Why does everyone think Computer Science = Programming?

[onodera]

No, you're absolutely right, electrical engineering is all about television repair. In fact, in some languages (e.g. Dutch) they don't issue "Electrical Engineering" degrees, instead they issue "Television Repair" degrees.

Alas, while some so-called "electrical engineers" like my father may know how televisions work, they don't know the first thing about repairing a cracked cathode ray tube (which is what was wrong with my great-grandmother's TV when she asked him to repair it).

No, seriously, I don't know what that degree means. Designing power plants? Or power lines? Or electric appliances? Or electronic hardware?

[Jon Miller]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering

It now covers a range of subtopics including power, electronics, control systems, signal processing and telecommunications.
Electrical engineering may include electronic engineering.

JM

[Asher]

Most electrical engineers I know are either software developers, HR managers, or they work in automation technology.

[Ben Kenobi]

Computer scientists can program and math majors can do arithmetic..are math majors calculators?

Why not? They understand calculus. You understand programming and the principles behind that.

[Asher]

Why not? They understand calculus. You understand programming and the principles behind that.

Computer scientists study calculus as well.

Now I'm confused.

[Dr Strangelove]

No, you're absolutely right, electrical engineering is all about television repair. In fact, in some languages (e.g. Dutch) they don't issue "Electrical Engineering" degrees, instead they issue "Television Repair" degrees.

Alas, while some so-called "electrical engineers" like my father may know how televisions work, they don't know the first thing about repairing a cracked cathode ray tube (which is what was wrong with my great-grandmother's TV when she asked him to repair it).

My dad was an electronics engineer. He built our family's first TV, he usually repaired our TVs. That got to be a bit of a problem when his eyesight began to fail.

I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of repairing a cracked cathode ray tube. You'd have to make sure the internal magnets and the electron guns were ok, seal the crack, then re-establish the vacuum inside the tube.

[loinburger]

My dad repaired a few televisions (that didn't have cracked cathode ray tubes) - the problem was that my great-grandmother couldn't conceive of any possible use for an electrical engineering degree aside from repairing televisions.

My grandfather was a mechanical engineer, and his father was a lumberjack who couldn't conceive of any possible use for a mechanical engineering degree aside from building pulleys.

[Spaced Cowboy]

I am an EE, I do software, hardware, and mechanical design (including building/fabricating prototypes, etc).

[Aeson]

Is it because you assigned the value in the title rather than compared for equality?

[Lonestar]

"Computer Science" is just a fancy way of justifying not taking a programming course at DeVry some ****.

[The Mad Monk]

****ing computers, how do they work?

[N35t0r]

Ants

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I assumed it was about growing computers in petri dishes.

[PLATO]

I think you have to look at the history of computer science in academics. Back in the 80's a computer science degree was a programming degree for all intents and purposes. Apparently someone along the way realized that just programming wasn't "all that". The computer scientists that I know might as well be math majors these days. My son is getting his degree in computer science. If he takes just 3 additional math classes then he can have a double major.

[loinburger]

My BS in computer science automatically gave me a math minor. The university I attended also offered a BA in computer science (I don't know if they still do), which is essentially a degree in programming or code-monkeying. I know from group projects that somebody with or working on a BA in computer science is a tolerable programmer so long as somebody tells them exactly what to do.