30 May 2012

Computer Science: Web Dev or Research?

Computer Science is currently splitting into two: Web Development and Research. Web Development is what we see on most websites today and how people design UX and UI to make users happy. Research contains Algorithms, Machine Learning, Systems, and most coding that doesn't get seen by users.

When studying Computer Science today, we are facing a "Social Network Effect". Most people go into Computer Science thinking that Web Development is all there is to Computer Science. This effect, while good for getting more people interested in Computer Science, is always causing Research to start to slow down.

I think one of the biggest reason for this change is that Web Development is relatively easier than Machine Learning or research in terms of problem solving. Most of the time, websites will require a strong UI / UX; however, there is not an interesting algorithm or backend to understand. Secondly, there is currently more money in the Web Development. It is very rare that people see a Machine Learning algorithm worth millions or billions.

The purpose of this post is to make sure that people realize there is more to Computer Science than Web Development.  I highly recommend a course on Machine Learning, Systems, or Algorithms; this is where real Computer Science is :D. If those subjects are new to you, go in excited to learn and ask questions. The material's harder, but more rewarding. 

Some of the world's most difficult problems are going to require Research. If we want to mimic any human abilities (touch, sight, thought), if we want to analyze large datasets, if we want to continue to innovate, we will need to continue to research.

Personally, I love Research. Increasing accuracy of Machine Learning problems is always a exciting challenge. Building systems that can perform tasks over multiple machines has provides a new layer of challenges. The current movement away from Research is upsetting. It would be amazing if more inventions we see in movies were real. Most of the technology is ready....we just need to build it.