The Top 10 Student Computer Programs & Software
Building Computer Skills to Enhance Professional Credentials
Jul 16, 2009
All students use computers, but the degree varies. Why? One reason: though different majors have different tech requirements, the general truth is that most don't bother to learn. This is dangerous thinking, because professional credentials are best when based on two things: experience (which means all college graduates are generally at the same level) and performance.
For example: if a student studied finance at Harvard but hasn't mastered Microsoft Excel, he's technically of less value to a firm than a graduate from Kirkwood Community College who can perform any risk analysis test in seconds. Not all the summer interns at Goldman Sachs (who just posted record-breaking profits) come from Ivy League Schools, and the same goes for Rhodes and Marshall Scholars. Thankfully, to the savvy go the spoils.
Computers: Not as Tough as They Seem
Some akin mastering computers to mastering a musical instrument, suggesting that only a select few can do so. This is nonsense. A computer is indeed an instrument, but it is more like a pocketknife than a violin. With tutelage and consistent practice, anyone can master any operating system and its programs in the four years it takes to earn an undergraduate degree. A student need not be a computer science major think – of it as an extracurricular activity. He might also think about taking a computer science class.
Of course, no one can learn everything at the same level, so don't try and do so. Even hackers will be more fluent in one programming language than another. Yet, just as learning a foreign language leads to a richer life, stronger cognitive abilities, and even enhanced mathematics prowess, so too does learning a variety of computer programs carry seen and unseen benefits. What if someone want to build their own website? Figure out their tax return? Make party or wedding invitations? Calculate the rate at which blood flows through their heart? Everything is possible.
The list below is not intended to be comprehensive; rather, it is a platform to discover other ways to improve professional credentials and skills, and maybe even quality of life (though there is no concrete evidence that suggests so). A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, says Shakespeare's Juliet. Likewise, an OS by any other name is just as sweet if one can learn to love them all.
The Top 10 Computer Operating Systems and Programs to Know
- Mac OS X
- Windows 8
- Basic understandings of Unix (especially for engineers), Linux, Perl, Java, and C++
- Microsoft Office for Windows and iWork for Mac (both include spreadsheet and Powerpoint applications)
- Matlab and Mathematica (especially for engineering, science, mathematics, and economics students). Don't plan on buying these as an individual though – they are extremely expensive without a license. Some illegal downloads may be available, but not advisable.
- Statistical software, such as SAS, Minitab, Matlab (for sociology, economics, engineering, science, and statistics students, and anyone who wants to do original research)
- Bloomberg Terminal (for finance students and economics students going into banking, or anyone interested in Wall Street – this is an investment banker's pocketknife)
- Autocad (especially for engineers)
- Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
- Web Design (Start with HTML and move on to open source software)
An easy way to get started is to find peers already versed in these programs, and the easiest way to find them is to take the classes they take. One computer science course will go a long way. Contact professors to determine whether or not a class will actually offer computer practice. There might also be clubs on campus.
Another way to start is to take a part-time job at an IT department or at the library. At the former, a student will most likely require a computer background, but he will learn volumes on the job. A library job means loads of free time in front of a computer, which he can use to master them. Graphic design and web design jobs are possibilities as well, but difficult to get sometimes, and usually time-consuming.
Above all, it is vital to practice as much as possible. This is usually best done through projects, either as required coursework or independently. Vice versa, coursework or independent interests may motivate a student to develop computer skills in order to pursue the topic further.
This article is just a brief introduction to computer programs – a short compliment to the extensive and (so it goes in the computer industry) infinitely expanding literature available on the Internet and magazines such as Wired (a general but interesting source). With a background in computers, who knows what doors might open? The student who starts with the basics might one day create an innovative computer program or solve an abstract problem. The true value of a computer, like any other instrument, lies in the user expressing an idea.
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