If you pick out a student at random walking around the School of Engineering and ask them what their major is, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll hear the word computer thrown in their answer somewhere – and for good reason.
Whether it be Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), Computer Science and Business Administration (CSBA), or Computer Science Games, USC has no lack of majors that encompass every last bit of computing. And while that’s reflective of the university’s commitment to providing comprehensive education, it speaks more to how universal CS has become in nearly all facets of life.
If you’re reading this blog right now, be it on your smartphone, laptop, computer, or even your refrigerator (if you have a smart fridge), you can thank a software engineer somewhere out there for writing the code to display not just this blog – but the code for the Viterbi Admissions website, the code to host the website, the code for your web browser, the operating system your device runs on, and so much more.
CS is a field that produces what I like to call “omni-engineers” – folks who are needed in just about every industry on the planet, and can apply their skills to revolutionize the foundational fields of society, from medicine to economics. A seasoned software engineer working at Google and an experienced one working in Wall Street most likely have the same degree – and at any given moment, the two of them could switch jobs and still produce quality, efficient code.
In today’s world, you’d be hard pressed to find just about any company that doesn’t have a website. Just about every restaurant in any given city has switched to using QR codes for menus. Your favorite coffee shop has a rewards program built into their app that you download onto a pocket-sized computer. Some McDonald’s locations have even opted to only have computerized kiosks to serve their customers – which brings up a whole new discussion.
It’s impossible to talk about CS in 2024 without bringing up artificial intelligence – AI. Just about every company now has a built in AI somewhere in their app or website, whether it be an automated chatbot, analytics tool, or even a virtual assistant – and just about everyone has now been able to use AI for their individual needs. Whether it be writing full essays, producing realistic videos from text, or even writing code, AI has very quickly found its way to become a part of just about everything that’s being used or made today – and with this widespread usage came a lot of fear about what AI means for our future as a civilization.
That’s where CS comes in – it’s not just the study of how computers work, but also how to apply this knowledge and theory for societal benefit. AI is not terrifying once you understand how it works; as a matter of fact, it becomes all the better once you do. And while AI is certainly one of the biggest fields of CS right now, it definitely isn’t what it’s all about – just ask a student majoring in computer science.
