Math Rox (Score 1)

I'm a little biased, my degree is in math and I picked up CS on the side. However, I am a developer and was a technical manager at my last job. From my observations, people who are good at math make good developers, people who aren't don't. While linear algebra is useful at times, it's not really the skills acquired from math that matters. Rather it is a set of common traits of mathematicians and programmers that indicates to me that the two fields are linked. Both need to have analytic minds, patience, and commitment to be really good at their jobs. Like many other engineering disciplines, math is used in a CS program to cull those people who lack the required mindset from the rest of the herd. It's not likely that a CS student will get a chance to work on a major project before his or her junior or senior year. By then it would be rather late for that student to find out they hate their field. The University forces engineering students to take math classes in order to let them decide early whether they should rethink their choice of careers. Your University believes (as do I) that if you can't get through the core math classes you aren't cut out to be a programmer, engineer, or systems administrator for that matter. I do know several people who don't have degrees at all and are great programmers. However, each of them could have easily completed the Math part of a CS degree; they just didn't feel like taking Social Science, English, etc. As for management, I don't think I would work for a company that lacked real programming experience and analytic skills in its management. The technology moves very quickly, development is riddled with unknowns, and programmers tend to walk out mid-stream on pointy haired bosses. A lack of experience from above is a recipe for disaster. With that said, you will probably get a decent job with a CIS degree. Someone has to maintain the Intranet, develop the Enterprise Visual Basic apps, and QA the product. But you won't get the prestige, promotions, and babes (jk) the guys with the CS degrees get.