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okay so here's the story. i want to work in developing software (not QA or writing tests), so although I am currently starting computing science this summer, i came across Software Systems (aka s.e.) program which is "applied" but under computing science....

so what is the difference between the 2 disciplines ? if i choose software engineering, would it require more in depth expertise with calculus (i fail at it), and more coding time ?

i am looking for a way to write better and more efficient code. I want to go to school, so i wont get lazy. i want to pick a program that would directly aid me in writing and developing software.

graduating with an Econ degree in last year doesn't really help in landing jobs requiring comp sci/software engineering degrees....i should've studied harder in Economics (and maybe land a job) but i was obsessed with learning how to program with various languages since day 1 at University, but i didn't think i was smart enough to pass comp sci courses (so i just relied on books + irc...) and everyone around me said software jobs are being outsourced to India so i thought this obsession was just a "phase" and i should keep it as a hobby.

but yes, it's quite funny why i hadn't pursued this field much earlier. as Joelonsoftware.com says economics degree starts with a bang (microeconomics the only course you only need really)....predicting stock prices (ridiculous!) + realizing China's potential power to meltdown US economy and vice versa + interest rate is inversely related to bond premium which is inversely related to stock market

it would absolutely awesome if there was a program that combined finance + programming....

im in Canada.

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Software Engineering is a subset of Computer Science. Thus, SE is more of a specialization within CS. If you aren't great at Math then SE may well be better for you than CS. It is worth understanding that some Math concepts like Big-O may be taught in both areas as it is almost a fundamental component to understanding how to measure some things like time and space complexity. SE is likely to be more hands-on with the programming though it is worth understanding that there are some tangent areas to that like understanding Hardware or the Software Development LifeCycle.

I would point out that I'm someone with a CS and Math degree but sucked at Economics in university, partially because no one told me to do the old exams as the way to study for the final exam which was an evil multiple choice one.

I currently live in Calgary, AB and went to university in Waterloo, so I do know a bit about Canadian stuff.

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