Unless you are, perhaps quite commendably, endeavoring to live a life whereby computers play as minimal a role as possible in both your professional and personal affairs, regardless of the depth and intricacies of your knowledge surround computing, it is unlikely you will be overlay au-fait with computer science itself.

So, whether you have just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computing, are currently working within the computing industry, or simply have a keen interest in learning, then continue reading to discover everything important relating to the development of computer science and the projected future outlook of the discipline.

What Exactly Is Computer Science?

Fundamentally, computer science is the study of and research into everything related to computers and computing—including but not limited to software and hardware design, computational theory, algorithms, statistical analysis, and the way in which humans interact with and use computers.

There is a plethora of different fields in which one can move into and the transferable skills of learning and studying computer science means that you will not only be highly employable, but you will be afforded a boost of résumé prowess, as well.

Further Education In Computer Science

To gain a professional career in one of the specialist fields of computing and computer science, it is not enough to simply acquire an undergraduate bachelor’s degree.

More pertinently, it is strongly advisable to enroll onto a postgraduate master of computer science online, whereby you can envelop yourself fully in the details of all aspects of computer science and be clearer on which area you see your professional career developing.

There are a myriad of different benefits to choosing to study your postgraduate degree online with a reputable and renowned academic institution, not least the ability to fit your research studies and papers around your other professional and personal commitments.

The Beginnings Of Computer Science

It may be somewhat surprising to learn that the history of computers goes way back to over two hundred years ago when, during the 19^th century, in order to solve mathematical problems, calculating mechanical machines were designed and created:

19^th Century

In 1853, a Swedish inventor named Per Georg Scheutz and his son designed the world’s very first printing calculator and this marked the very first machine that actually calculated and printed the results. Thirty-seven years later, in early 1890, the first punch-card system was developed to help calculate and qualify the US Census of that year, and this early example of the use of computer science saved the government over $5 million.

Early 20^th Century

In 1931, a university professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) invented and developed the very first large-scale general-purpose mechanical analog computer (called the Differential Analyzer), and five years later, a British mathematician and scientist named Alan Turing began the research that today’s modern computers are based upon.

Turing released a paper in 1936 entitled ‘On Computable Numbers…’ and in it described his patented principle whereby machines can compute absolutely anything that is in anyway computable.Turing machines form the basis of every single computer that you will use in both your personal and professional lives.

A year later, a physics professor from Iowa State University successfully submitted a grant proposal to build and develop the world’s first electric-only computer, and in 1939 Bill Hewlett and David Packard founded the international computing company Hewlett and Packardin the latter’s garage.

Late 20^th Century

In 1953, the world’s first published computer language, Common & Business Language (COBOL), was created by Grace Hopper, who was for this reason alone forever known as the “first lady of software.” Five years later, in 1958, Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby together presented the very first computer chip to the world and in 1968, Douglas Engelbart presented a protype of the modern computer and included a live demonstration of his model complete with a GUI (graphical user interface) and even a computer mouse.

1990s To The Present Day

Computer science steadily began to rise in both accessibility and popularity through the 1990s, especially with the development of graphics and music through the introduction of the Pentium microprocessor in 1993.

In 2003, AMD released the world’s first 64-bit computing processor for personal computers and with the launch of Apple’s MacBook Pro—the world’s first dual-core and Intel-based mobile computer into the public domain in 2004—the majority of people across the length and breadth of the United States started investing in at-home personal computers.

These days, computer science uses a range of different types of media (including social media platforms) to assist artificial intelligence systems and to increase the success and longevity of businesses across the vast spectrum of industry.

Computing and computer science are at the forefront of development and innovation and these days, both smaller and family-run companies (and larger, international corporations)rely heavily on data analysis and collection from various sources across the business in order to grow, expand, and increase their profitability.

The Top Specialisms In Computer Science

Computing and computer science is an exceedingly broad topic and therefore there exist several main fields of specialism.

Following are the fundamental fields of computer science, their functions, and how they contribute to the development and growth of progressing the world of business, and beyond:

Information Security

Information security, or as most people more commonly refer to it, cybersecurity, is the field of computer science most closely associated with the protection of businesses, and more pertinently the personal data and information that the business stores.

With the exponential rise in the use of computers to store private customer information for businesses across the country—and indeed the rest of the world—the importance of cybersecurity is exponentially on the rise and at the same time, so is the risk of cyberattack.

There is a myriad of ways in which computer scientists work to protect a company from cyberattacks, including but categorically in no way limited to:

• Penetration tester/Ethical hacker: Computer scientists spend their time analyzing and searching the entirety of a computing network (and all related hardware and software systems and packages) for weaknesses where cybercriminals can gain access.
• Compliance and auditing: Examining and reviewing all company policies and procedures is part and parcel of a computer scientist’s role, with a view to recommending changes and adaptations to ensure legal compliance and GDPR guidelines are adhered to.
• Forensic investigation and consultancy: Computer scientists also act upon cybercrime and dissect every step of the process the cybercriminal used to gain accessto the network or system in an effort to prevent the same situation happening again. Additionally, computer scientists are often hired to support claims of cybercrime on behalf of the company, including illegal content and hacker activity.
• Security practice: Computer scientists are sometimes responsible for building, designing, and maintaining security solutions for both computing networks and computers; and this is why such professionals require a deep and detailed understanding of computing protocols, diverse technology, and networking.

Network Architecture

One of the most fascinating fields of the computer science specialism is that of network architecture, which reviews, researches, and analyzes the entire computer network and associated technologies as a whole.

Network architecture is also concerned with network modeling, analysis, budgeting, and most crucially, the analysis and usage of data and information to determine technology and network requirements.

Computer scientists who specialize in network architecture are responsible for network specifications and designs to support business models,strategies, and business developments and are an integral part of any company.

The general roles, duties, and responsibilities of a network architect include, but are in no way limited to:

• Working closely with chief technology officers
• Determining the types of networks and hardware solutions that best suit the needs of the specific business they are working alongside
• The planning and development of the chosen networks and the ongoing monitoring and maintenance of each individual component and connection
• Using research and the gathering of information and data to best ascertain and accurately attempt to predict the networking trends in the future
• The creation of layouts for data communication of networks
• Upgrading hardware, including routers and software such as drivers, to best attain optimum network performance
• The presentation of created designs to the client and business management team

Human Vs Computer Interaction

Human vs computer interaction (commonly abbreviated to HCI) is essentially the intensive study of how computers and humans interact and moreover, attempting to improve this interaction within a particular system of computer networks.

Computer scientists who specialize in human vs computer interaction also use skills, knowledge, and experience that they have acquired from other areas, such as psychology, design, and human behavior studies.

It is not exactly mandatory to study computing science at postgraduate level in order to enter the world of human vs computer interaction studies, but it would be strongly advisable, due to the detailed knowledge required to study computing science at master’s level and major in the discipline.

There are several major career pathways which directly work with the development and improvement of the interaction between humans and computers:

Product Designer

Product designers (also known as industrial designers)create, develop, and improve conceptsfor manufactured and readily available products, including children’s toys, kitchen appliances, and even cars.Product designers combine engineering, art, and business to create products and consider a variety of factors in the creation of their products, including production costs, function, usability, and visual aesthetics.

Web Interaction Designer

Web interaction designers basically create and design company websites and are solely responsible not just for the aesthetic visuals of the website, but also for the smooth running and user-friendly nature.

Computer specialists who choose to specialize in web interaction and design and focus on human vs computer interaction are also responsible for the capacity and technical specifications of the website and controlling the proper flow of traffic.

Graphic Designer

Another specialism within the broad field of computer science is that of graphic design.Computer scientists who primarily concentrate on graphic design use computer software packages and programs to create visually stunning, aesthetic concepts to communicate ideas and concepts that not only inspire, but captivate and inform the consumers.

Graphic designers also develop the product design and overall layout for a variety of applications and programs, from brochures and magazines to commercials and corporate reports.

Computer Usability Engineers

Computer scientists who specialize in computer usability engineering are essentially the most creative people and are responsible for the creation, development, and maintenance of one or more software programs.

In terms of working in the field of human vs computer interaction, computer usability engineers strive to improve this interaction as part of their daily workload and help develop the application they are working on to be more user-friendly.

Skills Required To Work In Computer Science

Computer science is an extremely challenging and rewarding discipline that requires a wealth of knowledge on a range of different topics, and also requires a host of key skills and personality traits for an individual to be successful in the field.

Such pre-requisites required for a career as a computer scientist include:

Mathematics Knowledge

Computer science is basically rooted in mathematics and as a result, it is important for a prospective student of computer science to be adept in the subject. Furthermore, an interest and aptitude for calculus and algebra would also be helpful .

Digital Marketing Experience

Experience in digital marketing, even on a basic level, will be of huge benefit. Digital marketing is a prominent component of most business models and as a result, regardless of your choice in career, it is always sensible to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals.

Data Science Background

A background in data science is virtually essential for the successful acquisition of a career in computer science. Focused on the analysis and study of big data, data science and data visualization are fantastic tools for computer scientists, regardless of their chosen specialism.

Computer Programming

Another essential area of computing where it would be of great benefit to be well-versed in is that of computer programming and programming languages. It is also advisable to learn as much as you can about the process of creating, designing, and implementing a functional and user-friendly computer program.

It’s not easy to write secure code, but it’s something that you need to think about before forming the first loop. Managers, auditors, software engineers, and infrastructure architects invested in secure coding, try to imagine all possible worst case scenarios with every piece of the code. While, of course, it’s not possible to anticipate every possible adverse scenario, thinking ahead reduces the number of opportunities to attack. It closes holes and safeguards against a variety of possible security breaches.

While it’s not possible to cover every way to produce much more bulletproof code, here are 7 suggestions that will get you thinking in the right way:

#1: Test all your inputs.

Your code opens doors to the Internet. All software that takes input from the Internet is vulnerable. Think of these doors like paths that hackers can use to sneak into your machine. So test inputs.

#2: Don’t hoard information for future use.

Coders are a little like pack­rats. They like to hoard information, stacking away copies of anything that might be useful at a later date. While this habit is highly beneficial when it comes to debugging software, it leaves a trail of breadcrumbs that a hacker can put to malicious use.

#3: Passwords are not enough.

Theoretically, passwords should do the job if they are done properly—with an alphanumeric string, with a minimum of eight characters, and with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Unfortunately, human error compromises the strength of passwords. People use their personal names or nicknames, names of family or friends, and names of their pets. They use their social security numbers, house numbers, anniversaries and birthdays. Then, if that’s not problematic enough, they forget their passwords, only use simple ones so that they remember, and reuse the same password for all their accounts.

Passwords do work if done right, and, to be fair, nobody has come up with a more flexible or simpler method. However, don’t rely on passwords as your only security measure. According to a hard­hitting article by Mat Honan in Wired, it may actually be time to kill the password. It’s no longer working for civilization.

#4: Discuss risks and options with the team.

Secure code is not just what happens with a code editor. Managers and company executives, many who may have no technical skills, are also involved in the development of software. When requirements are being drafted, everyone involved in the project needs to talk about the potential risk of each requirement.

#5: Build in progressive delays.

Although it may seem counter­ intuitive to slip in some delays in the code because it makes things more inefficient, there is a good reason for it. Attacks are often automated, which means an attack could have hundreds, thousands, even millions of iterations. A bot­­ pretending to be a human user ­­ could literally send a million or more queries. It could also try every possible password combination a trillion times until it stumbles upon the right one. All these attacks thrive on the elegance and efficiency of your code. However, it you build in delays, especially those that get progressively longer, it will stymie these fake users.

# 6: Encrypt much more.

Programmers, as a rule, don’t like to use too much encryption, for some good reasons: it adds still one more step, makes debugging even more difficult, and makes it tougher to track down errors. Elegant coding is hard enough without having to scramble over a pile of enigmatic numbers. An excellent example of efficient encryption can be seen in some of the newest network security software, which uses FIPS 140­2 validated AES­256 encryption to protect all ultra-­sensitive information.

#7: You can’t please everyone.

Users want one thing from computers: ease of use. This is a great marketing idea and one that was extensively used by Steve Jobs to make Macs, iPods, and iPads fly off retail shelves, but it is a terrible idea when it comes to security. When you don’t link up all parts of a system together into one seamless piece, then users have to log into each part. Although it is awkward, it improves security­­ because it drastically reduces the threat of a single weak link allowing complete access to the system.

Don’t forget to Check out PC Guide to learn how to code.

The Growing Security Threat

Why are all these security measures necessary? After all, it makes coding much more cumbersome and code less elegant. It also irritates users who have to work with less efficient software. However, the reason to write secure code is simply because there is now an enormous need for security. According to the Internet Security Threat Report, the number of security attacks is on the rise each year. In 2013, 552 million consumers had some form of identity information stolen through a breach. This was 62% more than the year before, where there were 253 breaches in total. We may have to rethink everything when it comes to coding and security.

Altered State Productions, a digital marketing agency, has announced the beta launch of a groundbreaking version of their production website: CREATE. A digital platform unlike any other, CREATE ventures far beyond a conventional portfolio display, offering an immersive showcase of the company’s years of industry-leading work in design, video, and sound.

Embodying Altered State Productions’ future-forward philosophy, CREATE boasts an aesthetic that is nothing short of cutting-edge. The interface is an artful balance of progressive design principles, staying ahead of the curve by incorporating the latest digital trends and techniques. From the fluidity of its dynamic visuals to the intuitiveness of its user experience, CREATE ensures visitors not only witness but also feel the mastery of Altered State Productions’ creative capabilities.

Creativity on Display

CREATE’s focus is clear: to present Altered State Productions’ breadth and depth of work in a vibrant and engaging manner. This innovative platform flaunts a gallery of the production company’s portfolio items. Each is uniquely presented to highlight their individual strengths, whether it be gripping cinematography, evocative sound design, music production and audio engineering, or compelling graphic design work. Each project is given room to resonate with its audience on a personal level.

But what sets CREATE apart is its innovative approach to context. It goes beyond just presenting an online portfolio. The site provides insight into the trends that shaped each piece and the case studies that outline the process behind them. Visitors can delve into the creative journey that Altered State Productions undertakes for each project. Viewers gain an understanding of the agency’s commitment to pushing boundaries and their adeptness in navigating the changing landscape of digital media and full service digital marketing.

Below the Surface

A section of the website is dedicated to trend analysis, providing an in-depth look at industry patterns and how Altered State Productions consistently stays ahead of the game. It illustrates the company’s ability to anticipate, adapt, and excel in a rapidly evolving media environment, effectively mirroring the industry’s movement in real time.

In the case studies section, the audience is taken on a behind-the-scenes tour, demonstrating the meticulous process behind each piece of work. This thoughtful inclusion allows visitors to appreciate the intricate layers of creativity, innovation, and technical skill that go into every project, reinforcing the company’s reputation for excellence.

An Immersive Media Shopping Experience

In a novel move, Altered State Productions has made CREATE more than just an immersive portfolio showcase – it’s also an intuitive marketplace for its broad spectrum of Video production services. From engaging video advertisements to comprehensive podcast production services and unique branding solutions, clients can now shop for the digital marketing agency services directly on the website.

The shopping experience on CREATE has been designed to be as seamless and intuitive as the rest of the site. Potential clients can effortlessly navigate through myriad offerings, each with detailed descriptions and sample works that aid in informed decision-making. This aspect of the platform reflects Altered State Productions’ commitment to client empowerment, giving them access to world-class production services at their fingertips.

A New Way to Make a Digital Portfolio

Altered State Productions’ new version of its production website, CREATE, is a bold and engaging platform that promises to redefine the way production portfolios are presented and interacted with. It’s not just a showcase of the company’s impressive portfolio but also a testament to its ability to remain innovative and relevant in a constantly shifting industry.

This innovative step transforms the way businesses can engage with Altered State Productions. Whether it’s to breathe life into a new brand, craft a compelling podcast series, or produce eye-catching video ads, CREATE opens up a world of possibilities in a few simple clicks. It’s a visionary blend of portfolio, insights, and e-commerce – truly embodying the future-forward approach of Altered State Productions.

CREATE Studio, a brainchild of Altered State Productions, and  the newest platform for interactive branding agency expertise, advanced video production, and AI-driven innovation. Illuminating their platform legacy, CREATE offers brands a transformative space to interact, engage, and co-create with state-of-the-art AI, unveiling of SoundLab and highly anticipated rollouts for media production tech integrations for existing members.