn't mean that they are secure.

Enterprise network could be very complex and often it required more than one person to manage them.

- You have to manage user account
- Give permissions to users and groups to access files, directories, printers, internet ...
- Troubleshoot why some users cannot access network, internet, printers ...
- Troubleshoot why the network or internet is slow if it's happen
- Manage backup of data, software updates, os updates ...
- Always check if everything is secure

computer science degree relies heavily on math component.

You don't need to be good at math to be a good programmer.

In order to be a great one however you probably would.

Again though, it's more logic based than math based.


For one thing, speed isn't everything. With computers the way they are, often maintainability and development time are much more important.


Computer Science is heavily math involved, but not all programming courses are.


I don't know how it is with software engineering courses. To the best of my knowledge, there are still generally a lot of courses quite irrelevant to engineering software. But it's like that for everything.

I think I was good in math.
I always got good grades, but I never understood anything.
Also, I have only read about 2/3 of the total courses available here.
People kept insinuating I needed math to be able to program.
I don't. You really only need to know how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division works, and you need to know what stuff like square root is, and have a basic grasp of useful algorithms.
I have also studied programming at university.
There were some things I have actually had a use for and that was interesting, so it wasn't totally wasted, however most were just overly complex ways of describing extremely simple concepts I already had complete mastery over.

Trigonometry is probably the kind of math that I've had most use of.
I think it's sexy and logical.
Boolean logic is also useful, and udually one of the few areas where I step on my shoe laces the most.
I like it a lot, though. I think in boolean logic. "Should we go to town or stay home?" "Yes."

A friend of mine said that to be able to do most 3D calculation, you should know advanced matrix math, however it's the same damn thing, only in rows and columns. Besides, with OpenGL etc. you basically don't need to know s**t about math.

I see programming as the practical version of math.
While math is like a description of how to ride a bike, programming is like riding a bike.
I never needed a description to learn to ride a bike, and all descriptions I've seen make it sound so hard.
It's just something that's in my spine. I can feel it and test my way though it.

On the other hand, I have gotten a better grasp on math because of programming.

I think it depends on the type of computer work. I am good at concrete math - can do multiplication and all that fast in my head and up to college, did well in math courses as the math was all well, concrete, algebra and beginning calculus. And I learn computer programs very quickly, however I am just *ok* at programming and find it to require some level of abstract thinking in organizing the program structure, although the actual code is very logical.

It does require other ways of thinking, but they don't necessarily have to do with math.
I find that visual thinking which is my main method of thinking works very well to be able to visualize the abstract concepts and ideas.

Yeah. Again, math is overemphasized for computing.

It's helpful, definitely, but so helpful that one should spend half their time doing calculus equations in University? Hardly.


In most applications, organization is more important than efficiency. And when speed/memory use IS important? Organization still helps.


Let the computer do the math. It's what they're for.

You can feel you don't understand math, but this is not really important. Remember, the math is just the tool. You don't really need to understand the tool, if you are able to use it properly. And to be honest, grades sucks. According to my high school grades I was never supposed to study physics. BS. I finished my Master's in physics year ago and now I'm doing my PhD in astrophysics.

On the other hand, using math as the tool in computer sciences motivates you to study particular parts of math deeper to learn yourself how the tool works. In fact, computers are making math more attractive. I've never obtained best grades in math, but sometimes I was able to find proper solution faster than my colleges. Never get yourself overwhelmed. It's not worth the better grades.

I am a computer science major, a sophomore working towards my Bachelor's degree.

My answer to your question. . .

. . . is, "Yes--if you become proficient in Algebra and Calculus at the same time."



Make sure you work every homework problem and every problem on the study guide and get tutoring if you can't do that, and you should be fine.

When choosing a college to attend, do not choose a college that requires lots of mathematics for its computer science major if you are horrible at math and only barely manage to get by even with what I mentioned in my previous sentence.

(I don't enjoy math a lot, but my college requires a mathematics minor for computer science majors. Just four more math classes and I could get a dual major in mathematics. Well, if I wanted to.)

The programming classes I have taken so far have not involved much math.

Computer science is not just programming, though.

Next semester, I will have to take a class on switching theory, which involves designing electronics. I am so excited. I've peeked in the lab before. There's junk computers everywhere. On the desks there are breadboards and against the walls are stacks of those machines that can visually display a sine wave. I'll need to use my knowledge of mathematics for this class, in the form of trigonometry.

Maybe. It depends on you. But you have to have the math to get the BS in CS. I'm a math nerd. I'm worried about things like history.....

OK, here's the truth!

It is an old wives tale! You can be GREAT at math, and LOUSY with computers!
You can be LOUSY at math, and GREAT with computers. They really ARE totally different!

BUT, unfortunately, alex is right. Most computer degrees DO require you to be good with math.

Still, it is really just a MYTH!

Computers requires 3 things!

1. Good verbal memory
2. Good analytical capability.
3. Understanding of at least the basics.
4. Some knowledge of what you want to do!

YEP, that is IT! Ironically, I think AS gives you 2 of those, and a good chance to develop the third. BTW That thid one is often not learned at college ANYWAY!

BTW I've been working on computers professionally for 26 years. The languages I have used were: SQL, PHP, PERL, COBOL, DIBOL, FORTRAN, JAVA, C/C++, VAX MACRO, PDP MACRO, 8086,6502, Various BASIC dialects, ACCESS(not really a language, but oh well), Korn, TCL/TK.

There have been more, but I think those are the only ones I was actually paid for.

Steve