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I think I want to go to graduate school, but don't know where to start.
I want to give a little background of myself so that I can get some advice, please.
I went to a UC and graduated in 2011 with a philosophy degree and a mediocre GPA. I basically wasted my undergrad.
Fast-forward to Spring of 2013, when I started taking computer science classes at a local community college. Over those two years I found that I enjoyed programming and CS. I find it sometimes difficult, but also interesting and rewarding. I *did not* walk through it like a breeze - my success (3.9+ GPA, 17 classes from the CS department) largely comes from hitting my head against metaphorical walls over and over again. There were so many times where I got stuck on problems for hours or days. Not all of this stuff came to me easily, but I liked it enough that I kept trying until I got it.
I volunteered as a teaching assistant for most of those two years and tutored many fellow students. I even got to make lecture materials and give a lecture (multiple times) about boolean operators and conditions to beginning CS students.
I heard that if I want to do grad school, the master's degree comes before the phd. If that's true, then phd aside, how could I set myself up to get into a master's degree program in CS?
There's one more thing I should mention. My math is behind. I took and passed a 3D graphics class without taking Linear Algebra, so I am capable, however my knowledge isn't even up to par with calculus. I'm not afraid of math, just very behind. The more I study CS and programming, the more interested I become in math.
>pic unrelated, taught myself LaTeX today
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Made another LaTeX image
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>>16928689
Okay so first of all, you need to take the necessary math prereqs, even if it's just at a local community college.
And second, no, it's technically not necessary to get a masters before a PhD, but this is because very qualified students can apply to PhD programs in which you obtain your PhD and your masters along the way (basically by writing a thesis 2 years into the program) or just getting your PhD, no masters.
General info for getting into a master's degree program in CS? Look up prereqs for multiple schools. Also, many good universities offer online masters. I know USC does. The best advice I have, besides searching the prereqs and getting those done, is to meet with an advisor from a nearby university to talk about what you have accomplished and what you still need to accomplish in order to be a valid candidate for a program. A departmental advisor for the university knows the requirements for their programs and can give you a push in the right direction, and might also be a valuable asset if you follow through and then later apply to that particular university.
Good luck, anon. The fact you are a hard worker means much more than being naturally gifted at the subject, especially in an experience-driven field like CS.
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>>16928689
>how could I set myself up to get into a master's degree program in CS?
>philosophy degree and a mediocre GPA
Pick a school, see the requirement of the department. I think you have more chance to be admitted into a course work master program than a research Master/PhD program (which often come with scholarship and stipends).
The likely requirement for people without background in CS will involve some test(s), like GRE or GATE i'm not sure, I know that for math it would be Gre math subject test .
>My math is behind
Preparing for the test above should also fix this issue, since that's the reason they require the test for people without CS background to begin with.
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